YES, we do. This is how the Holy Spirit is described in the inspired writings of Ellen White. So, we are in full agreement with the designation of the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead. However, we are not in agreement with SDAs who twist Ellen White’s writing to make them conflict with the Bible. For some have taken the above designation by Ellen White and concluded that Ellen White implied by it the existence of a third divine “being,”,i.e. the Holy Spirit, besides the Father and His only begotten Son. This she never meant to be. In all her writings, she never ever referred to the Holy Spirit as a third divine “being." This may seem like a paradox to some: how can she speak of a third person of the Godhead and not mean by it a third divine “being”? A casual reader of her writings may be confused by this apparent dilemma. However, her writings are not to be blamed for such a faulty conclusion. There is no basis whatsoever to arrive at the wrong conclusion of the existence of a third divine “being,” for the following reasons:
- If we do so, then we make her writings in direct conflict with the Bible, which speaks only of the presence of two divine beings (Zechariah 6:13; Revelation 21:22). This is not possible, if you believe, as we do, that there was one divine spirit which inspired both, the Bible and her writings.
- She never, when referring to the Holy Spirit in her writings, described it as a “divine being.”
- In her writings she has told us clearly that the nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery.
How is the Holy Spirit a “mystery” then according to the writings of Ellen White? Certainly, neither the role nor the mission of the Holy Spirit is a mystery in the Bible (see John 14:26; 16:8, 13). Furthermore, the identity of the Holy Spirit is not a mystery. While the Bible clearly reveals that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (see John 14:16-18), it also states that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (see John 15:26). More importantly, the Bible while speaking distinctly of Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of the Son in several places (for example, see Romans 8:14; Galatians 4:6; Philippians 1:19), does equate the Spirit of Christ with the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:9). We can therefore surmise from these Bible verses that the Holy Spirit in that holy divine mechanism through which both the Father and Son jointly work for the salvation of the human race, and represents the means through which they can both abide in us for fellowship (see 1 John 1:3) and to sanctify us to overcome the evil one and sin.
So, if the mission and the identity of the Holy Spirit have been clearly revealed in the Bible, where does the mystery of the Holy Spirit lie?
We can only conclude that the “mystery” lies in the following: How can the Holy Spirit which represents the joint effort of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ act as a person and not be a separate third being of the Godhead? We can’t explain this unprecedented phenomenon, from a human point of view. And since we can’t explain it as, it is a mystery about which we should not speculate. But sadly, most SDAs when confronted with this mystery jump to the wrong conclusion and conclude the existence of a third divine being, or a third independent co-equal person to the Father and His Son. Instead of recognizing where the mystery lies, they resolve it erroneously.
Lastly, we rejoice in knowing that in our earthly sojourn towards heaven we have two divine beings cooperating together through their joint Spirits (aka the Holy Spirit) to save us. And that the Father’s Spirit which aided our Lord in overcoming sin during His life on earth, is there to also aid us along with the Spirit of His Son, jointly as the Holy Spirit, so that we have all that is needed to overcome sin, and fulfill their divine mission in each of our lives.
