One Lord Jesus Christ

“To know God in His works is true science, but to know God as He is in Christ is life eternal.” – 21MR 427.1

“When God gave His Son, He gave all heaven. He could give no more.“—Manuscript 27, 1893

“Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character. Every page of the Holy Scriptures shines with His light.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 115.1

SON of GOD

The WORD (Word of God/Son of God) MICHAEL (Archangel/Son of God) YESHUA (Jesus – Son of Man/Son of God)

The Son of God [YHVH] – God/Man – Christ [the Anointed One] – Jesus – Yeshua [Yehovah is Salvation] – [Visible Body] – “All the fullness of the Godhead manifested.” “The express image of the Father’s person.” “The image of the invisible God.” “The brightness or outshining of the Father’s glory.” “The Word of God.” “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” “The only begotten of God.” “The Christ or Messiah – the Anointed One.” “By Him were all things created.” “The Lamb of God.” “Our Redeemer.” “Sovereign of heaven.” “One in power and authority with the Father.” “Of one substance, possessing the same attributes as the Father.” “The attributes of the character of the Infinite.” “Jehovah Emmanuel.” “Associate or Co-worker with the Father.” “Our brother.” “Fully man, fully God.” “In Him [Christ] dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” “I and My Father are One. [One in nature, in character, and in purpose. One in spirit, heart and character.]” “Pre-existent Son of God.” “Eternal, Self-Existent Son of God.” “A Divine Being.” “Infinite and Omnipotent.” “The Mediator of the Covenant.” “A distinct person, yet one with the Father.” “The exact representation of the Father.” “The surpassing glory of heaven.” “Monarch in Heaven, equal with God.” “The commander of the heavenly intelligences.” “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense.” “The great I AM or eternal presence.” “The Way, the Truth, and the Life.” “The First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.” “The Creator of all things.” “The Author and Finisher of our faith.” “Two natures [divine and human] mysteriously blended in one person.” “The Sinless One.” “Not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” “I and my Father are one.” “In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” “He is not the Father, but the Father dwells in Him.” “Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God.” “The Son of Man.” “From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character.” [absolute Godhead]

Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [Yehovah] our God [Elohiym] is one LORD [Yehovah]: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD [Yehovah] thy God [Elohiym] with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”  –  one: 259. אֶחָד ʾechad, ekh-awd´; a numeral from 258; properly, united, i.e. one

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 43:10-11, “10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.“

Isaiah 44:6-8, “6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. 7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. 8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.“

Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; …“

Isaiah 45:5-9, “5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. 9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! …”

Isaiah 45:11-12, “11 Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. 12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.“

Isaiah 45:18, “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.“

Isaiah 45:21-25, “21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. 25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.“

Isaiah 46:9-10, “9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: …”

Isaiah 47:4, “As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.“

Isaiah 48:2-3, “2 … the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name. 3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.”

Isaiah 48:12-13, “12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. 13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.”

Isaiah 48:16-17, “16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. 17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.“

Isaiah 54:5, “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.“

Jeremiah 23:6, “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.“

Daniel 3:25, “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.“

Matthew 1:23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

John 1:1-5, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with [the] God, and the Word was God (divine). 2 The same was in the beginning with (the) God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

John 5:23, “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

John 8:42, “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.”

John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me (the Son of God).”

Psalms 45:7, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God [Son of God], thy God [God the Father], hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

Hebrews 1:9, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God [Theos – Christ Jesus], even thy God [Theos – Father], hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

1 Timothy 2:5-6, “5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

2 John 3, “Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”

Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 21:6, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.“

WHO WAS JESUS, IN REALITY?

“The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that he might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon his Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them. The Father then made known that it was ordained by himself that Christ, his Son, should be equal with himself; so that wherever was the presence of his Son, it was as his own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son he had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was his Son to work in union with himself in the anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out his will and his purposes, but would do nothing of himself alone. The Father’s will would be fulfilled in him.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, pp. 17, 18 — 1870

“Christ had been taken into the special counsel of God in regard to his plans, while Satan was unacquainted with them. He did not understand, neither was he permitted to know, the purposes of God. But Christ was acknowledged sovereign of Heaven, his power and authority to be the same as that of God himself.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 18 — 1870

“There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ. Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation and his claims to equality with Christ had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son of God; but this had been the same from the beginning. Many of the angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions.” — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 38 — 1890

“What does that say to us? “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It says to you, I, God, have sent My Son into your world, and through Him is opened all heaven to fallen man.” — The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 124 — 1888

“The Eternal Father, the unchangeable one, gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bosom Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind.” — Review and Herald, July 9, 1895 par. 13

“He was indeed more than a teacher come from God; he was the only-begotten Son of the Father, the one sent into the world to save those who should believe on him.” — Signs of the Times, November 23, 1891 par. 3

“Jesus spoke with supreme, personal authority, and yet he always made the impression upon the people that he spoke by the authority of his Father. He placed himself on a level with the eternal throne. The glory of God fell directly upon him, and was shed upon those who would receive the light, and who would become light-bearers to others.” — ST, October 1, 1896 par. 7

“Who is Christ?–He is the only begotten Son of the living God. He is to the Father as a word that expresses the thought,–as a thought made audible. Christ is the word of God.” — The Youth’s Instructor, June 28, 1894 par. 9

“The Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, is truly God in infinity, but not in personality. He has wrought out the righteousness that enables human beings to overcome every assault of Satan. He will impute His righteousness to the believing saint who walks as He walked when on earth.” — The Upward Look, p. 367.4

“Let us talk of Christ, His preexistence, His humble ministry, His mighty power, His prospective personal glory in the heavenly courts. The Son of God restores to life whom He will. “All that the Father hath is Mine,” He says. “I and My Father are one.” He has greatness, present and prospective, that baffles human conception. He encircles the race with His long human arm, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. ¶ There is a knowledge of God and of Christ which all who are saved must have. “This is life eternal,” Christ says, “that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” And He says again, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” To all who receive Him as their Redeemer, He gives power to become the sons of God. Every one who truly believes in Him will be inspired by faith and raised by the arm of Omnipotence. ¶ Those who do not receive in faith God’s plan for redeeming the race do despite to the Spirit of grace, and at the last great day their sentence will be, “Depart from Me.” They have hated righteousness and fostered iniquity, and they must be banished forever from the presence of God, exiled from happiness to death—eternal death.” — Lt232-1903 (October 6, 1903) par. 51-53

“All things proclaimed in the heavenly courts the urgent necessity on the earth of a Teacher sent from God—a teacher in whom divinity and humanity would be united. It was essential that Christ should appear in human form and stand at the head of the human race, His divinity and humanity working unitedly to uplift fallen human beings. Thus only could God be revealed to the world. All the books written cannot serve the purpose of a holy life. ¶ The Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, volunteered to lay aside His royal robe and kingly crown and come to this earth to show human beings what they may be and what the should be. He came to shine amidst the darkness, to dispel the darkness by the brightness of His presence. ¶ When in the fulness of time the eternal Son of the infinite God came forth from the bosom of His Father to this world, He came in the garb of humanity, clothing His divinity with humanity. The Father and the Son in consultation decided that Christ must come to the world as a babe and live the life that human beings must live from childhood to manhood, bearing the trials that they must bear and at the same time living a sinless life, that men might see in Him an example of what they can become, and that he might know by experience how to help them in their struggles with sin. He was tried as man is tried, tempted as man is tempted. The life that He lived in this world men can live through His power and under His instruction. ¶ From the beginning God had spoken through Christ, laying the foundation of the gospel in the Jewish economy of types and shadows. Before the coming of Christ this economy was unfinished. The ceremonies of the unfinished economy pointed to the reality. God would not leave the plan incomplete. He would work out to its end the plan for the redemption of the race. By sending His Son into the world, He would carry out to its fulfilment the plan ordained in heaven before the world was made.” — Lt232-1903 (October 6, 1903) par. 17-20

“In the depths of omnipotent wisdom and mercy the Father took the work of salvation into His own hand. He sent His only begotten Son into the world to live the law of Jehovah. The law, revealed in the character of Christ, was a perfect manifestation of the Father.” — The Bible Echo, November 20, 1899 par. 2

“Christ came to teach human beings what God desires them to know. In the heavens above, in the earth, in the broad waters of the ocean, we see the handiwork of God. All created things testify to His power, His wisdom, His love. But not from the stars or the ocean or the cataract can we learn of the personality of God as it is revealed in Christ.“ — Counsels to Church, p. 75.5

“To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 22

“To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 25

“The Lord God of heaven is our Leader. He is a leader whom we can safely follow; for He never makes a mistake. Let us honor God and His Son Jesus Christ, through whom He communicates with the world.” — S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 1, p. 1118 — 1903

“Through being partakers of the divine nature we may stand pure and holy and undefiled. The Godhead was not made human, and the human was not deified by the blending together of the two natures. Christ did not possess the same sinful, corrupt, fallen disloyalty we possess, for then He could not be a perfect offering.”— Manuscript 94, 1893 (Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, pp. 110-112)

““And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” All through the Scriptures, the Father and the Son are spoken of as two distinct personages. You will hear men endeavoring to make the Son of God a nonentity. He and the Father are one, but they are two personages. Wrong sentiments regarding this are coming in, and we shall all have to meet them.” — Review and Herald, July 13, 1905 par. 3

Jesus, our Creator, the Son of God, the Angel of the LORD, is ‘captain of the LORD’s host.’

Exodus 3:2-6, “2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.“

Joshua 5:13-15, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”

‘Satan rebels against the authority of God’s Son’

“There was contention among the angels. Satan and his sympathizers were striving to reform the government of God. They were discontented and unhappy because they could not look into his unsearchable wisdom and ascertain his purposes in exalting his Son Jesus, and endowing him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 19 — 1870

“Angels that were loyal and true sought to reconcile this mighty, rebellious angel to the will of his Creator. They justified the act of God in conferring honor upon Jesus Christ, and with forcible reasoning sought to convince Satan that no less honor was his now than before the Father had proclaimed the honor which he had conferred upon his Son. They clearly set forth that Jesus was the Son of God, existing with him before the angels were created; and that he had ever stood at the right hand of God, and his mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned; and that he had given no commands but what it was joy for the heavenly host to execute.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 19 — 1870

“Many of Satan’s sympathizers were inclined to heed the counsel of the loyal angels, and repent of their dissatisfaction, and be again received to the confidence of the Father and his dear Son.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, pp. 20, 21 — 1870

“The loyal angels hasten speedily to the Son of God, and acquaint him with what is taking place among the angels. They find the Father in conference with his beloved Son, to determine the means by which, for the best good of the loyal angels, the assumed authority of Satan could be forever put down.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 21 — 1870

“God informed Satan that to his Son alone he would reveal his secret purposes, and he required all the family in Heaven, even Satan, to yield him implicit, unquestioned obedience; but that he (Satan) had proved himself unworthy a place in Heaven.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 22 — 1870

“Satan had sympathizers in heaven, and took large numbers of the angels with him. God and Christ and heavenly angels were on one side, and Satan on the other. Notwithstanding the infinite power and majesty of God and Christ, angels became disaffected. The insinuations of Satan took effect, and they really came to believe that the Father and the Son were their enemies and that Satan was their benefactor.” — Testimonies Volume 3, p. 328 — 1873

“Satan was warring against the government of God, because ambitious to exalt himself and unwilling to submit to the authority of God’s Son, Heaven’s great commander.” — Spiritual Gifts Volume 3, p. 37 — 1864

“Then there was war in Heaven. The Son of God, the Prince of Heaven, and his loyal angels, engaged in conflict with the arch rebel and those who united with him.” — The Spirit of Prophecy Volume One, p. 23 — 1870

“He who could influence the angels of God against their Supreme Ruler, and against his Son, their loved commander, and enlist their sympathy for himself, was capable of any deception.” — Review and Herald, August 18, 1874 par. 10

‘Christ the God of the old testament’

“All through the pages of sacred history, where the dealings of God with His chosen people are recorded, there are burning traces of the great I AM. Never has He given to the sons of men more open manifestations of His power and glory than when He alone was acknowledged as Israel’s ruler, and gave the law to His people. Here was a scepter swayed by no human hand; and the stately goings forth of Israel’s invisible King were unspeakably grand and awful. ¶ In all these revelations of the divine presence the glory of God was manifested through Christ. Not alone at the Saviour’s advent, but through all the ages after the Fall and the promise of redemption, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. Christ was the foundation and center of the sacrificial system in both the patriarchal and the Jewish age. Since the sin of our first parents there has been no direct communication between God and man. The Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man and vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ. It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel. They looked for salvation through man’s Substitute and Surety. These holy men of old held communion with the Saviour who was to come to our world in human flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face. ¶Christ was not only the leader of the Hebrews in the wilderness–the Angel in whom was the name of Jehovah, and who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, went before the host–but it was He who gave the law to Israel. Amid the awful glory of Sinai, Christ declared in the hearing of all the people the ten precepts of His Father’s law. It was He who gave to Moses the law engraved upon the tables of stone. ¶ It was Christ that spoke to His people through the prophets. The apostle Peter, writing to the Christian church, says that the prophets “prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:10, 11. It is the voice of Christ that speaks to us through the Old Testament. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10. ¶ In His teachings while personally among men Jesus directed the minds of the people to the Old Testament. He said to the Jews, “Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of Me.” John 5:39, R.V. At this time the books of the Old Testament were the only part of the Bible in existence. Again the Son of God declared, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And He added, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:29, 31. ¶ The ceremonial law was given by Christ. Even after it was no longer to be observed, Paul presented it before the Jews in its true position and value, showing its place in the plan of redemption and its relation to the work of Christ; and the great apostle pronounces this law glorious, worthy of its divine Originator. The solemn service of the sanctuary typified the grand truths that were to be revealed through successive generations. The cloud of incense ascending with the prayers of Israel represents His righteousness that alone can make the sinner’s prayer acceptable to God; the bleeding victim on the altar of sacrifice testified of a Redeemer to come; and from the holy of holies the visible token of the divine Presence shone forth. Thus through age after age of darkness and apostasy faith was kept alive in the hearts of men until the time came for the advent of the promised Messiah. ¶ Jesus was the light of His people–the Light of the world–before He came to earth in the form of humanity. The first gleam of light that pierced the gloom in which sin had wrapped the world, came from Christ. And from Him has come every ray of heaven’s brightness that has fallen upon the inhabitants of the earth. In the plan of redemption Christ is the Alpha and the Omega–the First and the Last.“ — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 365.4 — 367.3

“The blessed Bible gives us a knowledge of the great plan of salvation, and shows us how every individual may have eternal life. Who is the author of the book? — Jesus Christ. He is the True Witness, and He says to His own, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”” — FE, p. 308.2

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.” — Lift Him Up, p. 16.3

“Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one as he was one with his Father. This prayer did not contemplate one disciple with twelve heads, but twelve disciples, made one in object and effort in the cause of their master. Neither are the Father and the Son parts of the “three-one God.” They are two distinct beings, yet one in the design and accomplishment of redemption. The redeemed, from the first who shares in the great redemption, to the last, all ascribe the honor, and glory, and praise, of their salvation, to both God and the Lamb.” — James S. White, Life incidents, p. 343 — 1868

“Paul affirms of the Son of God that he was in the form of God, and that he was equal with God. ‘Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God.’ Phil. 2:6. The reason why it is not robbery for the Son to be equal with the Father is the fact that he is equal… The inexplicable Trinity that makes the Godhead three in one and one in three, is bad enough; but that ultra Unitarianism that makes Christ inferior to the Father is worse. Did God say to an inferior, “Let us make man in our image”?” — James S. White, Review & Herald, November 29, 1877

“There is no one who can explain the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. Yet we know that He came to this earth and lived as a man among men. The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty, yet Christ and the Father are one.The Deity did not sink under the agonizing torture of Calvary, yet it is nonetheless true that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”” — 5BC 1129

“A complete offering has been made; for “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son,”– not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of his majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” — Signs of the Times, May 30, 1895 par. 3

“Justice demanded the sufferings of a man. Christ, equal with God, gave the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement. His suffering was not for any sin He had committed; it was for man –all for man; and His free pardon is accessible to all. The suffering of Christ was in correspondence with His spotless purity; His depth of agony, proportionate to the dignity and grandeur of His character. Never can we comprehend the intense anguish of the spotless Lamb of God, until we realize how deep is the pit from which we have been rescued, how grievous is the sin of which mankind is guilty, and by faith grasp the full and entire pardon.” — The Review and Herald, Sept. 21, 1886

“But God suffered with His Son. Angels beheld the Saviour’s agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched. Could mortals have viewed the amazement of the angelic host as in silent grief they watched the Father separating His beams of light, love, and glory from His beloved Son, they would better understand how offensive in His sight is sin.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 693

“I then beheld the beauty and loveliness of Jesus. His robe was whiter than the whitest white. No language can describe his glory and exalted loveliness. All, all who keep the commandments of God, will enter in through the gates into the City, and have right to the tree of life, and ever be in the presence of the lovely Jesus, whose countenance shines brighter than the sun at noon-day.“ — ExV 32.3

“As the Son of God meditated upon these things, and the whole burden of his mission passed before his mind’s eye, he lifted his head and said, “Father, glorify thy name.” He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and called upon him to glorify himself in his Son. A response came from the cloud which had hovered above the head of Jesus: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ¶ A light darted from the cloud, as the voice was heard, and encircled Christ, as if the arms of Infinite Power were thrown about him like a wall of fire. The people beheld this scene with terror and amazement. No one ventured to utter a word. With silent lips and bated breath they stood with eyes riveted upon Jesus.The testimony of Almighty God having been given, the cloud lifted and scattered in the heavens. The visible communion between the Father and the Son was ended for that time.“ — 3SP 78.2-3

“The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us.Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” God suffered with His Son, in the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary; the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption.” — The Home Missionary, April, 1893

“The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy.  God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father’s glory, “and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3), was on earth found in fashion as a man. As a personal Savior He came to the world. As a personal Savior He ascended on high. As a personal Savior He intercedes in the heavenly courts. Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers “One like the Son of man.” — Daniel 7:13″ – Education, p. 131.1 — 1903

“The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that “all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:16,17, R.V., margin. The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.” — Education, p. 132.1

“The love existing between the Father and His Son cannot be portrayed. It is measureless. In Christ God saw the beauty and perfection of excellence that dwells in Himself. Wonder, O heavens, and be astonished. O earth, for God spared not His own Son, but gave Him up to be made sin for us, that those who believe may be made the righteousness of God in Him. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Language is too feeble for us to attempt to portray the love of God. We believe it, we rejoice in it, but we cannot comprehend it. Giving Christ, God has given everything. Nothing greater, nothing more costly, could He bestow. In giving His Son, He gave all heaven, not because of any goodness or righteousness that we possess, but because He loved us.” — Manuscript Releases Volume 18, p. 337 — 1891

“How is it that He is pleading, “I know all the evils and temptations with which you are beset, and I sent My Son Jesus Christ to your world to reveal to you My power, My mightiness; to reveal to you that I am God, and that I will give you help in order to lift you from the power of the enemy, and give you a chance that you might win back the moral image of God.” God sent His Son, who was as Himself, one with the Father, and He bore insult and shame and mockery for us, and suffered at last the ignominious death upon Calvary.” — The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 122 — 1888

“The Son of God was next in authority to the great Lawgiver. He knew that his life alone could be sufficient to ransom fallen man. He was of as much more value than man as his noble, spotless character, and exalted office as commander of all the heavenly host, were above the work of man. He was in the express image of his Father, not in features alone, but in perfection of character.” — Review and Herald, December 17, 1872 par. 1

“[…] Christ was above all. He was the commander of all Heaven. He imparted to the angelic family the high commands of his Father.” — Spiritual Gifts Volume 3, p. 36 — 1864

“As a man He [Jesus] supplicated the throne of God, until His humanity was charged with a heavenly current that connected humanity with divinity. Receiving life from God, He imparted life to men.” — Signs of the Times, June 7, 1905 par. 11

“God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man’s redemption. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 762.1

“There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself, explains other mysterious and otherwise unexplainable truths, while it is enshrined in light, unapproachable and incomprehensible.“ — The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, p. 8

“Yet the Son of God was the acknowledged Sovereign of heaven, one in power and authority with the Father.” — The Great Controversy, p. 495

“The world’s Redeemer was equal with God. His authority was as the authority of God. He declared that he had no existence separate from the Father. The authority by which he spoke, and wrought miracles, was expressly his own, yet he assures us that he and the Father are one.” — The Review and Herald, Jan. 7, 1890, p. 1

“However much a shepherd may love his sheep, he loves his sons and daughters more. Jesus is not only our shepherd; He is our “everlasting Father.” And He says, “I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father.” John 10:14, 15, R.V. What a statement is this!–the only-begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He whom God has declared to be “the Man that is My fellow” (Zechariah 13:7),–the communion between Him and the eternal God is taken to represent the communion between Christ and His children on the earth!“ — The Desire of Ages, p. 483

“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be “the express image of His person.” “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here is shown the personality of the Father.“ — Evangelism, p. 614.3

“The Jews had never before heard such words from human lips, and a convicting influence attended them; for it seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as he put forth the claim that he and the Father were of one substance, possessing the same attributes.“ — The Signs of the Times, Nov. 27, 1893, p. 54

“Christ is a perfect representation of God on the one hand, and a perfect specimen of sinless humanity on the other hand. Thus He has combined divinity and humanity (MS 44, 1898).” — SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 907.4

“The Lord Jesus is the model teacher, and he has given to the world the Old and New Testaments as a text-book. Hewho created our world, the Father and King of the heavenly world, knows just how to instruct the human family.” — RH, July 3, 1900 par. 16

‘God died.’ — The divine Person and His human nature died. His divine life did not die.

“Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible. Christ, the sinless One, will save every son and daughter of Adam who accepts the salvation proffered them, consenting to become the children of God. The Saviour has purchased the fallen race with His own blood.“ — 5BC, p. 1113.2

“But He humbled Himself, and took mortality upon Him. As a member of the human family, He was mortal; but as a God, He was the fountain of life to the world. He could, in His divine person, ever have withstood the advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but He voluntarily laid down His life, that in so doing He might give life and bring immortality to light. He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty, which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will.“ — The Faith I Live By, p. 46.7

“When the voice of the angel was heard saying, “Thy Father calls thee,” He who had said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again,” “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” came forth from the grave to life that was in Himself. Deity did not die. Humanity died, but Christ now proclaims over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” In His divinity Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death. He declares thatHe had life in Himself to quicken whom He will.” — 5BC, p. 1113.4

“”I am the resurrection, and the life.” This language can be used only by the Deity. All created things live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of the Son of God. However able and talented, however large their capabilities, they are replenished with life from the Source of all life. Only He who alone hath immortality, dwelling in light and life, could say, “I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again.” All the human beings in our world take their life from Him. He is the spring, the fountain of life.“ — MS 131, 1897

“Let us bear in mind that we are dealing with souls that Christ has purchased with infinite cost to Himself. O tell the erring, God loves you, God died for you.“ — FE 280.1

“Though higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of heaven, He became one with us. In Him God and man became one, and it is in this fact that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in the flesh, we look upon God in humanity, and see in Him the brightness of divine glory, the express image of God the Father.“ — Selected Messages, book 3, pp. 127, 128

“Christ taught with authority. The sermon on the mount is a wonderful production, yet so simple that a child can study it without being misled. The mount of beatitudes is an emblem of the high elevation on which Christ ever stood. He spoke with an authority which was exclusively His own. Every sentence He uttered came from God. He was the Word and the Wisdom of God, and He ever presented truth with the authority of God. “The words that I speak unto you,” He said, “they are spirit and they are life.”” — Fundamentals of Education, 407.2

“”Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” “. . . Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (1 Timothy 3:16; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:14, 15). ¶ The incarnation of Christ is the mystery of all mysteries.“ — HP 41.4-5

“The dedication of the first-born had its origin in the earliest times. God had promised to give the First-born of heavento save the sinner.“ — Desire of Ages, p. 51

“In His humanity He was a partaker of the divine nature. In His incarnation He gained in a new sense the title of the Son of God. Said the angel to Mary, “The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). While the Son of a human being, He became the Son of God in a new sense. Thus He stood in our world–the Son of God, yet allied by birth to the human race.” — Selected Message Book 1, pp. 226, 227

“In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand baffled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot comprehend. The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing does it appear. How wide is the contrast between the divinity of Christ and the helpless infant in Bethlehem’s manger! How can we span the distance between the mighty God and a helpless child? And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet wearing the garb of humanity! Divinity and humanity were mysteriously combined, and man andGod became one. It is in this union that we find the hope of our fallen race.” — Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896

“Only through faith in Christ’s name can the sinner be saved. He is the head of the new creation. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the prophet, priest, and king of all regenerate humanity. He is Immanuel, God with us. The eternal Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and of his fulness have all we received. He is the author and finisher of our faith. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Faith in Christ is not the work of nature, but the work of God on human minds, wrought in the very soul by the Holy Spirit, who reveals Christ, as Christ revealed the Father. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. With its justifying, sanctifying power, it is above what men call science. It is the science of eternal realities. Human science is often deceptive and misleading, but this heavenly science never misleads. It is so simple that a child may understand it, and yet the most learned men can not explain it. It is inexplainable and immeasurable, beyond all human expression.” — RH, November 3, 1904 par. 3-4

“Through Jesus, the Son of God, the Father is more fully revealed to the world. Jesus said to his disciples: “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” The souls of thousands are crying out today, “Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied. We cannot claim God as our Father until we see him.” Jesus says to every such soul, as he said to Philip: “‘Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?’ Have you seen my works, have you listened to my teachings, have you witnessed the miracles that I have wrought in my Father’s name, and yet have you not understood the nature of God? I have prayed with you and for you, and yet can you not comprehend that I am the way, the truth, and the life, and that in my life I have unfolded to you the character of my Father? I amthe brightness of my Father’s glory, I am the express image of his person. ‘Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.'”” — Signs of the Times, June 9, 1890 par. 1

“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God…. In speaking of his pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.” — Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900

“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. . . . He is the eternal, self-existent Son.“ — Manuscript 101, 1897

“From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God.“ — The Signs of the Times, Aug. 2, 1905, p. 10

“The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.” — Review and Herald, April 5, 1906

“In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. “He that hath the Son hath life.” The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 530 (1898)

“Christ and the Father, standing side by side upon the mount, with solemn majesty proclaimed the Ten Commandments.”— Historical Sketches, p. 231. (1866)

“The second temple was honored, not with the cloud of Jehovah’s glory, but with the presence of the One in whom dwelt “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”–God Himself “manifest in the flesh.” Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16. In being honored with the personal presence of Christ during His earthly ministry, and in this alone, did the second temple exceed the first in glory. The “Desire of all nations” had indeed come to His temple, when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts.” — Prophets & Kings, p. 597.2

“Jesus said, Be perfect as your Father is perfect. If you are the children of God you are partakers of His nature, and you cannot but be like Him. Every child lives by the life of his father. If you are God’s children, begotten by His Spirit, you live by the life of God. In Christ dwells “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9); and the life of Jesus is made manifest “in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11). That life in you will produce the same character and manifest the same works as it did in Him. Thus you will be in harmony with every precept of His law; for “the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul” (Psalm 19:7, margin). Through love “the righteousness of the law” will be “fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).” — Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 76-78

Colossians 2:9, “For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

1 Corinthians 1:24, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

“It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Christ should “all the fulness” dwell; and “in him ye are made full” (Colossians 2:9, 10, R.V.).” — OHC 151.5

“The Scriptures clearly indicate the relation between God and Christ, and they bring to view as clearly the personality and individuality of each. [Hebrews 1:1-5 quoted] God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son.”— Testimonies Volume 8, p. 268

“This is the mystery into which angels desire to look. They desire to know how Christ could live and work in a fallen world, how He could mingle with sinful humanity. It was a mystery to them that He who hated sin with intense hatred felt the most tender, compassionate sympathy for the beings that committed sin.” — Signs of the Times, Jan. 20, 1898

“Christ could have done nothing during His earthly ministry in saving fallen man if the divine had not been blended with the human. The limited capacity of man cannot define this wonderful mystery—the blending of the two natures, the divine and the human. It can never be explained. Man must wonder and be silent. And yet man is privileged to be a partaker of the divine nature, and in this way he can to some degree enter into the mystery.” — Letter 5, 1889

“In Christ is gathered all the glory of the Father. In Him is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God are expressed in His character. The gospel is glorious because it is made up of His righteousness. It is Christ unfolded, and Christ is the gospel embodied. Every page of the New Testament Scriptures shines with His light. Every text is a diamond, touched and irradiated by the divine rays.” — 7BC, p. 907.3

“Christ Himself is the pearl of great price. In Him is gathered all the glory of the Father, the fullness of the Godhead. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The glory of the attributes of God is expressed in His character. Every page of the Holy Scriptures shines with His light. The righteousness of Christ, as a pure, white pearl, has no defect, no stain. No work of man can improve the great and precious gift of God. It is without a flaw. In Christ are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3. He is “made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30. All that can satisfy the needs and longings of the human soul, for this world and for the world to come, is found in Christ. Our Redeemer is the pearl so precious that in comparison all things else may be accounted loss.” — Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 115.1

“The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more. With Christ He gave all the resources of heaven, that nothing might be wanting in the plan for man’s uplifting. Here is love—the contemplation of which should fill the soul with inexpressible gratitude! Oh, what love, what matchless love! The contemplation of this love will cleanse the soul from all selfishness. It will lead the disciple to deny self, take up the cross, and follow the Redeemer.” — CH 222.2

“We are not to praise the gospel, but praise Christ. We are not to worship the gospel, but the Lord of the gospel. Christ is a perfect representation of God on the one hand, and a perfect specimen of sinless humanity on the other hand. Thus He has combined divinity and humanity.“ — MS 44, 1898

“And Christ has been made our Judge. The Father is not the Judge. The angels are not. He who took humanity upon Himself, and in this world lived a perfect life, is to judge us. He only can be our Judge.“ — CCh 259.4

“All things are delivered to Me of My Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father, and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him.” — Desire of Ages, p. 494.2

“The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.” — FLB 28.8

“Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the “express image of his person,” “the brightness of his glory,” “upholding all things by the word of his power,” holds supremacy over them all (Hebrews 1:3).” — Lift Him Up, p. 50.5

“Jesus is not only our shepherd; He is our “everlasting Father.” And He says, “I know Mine own, and Mine own know Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father.” John 10:14, 15, R.V. What a statement is this!–the only-begotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father, He whom God has declared to be “the Man that is My fellow” (Zechariah 13:7),–the communion between Him and the eternal God is taken to represent the communion between Christ and His children on the earth!“ — The Desire of Ages, p. 483

“The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son, and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both.“ — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 36

“There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory.” — TMK 11.5

“God is a person and Christ is a person. Christ is spoken of in the Word as “the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the express image of His person.“” — 1SAT 343.3

“Christ was the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. And he is the example his followers are to copy, both in manner of address and in the subjects of his lessons. His words were most simple. The truth spoken bore its own credentials to the people who heard. The very tones of his voice expressed his warm, tender sympathy for his hearers. And Christ was a practical teacher. The truth coming to the people in deep, earnest tones from a man who was one in nature with themselves was what they needed above everything else. Never did so many people congregate to listen to the teachings of one man as gathered to hear Christ. Men, women, and children listened to his words with solemn, earnest attention.” — Signs of the Times, August 26, 1897 par. 2

” The apostle Paul says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man [as the representative of the human race], he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:5-10). ¶ The humiliation of the man Christ Jesus is incomprehensible to the human mind; but His divinity and His existence before the world was formed can never be doubted by those who believe the Word of God. The apostle Paul speaks of our Mediator, the only-begotten Son of God, who in a state of glory was in the form of God, the Commander of all the heavenly hosts, and who, when He clothed His divinity with humanity, took upon Him the form of a servant. Isaiah declares: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever” (Isaiah 9:6, 7). ¶ In consenting to become man, Christ manifested a humility that is the marvel of the heavenly intelligences. The act of consenting to be a man would be no humiliation were it not for the fact of Christ’s exalted pre-existence. We must open our understanding to realize that Christ laid aside His royal robe, His kingly crown, His high command, and clothed His divinity with humanity, that He might meet man where he was, and bring to the human family moral power to become the sons and daughters of God. To redeem man, Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ¶ The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth.” — 1SM 243.1-244.1

“The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything that men esteem as great, dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we exclaim, O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of his only begotten Son! ¶ When we seek for appropriate language in which to describe the love of God, we find words too tame, too weak, too far beneath the theme, and we lay down our pen and say, “No, it cannot be described.” We can only do as did the beloved disciple, and say, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” [1 John 3:1.] In attempting any description of this love, we feel that we are as infants lisping their first words. Silently we may adore; for silence in this matter is the only eloquence. This love is past all language to describe. It is the mystery of God in the flesh, God in Christ, and divinity in humanity. Christ bowed down in unparalleled humility, that in his exaltation to the throne of God, he might also exalt those who believe in him, to a seat with him upon his throne. All who look upon Jesus in faith that the wounds and bruises that sin has made will be healed in him, shall be made whole. ¶ The themes of redemption are momentous themes, and only those who are spiritually minded can discern their depth and significance. It is our safety, our life, our joy, to dwell upon the truths of the plan of salvation. Faith and prayer are necessary in order that we may behold the deep things of God. Our minds are so bound about with narrow ideas, that we catch but limited views of the experience it is our privilege to have. How little do we comprehend what is meant by the prayer of the apostle, when he says, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man; thatChrist may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” [Ephesians 3:16-21.]” — Review and Herald, Nov. 17, 1891

“The Jews utterly failed to understand the spiritual connection which identified Christ with both the human and the divine, and gave fallen man a presentation of what he should strive to become. Christ was God in the flesh. As the son of David, he stood forth a perfect type of true manhood, bold in doing his duty, and of the strictest integrity, yet full of love, compassion, and tender sympathy. In his miracles he revealed himself as Lord. When he was asked by Philip to show him the Father, he answered, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.“” — 6 Redemption, p. 77.1

“Ever since the first promise of redemption was spoken in Eden, the life, the character, and the mediatorial work of Christ have been the study of human minds. Yet every mind through whom the Holy Spirit has worked has presented these themes in a light that is fresh and new. The truths of redemption are capable of constant development and expansion. Though old, they are ever new, constantly revealing to the seeker for truth a greater glory and a mightier power.“ — Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 127.3

“That Christ should manifest Himself to them, and yet be invisible to the world, was a mystery to the disciples.They could not understand the words of Christ in their spiritual sense. They were thinking of the outward, visible manifestation. They could not take in the fact that they could have the presence of Christ with them, and yet He be unseen by the world. They did not understand the meaning of a spiritual manifestation.” — The Southern Work, September 13, 1898 par. 2

“Christ walks unseen through our streets. With messages of mercy He comes to our homes. With all who are seeking to minister in His name, He waits to co-operate. He is in the midst of us, to heal and to bless, if we will receive Him.” — The Ministry of Healing, p. 107

“Remember that Jesus is beside you wherever you go, noting your actions and listening to your words. Would you be ashamed to hear his voice speaking to you, and to know that he hears your conversation?” — The Youth’s Instructor, February 4, 1897 par. 3

“The divine picture of Christ must be kept before the people. He is that Angel standing in the sun of heaven. He reflects no shadows. Clothed in the attributes of Deity, shrouded in the glories of Deity, and in the likeness of the infinite God, He is to be lifted up before men. When this is kept before the people, creature merit sinks into insignificance. The more the eye looks upon Him, the more His life, His lessons, His perfection of character are studied, the more sinful and abhorrent will sin appear. By beholding, man can but admire and become more attracted to Him, more charmed, and more desirous to be like Jesus until he assimilates to His image and has the mind of Christ. Like Enoch he walks with God. His mind is full of thoughts of Jesus. He is his best Friend.“ — 8 Manuscript Release, p. 182.3

“Angels of God looked with amazement upon Christ, who took upon Himself the form of man and humbly united His divinity with humanity in order that He might minister to fallen man. It is a marvel among the heavenly angels. God has told us that He did do it, and we are to accept the Word of God just as it reads. And although we may try to reason in regard to our Creator, how long He has had existence, where evil first entered into our world, and all these things, we may reason about them until we fall down faint and exhausted with the research when there is yet an infinity beyond.“ — S.D.A. Bible Commentary Vol. 7, p. 919

“Our condition through sin has become preternatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value. There is but one power that can break the hold of evil from the hearts of men, and that is the power of God in Jesus Christ.” — Testimonies Volume 8, p. 291

“Here Christ shows them that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.” — Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899 par. 4

“The only being who was one with God lived the law in humanity, descended to the lowly life of a common laborer, and toiled at the carpenter’s bench with his earthly parent.” — Signs of the Times, October 14, 1897 par. 3

In heaven, there is but one, true God, the Father (fully divine) and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (divine/human). The Holy Spirit is the omnipresence of the Father and His Son. The Spirit is not another God, or third Being. He is the personal presence of God. Who then is next in rank to Jesus? Once it was Lucifer, but now it is Gabriel.

“It was Gabriel, the angel next in rank to the Son of God, who came with the divine message to Daniel.” — Desire of Ages, p. 234

Even before the creation of the universe, there is with GOD, One who is His companion and coworker, as One brought up with Him, His only-begotten SON. The Son is begotten of GOD and is one substance with His Father, possessing the same attributes; the express image of the Father; one with GOD in nature (divine spirit), character (mind), and purpose (will, heart). The SON is GOD essentially, and in the highest sense. He proceeds forth from GOD. The SON is all the fullness of the Godhead (the Father) manifested. He has been with GOD from all eternity, GOD over all, blessed forevermore. The Father (Godhead bodily) shared with His only-begotten Son[Godhead manifested] His divine Spirit, His Life, His Glory. The Two are One in spirit, heart and character; One in nature, character and purpose. Two divine Persons – One holy Spirit. The Father’s Idea (thought-will) is revealed, manifested, and made audible through His Son (word-truth, knowledge, wisdom).

John 5:23, “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.“

1 John 2:22, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.“

Zechariah 6:13, “Even he [Christ-Son of God] shall build the temple of the Lord [Yahweh-God the Father]; and he [Christ-Son of God] shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his [Christ’s] throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both [Father and Son].”

‘When was Christ setup or brought forth?’

Proverbs 8:23, “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.”

The word “set up” is listed as number 5258 in Strong’s concordance and means to “pour out” or “to anoint.” The word “everlasting” is number 5769 and means “concealed,” “vanishing point,” or “time out of mind.” This word most often refers to a time far distant in the past, before we ever began to keep a record of time. In other words, this verse is simply telling us that Christ was anointed somewhere in the far distant past before our world was ever created. It was so far back in time that you and I cannot even begin to conceive of it.

Hebrews 1:9, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

(Note: this anointing occurred after the ascension of Christ. But notice what was used for the anointing) If we were to take the time to study the meaning of oil in the Scriptures we would readily find that the oil represented the Spirit of God. (Zechariah 4:12; Matthew 25:3, 4, 8) Jesus, God’s only-begotten Son, was anointed with the oil (the Holy Spirit) of God from everlasting; in the eons of time past. To Christ (which means the anointed One) the Father gave of His Spirit, His very life and power. He did not give Him another person, He gave Christ the same life and power that existed in Himself. Christ received it by virtue of being the only Son of the living God. It is this very life, power, or personal presence of God that flows through Christ to you and me. We are not talking about merely a “force” here. We are dealing with the very life, personal presence, character or mind of God. Our God is a very personal being. What a thrilling thought that He desires to live within us.

“With what firmness and power he uttered these words. The Jews had never before heard such words from human lips, and a convicting influence attended them; for it seemed that divinity flashed through humanity as Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.” The words of Christ were full of deep meaning as he put forth the claim that he and the Father were of one substance, possessing the same attributes. The Jews understood his meaning, there was no reason why they should misunderstand, and they took up stones to stone him. Jesus looked upon them calmly and unshrinkingly, and said, “Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of these works do ye stone me?”” — Signs of the Times, November 27, 1893 par. 5

“From eternity there was a complete unity between the Father and the Son. They were two, yet little short of being identical; two in individuality, yet one in spirit, and heart, and character.“ — Youth’s Instructor, December 16, 1897 par. 5

“By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels. He was the Word of God,–God’s thought made audible.“ — Desire of Ages, p. 19.2

“All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ.“ — The Faith I Live By, p. 47.3

“From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was “the image of God,” the image of His greatness and majesty, “the outshining of his glory.” It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God’s love–to be “God with us.”“ — God’s Amazing Grace, p. 45.2

“Because divinity alone could be efficacious in the restoration of man from the poisonous bruise of the serpent, God Himself, in His only begotten Son, assumed human nature, and in the weakness of human nature sustained the character of God, vindicated His holy law in every particular, and accepted the sentence of wrath and death for the sons of men. What a thought is this!” — Our Father Cares, p. 116.6

“Jesus might have remained at the Father’s side. He might have retained the glory of heaven, and the homage of the angels. But He chose to give back the scepter into the Father’s hands, and to step down from the throne of the universe, that He might bring light to the benighted, and life to the perishing.” — Our Father Cares, p. 200.4

‘The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, has existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father.’ He is equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. He is begotten or born of GOD. His life is not calculated with figures, whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity. He is the perfect manifestation of GOD the FATHER, in all the fullness of divinity and has been fully invested, of the Father, with immortality, individuality and personality. GOD has given His Son the right to be equal, in power and authority, with Himself and hath given to the Son to have life in Himself.

John 5:26, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; …”

Proverbs 8:23, “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.”

Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

John 20:17, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.“

Mark 15:34, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Revelation 3:12, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”

John 14:28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I.“*

* The Son was given all the same power, honor and names of the Father. How then is the Father greater than Jesus? The answer is very simple: The word “greater” in the Greek is “meizon” which means “elder or more encompassing.” In other words, Jesus was acknowledging that His Father was the source of all life. One man explained it this way: “The Father is greatest in that He was first.” Jesus, throughout His life on earth, always acknowledged that He was simply carrying out the will of His Father.

John 6:38, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.“

John 5:30, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.“

1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.“

1 Corinthians 15:28, “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.“

Hebrews 1:8, 9, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom….therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

John 5:22-23, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

John 3:35, “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.“

“The Father can not be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. The word of God declares Him to be “the express image of His person.” “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here is shown the personality of the Father.“ — BTS, March 1, 1906 par. 1

“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by him as his right. This was no robbery of God.” — The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, p. 8

In eternity, before angels or men were created, the Word [the Son of God] was with GOD and was GOD. GOD the Father (Original Thought – All the fullness of the Godhead BODILY) and His Son (the Word of God, express image, revelation, expression of God – All the fullness of the Godhead MANIFESTED) are one. GOD is Spirit – eternal, all-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, the great I AM, the eternal Presence, the eternal self-existent One, YAHWEH.

Before there was any creation, GOD the Father and His only-begotten SON, in council together, chose to create living, intelligent beings (angels and the inhabitants of the other worlds). At that time, the Son was appointed to the office of MEDIATOR, as the divine representative between GOD (the Ancient of Days) and His created beings. The Son of God would represent, reveal, and make known the perfect character and infinite personality of the one true GOD to all His creation. The Father and His Son share one divinity, one life, one light and glory, one Spirit. The light and glory of the Father encircles both Himself and His Son. They sit upon one universal throne. The Father gave His Son the authority to rule over the universe as it’s Sovereign. He gave the scepter to His Son. The Son has no existence apart from His Father. The Father and His Son are the only self-existent, eternal, divine beings in the universe. God is in His Son revealing Himself to the universe.

After the creation of the holy angels and the holy inhabitants of the innumerable, created worlds, the Son assumed His exalted royal position as the Commander of the heavenly hosts and was called Michael, (Miykaʾel, me-kaw-ale’ – Who is like God) the Archangel (chief messenger). When Lucifer, the first covering cherub and a glorious shining seraph, departed from the presence of the royal throne and began to incite his rebellion, it was GOD’s Son (Micha’el) and His angels that fought with Lucifer and his fallen angels. Lucifer was eventually cast out of heaven, after God bore long with him, ages upon ages. Then, the Father and His Son, together, created our world and our first parents. The Father said to His Son, “Let US make man in OUR image.” Mankind was created as a new and distinct order of being that would be able to come closer to God in ‘thought and feelings’ (character) than any other of His created beings. Man was created by GOD, through the Son, to repopulate heaven, replacing Lucifer and the fallen angels. After a period of probation, mankind, if faithful, would be elevated, as members of the royal family, to be equal with the angels. [Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy quotes verify this.]

After the creation of this earth, and mankind upon it, Lucifer (Satan) came to our world, causing, through deception and subtlety, Adam and Eve to sin. In the fullness of time, GOD fashioned a human body (human nature) for His divine Son and ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ was born of the virgin Mary. In a new sense, that ‘holy thing’ was the Son of God. The Son, who was called Jesus (Yeshua or Yahshua)humbled Himself and clothed His divinity with humanity and the two natures, divine and human, were mysteriously blended in the man Christ Jesus. GOD’S divine/human Son will be one with us in His humanity for eternity and the redeemed will be joint-heirs with Christ, sitting on the throne with Him, as sons of GOD, being partakers of the divine nature.

On the throne of the universe sits TWO DIVINE BEINGS: GOD, the Father and His only begotten SON, Jesus (divine spirit/human). Jesus is the only Being, in all the universe, that can enter into all the purposes of GOD. Proceeding from the Father and His Son is the personal, invisible and omnipresent Holy Spirit, who makes manifest the power of divine grace in our hearts. When the Spirit of the living God is in our hearts, we have fellowship with the Father and His Son in a personal and intimate way. One true GOD manifested in His SON and by His SPIRIT.

‘GOD over all’ is the FATHER, and He dwells in and His personality is manifest by His SON, Jesus, who is our Creator (Everlasting Father), Redeemer (Son of God) and Comforter (Spirit of Christ). When we are baptized into the name of JESUS, we are baptized into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a dual sense.

(1) The GODHEAD: GOD the Father created us (Creator-Father) with and through His Son; GOD the Father sent His Son to redeem us unto Himself (His Redeemer-Son); GOD the Father’s own Spirit (Life) dwells in Jesus (Holy Spirit).

(2) The SON of GOD: JESUS is our Everlasting Father and Creator (Creator-Father); JESUS is our divine/human Redeemer, the Son(Redeemer-Son); JESUS is our Comforter and sends us His holy Spirit to dwell in us (Spirit of Christ).

GOD is the Father of His only-begotten, divine SON (Micha’el – Jesus Christ); GOD and His only-begotten, divine SON are together our HEAVENLY FATHER. Yahweh is our ONE (united – one in nature, character and purpose) Creator, Redeemer and Comforter. Jesus is GOD manifested or personified. He is the revelation of the Father, His express image.

1 Corinthians 8:6, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him[GOD, the Father] that is true, and we are in him [GOD, the Father] that is true, even * in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.“

John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten* of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Colossians 2:9, “For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” *

Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; …”

* Begotten: comes from the Greek word “monogenes.” According to Strong’s concordance the word means “only born,” “only (begotten, child).” There are those who believe that Jesus was a “created” being, which in effect would mean He is not Deity, because He would be on the same level as the angels. But the Bible does not say Jesus was “created,” it says he was “begotten.” Do these two words mean the same thing? The answer is an unquestionable “no.” To create means “to make a thing which has not been made before.” (World Book Dictionary) The angels were created, the whole world was created, man was created; and the Creator was the Father, working through His Son. The Bible says that Jesus was a begotten Son, meaning that he came from the very being of the Father. Christ was of the very same substance as the Father—thus He is Divine. Divinity does not mean that Christ must be as old as the Father, but simply that He has the attributes of Deity.

THE DIVINE CONDESCENSION

“The King of the universe summoned the heavenly hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father’s throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. About the throne gathered the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng–“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11.), the most exalted angels, as ministers and subjects, rejoicing in the light that fell upon them from the presence of the Deity. Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due. Christ was still to exercise divine power, in the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love.“ — Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 36.2

“There had been no change in the position or authority of Christ. Lucifer’s envy and misrepresentation and his claims to equality with Christ had made necessary a statement of the true position of the Son of God; but this had been the same from the beginning. Many of the angels were, however, blinded by Lucifer’s deceptions.” — Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 38.1

NOTE: The ‘glory of the eternal, self-existent One’ is the light and life of the Father, His eternal Spirit or Presence. He shares His light of life and glory with His Son. This Light of Life encircles both the Father and His Son. We are only to worship the Father and His Son. God’s Spirit is a person, as much as God is a person; not a third divine being or God as is taught in the Trinity doctrine. This study will prove this important point very clearly.

John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

“Every one who has received the divine illumination, is to brighten the pathway of those who know not the Light of life.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 152

“Christ left His position in the heavenly courts, and came to this earth to live the life of human beings. This sacrifice He made in order to show that Satan’s charge against God is false–that it is possible for man to obey the laws of God’s kingdom. Equal with the Father, honored and adored by the angels, in our behalf Christ humbled Himself, and came to this earth to live a life of lowliness and poverty–to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Yet the stamp of divinity was upon His humanity. He came as a divine Teacher, to uplift human beings, to increase their physical, mental, and spiritual efficiency.” — Lift Him Up, p. 235.2

“Jesus was the Commander of heaven, one equal with God, and yet He condescended to lay aside His kingly crown, His royal robe, and clothed His divinity with humanity. The incarnation of Christ in human flesh is a mystery. He could have come to earth as one with a remarkable appearance, unlike the sons of men. His countenance could have shone with glory, and His form could have been of remarkable grace. He could have presented such an appearance as to charm the beholder; but this was not according to the plan devised in the courts of God. He was to bear the characteristics of the human family, and the Jewish race. In all respects the Son of God was to wear the same features as did other human beings. He was not to have such beauty of person as would make Him singular among men. He was to manifest no wonderful charms by which to attract attention to Himself. He came as a representative of the human family before heaven and earth. He was to stand as man’s substitute and surety. He was to live the life of humanity in such a way as to contradict the assertion that Satan had made that humanity was his everlasting possession, and that God Himself could not take man out of His adversary’s hands.” — Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896

“Christ took upon Himself human nature, a nature inferior to His heavenly nature. Nothing so shows the wonderful condescension of God as this.” — 5BC 1130.6

“Had Christ come in His divine form, humanity could not have endured the sight. The contrast would have been too painful, the glory too overwhelming. Humanity could not have endured the presence of one of the pure, bright angels from glory; therefore Christ took not on Him the nature of angels; He came in the likeness of men.” — 5BC 1131.1

“What speech is to thought, so is Christ to the invisible Father. He is the manifestation of the Father, and is called the Word of God. God sent His Son into the world, His divinity clothed with humanity, that man might bear the image of the invisible God. He made known in His words, His character, His power and majesty, the nature and attributes of God. Divinity flashed through humanity in softening, subduing light. He was the embodiment of the law of God, which is the transcript of His character.” — MS 77, 1899

“The people of God are privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son.” — The Great Controversy, p. 676

“And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ.” — The Great Controversy, p. 678

“Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through Christ. The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness.” — Desire of Ages, p. 331

“Yes, Christ has become the medium of prayer between man and God. He has also become the medium of blessing between God and man.” — TMK 76.5

What the Father Invested & Gave To Christ

“For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man.” — Desire of Ages, p. 210.1

“To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life. In our Saviour the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to quicken whom He will. He is invested with the right to give immortality.” — Heaven, p. 37.2

quicken = give or restore life to. invested = provide or endow someone or something with (a particular quality or attribute).

“”I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Christ declares: “no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Christ is invested with power to give life to all creatures. “As the living Father hath sent me,” He says, “and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:57, 63). Christ is not here referring to His doctrine, but to His person, the divinity of His character. “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” He says again, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (John 5:25-27).” — 1SM 249.3

“Christ is life itself. He who passed through death to destroy him that had the power of death is the Source of all vitality. There is balm in Gilead, and a Physician there. Christ endured an agonizing death under the most humiliating circumstances that we might have life. He gave up His precious life that He might vanquish death. But He rose from the tomb, and the myriads of angels who came to behold Him take up the life He had laid down heard His words of triumphant joy as He stood above Joseph’s rent sepulcher proclaiming: “I am the resurrection, and the life.”“ — The Faith I Live By, p. 51.6

“Christ accepted humanity and lived on this earth a pure, sanctified life. For this reason He has received the appointment of judge. He who occupies the position of judge is God manifest in the flesh.“ — Lift Him Up, p. 348.2

“The prince of this world cometh,” said Jesus, “and hath nothing in Me.” There was nothing in Him that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.” — The Desire of Ages, page 123 (1898)

“God and Christ knew from the beginning, of the apostasy of Satan and of the fall of Adam through the deceptive power of the apostate. The plan of salvation was designed to redeem the fallen race, to give them another trial. Christ was appointed to the office of Mediator from the creation of God, set up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety. Before the world was made, it was arranged that the divinity of Christ should be enshrouded in humanity. “A body,” said Christ, “hast thou prepared me.” But he did not come in human form until the fulness of time had expired. Then he came to our world, a babe in Bethlehem.” — Review & Herald, April 5, 1906 par. 13

“There is no one who can explain the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. Yet we know that He came to this earth and lived as a man among men. The man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty, yet Christ and the Father are one. The Deity did not sink under the agonizing torture of Calvary, yet it is nonetheless true that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”” — Lift Him Up, p. 235.3

The Circuit of Beneficence

“But turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus. Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give. “I do nothing of Myself,” said Christ; “the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father.” “I seek not Mine own glory,” but the glory of Him that sent Me. John 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18. In these words is set forth the great principle which is the law of life for the universe. All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father’s life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all. And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life.“ — The Desire of Ages, p. 21

“The Lord has instructed us to call God our Father, to regard him as the fountain of paternal affection, the source of the love that has been flowing from century to century through the channel of the human heart. All the pity, compassion, and love which have been manifested in the earth have emanated from the throne of God, and, compared to the love that dwells in his heart, are as a fountain to an ocean. His love is perpetually flowing forth to make the weak strong, to make the faint-hearted firm, and give moral courage to the wavering. God works through Christ, and man may come unto the Father in the name of the Son. Our science and our song is, “Hear what the Lord hath done for my soul.”” — The Signs of the Times, March 5, 1896

“The disciples were the channel of communication between Christ and the people. This should be a great encouragement to His disciples today. Christ is the great center, the source of all strength. His disciples are to receive their supplies from Him. The most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can bestow only as they receive. Of themselves they can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. We can impart only that which we receive from Christ; and we can receive only as we impart to others. As we continue imparting, we continue to receive; and the more we impart, the more we shall receive. Thus we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving, and imparting.“ — The Desire of Ages, p. 370.1

“All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are recipients of the life of the Son of God. However able and talented, however large their capacities, they are replenished with life from the Source of all life. He is the spring, the fountain, of life. Only He who alone hath immortality, dwelling in light and life, could say, “I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again.“ — 5BC 1113.7

“God has sent his Son to communicate his own life to humanity. Christ declares, “I live by the Father,” my life and his being one. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him,” “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.” The head of every man is Christ, as the head of Christ is God. “And ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”” — The Home Missionary, June 1, 1897 par. 11

“Christ was sent of God to represent God in humanity. When he came to our world, his divinity was clothed with humanity, that humanity might touch humanity, and divinity lay hold of the throne of divinity. Thus moral power was brought to man. When God’s word is understood by us, we shall better understand the work and mission of Christ. We are to trace out his working in behalf of humanity.” — The Home Missionary, June 1, 1897 par. 15

“The Father and the Son alone are to be exalted.” — The Youth’s Instructor, July 7, 1898 par. 2

Colossians 2:9, “For in him [Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

CHRIST was MICHAEL, the ARCHANGEL in Heaven

Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”

Daniel 10:21, “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”

Daniel 12:1, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”

Jude 9, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The LORD rebuke thee.”

Revelation 12:7-8, “7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”

“The monarch had resisted the impressions of the Spirit of God during the three weeks while Daniel was fasting and praying, but heaven’s Prince, the Archangel, Michael, was sent to turn the heart of the stubborn king to take some decided action to answer the prayer of Daniel.” — RC 90.3

“Christ has given us an example. “Yet Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil He disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”” — 3 Testimonies, p. 220.1

“Moses passed through death, but Michael came down and gave him life before his body had seen corruption. Satan tried to hold the body, claiming it as his; but Michael resurrected Moses and took him to heaven. Satan railed bitterly against God, denouncing Him as unjust in permitting his prey to be taken from him; but Christ did not rebuke His adversary, though it was through his temptation that the servant of God had fallen. He meekly referred him to His Father, saying, “The Lord rebuke thee.”” — Early Writings, p. 164.2

“Michael, or Christ, with the angels that buried Moses, came down from Heaven, after he had remained in the grave a short time, and resurrected him, and took him to Heaven.” — 1SP 342.2

JESUS IS THE MEDIATOR OF THE COVENANT FROM EVERLASTING

“While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.” — Review and Herald, April 5, 1906

“The work of God’s dear Son in undertaking to link the created with the Uncreated, the finite with the Infinite, in His own divine person, is a subject that may well employ our thoughts for a lifetime. This work of Christ was to confirm the beings of other worlds in their innocency and loyalty, as well as to save the lost and perishing of this world. He opened a way for the disobedient to return to their allegiance to God, while by the same act He placed a safeguard around those who were already pure, that they might not become polluted. ¶ While we rejoice that there are worlds which have never fallen, these worlds render praise and honor and glory to Jesus Christ for the plan of redemption to save the fallen sons of Adam, as well as to confirm themselves in their position and character of purity. The arm that raised the human family from the ruin which Satan has brought upon the race through his temptations, is the arm which has preserved the inhabitants of other worlds from sin. Every world throughout immensity engages the care and support of the Father and the Son; and this care is constantly exercised for fallen humanity. Christ is mediating in behalf of man, and the order of unseen worlds also is preserved by His mediatorial work. Are not these themes of sufficient magnitude and importance to engage our thoughts, and call forth our gratitude and adoration to God?” — Messages to Young People, p. 253.3-254.1

“This chapter [John, Chapter 1] delineates the character and importance of the work of Christ. As one who understands his subject, John ascribes all power to Christ, and speaks of His greatness and majesty. He flashes forth divine rays of precious truth, as light from the sun. He presents Christ as the only Mediator between God and humanity.“ — 1 Selected Messages, p. 246.2

Heavenly Trio, Three Divine Dignitaries, Three Great Powers in Heaven

The Father shares His glory, with His Son, who in turn imparts to us His holy Spirit. (SPIRIT = glory, power, grace, light, life, love, joy, peace, divine presence).

[Only True GOD (Father) – God is a Spirit] – [LORD (Son of Man – the man Jesus Christ) SPIRIT (Spirit of God/Spirit of Christ)] (Divinity, Godhead) – one in nature, mind, character, and will or purpose. Father & Son [human nature (Flesh)/divine nature (Spirit)]

Matthew 3:16-17, “16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 28:18-20, “18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

John 14:15-17, “15 If ye love me [Jesus], keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

John 14:25-26, “25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name [in the character of Jesus], he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 15:26-27, “26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

1 Corinthians 12:3-11, “3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

Ephesians 4:4-6, “4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Jude 20-21, “20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Revelation 1:4-6, “4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

1 Corinthians 8:6, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

“The Father and the Son alone are to be exalted.” — The Youth’s Instructor, July 7, 1898 par. 2

“Christ was using the great name of God that was given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence {See Exodus 3:14.}”—TMK, p. 12

‘Jehovah = Yehovah = YHVH’

“Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the source and sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship.” — Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 305

“Jehovah is the name given to Christ.” — The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899, p. 2

“Jehovah Immanuel “shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.”” — Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 160

“Jehovah is the only true God, and He is to be reverenced and worshiped.” — Testimonies Volume 6, p. 166 — 1901

“As Jehovah, the supreme Ruler, God could not personally communicate with sinful men, but He so loved the world that He sent Jesus to our world as a revelation of Himself.” — Manuscript Releases Volume 9, p. 122 — 1903

“This is the reward of all who follow Christ. Jehovah Emmanuel –He “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” in whom dwells “all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:3, 9)–to be brought into sympathy with Him, to know Him, to possess Him, as the heart opens more and more to receive His attributes; to know His love and power, to possess the unsearchable riches of Christ, to comprehend more and more “what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:18, 19)–“This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.”” — 7ABC 439.5

“By rejecting the Son of God, the personification of the only true God, who possessed goodness, mercy, and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe, and choosing a murderer in his stead, the Jews showed what human nature can and will do when the restraining power of the Spirit of God is removed, and men are under the control of the apostate.” — Review and Herald, January 30, 1900 par. 6

“Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” — 7ABC 438.6

“O how little man can comprehend the perfection of God, His omnipresence united with His almighty power. A human artist receives his intelligence from God. He can only fashion his work in any line to perfection from materials already prepared for his work. In his finite power he could not create and make his materials to serve his purpose if the Great Designer had not been before him, giving him the very improvements first in his imagination.” — 3 Selected Messages, p. 311.3

“God and Christ knew from the beginning of the apostasy of Satan and of the fall of Adam through the deceptive power of the apostate. The plan of salvation was designed to redeem the fallen race, to give them another trial. Christ was appointed to the office of Mediator from the creation of God, set up from everlasting to be our substitute and surety. Before the world was made, it was arranged that the divinity of Christ should be enshrouded in humanity. “A body,” said Christ, “hast thou prepared me.” But He did not come in human form until the fullness of time had expired. Then He came to our world, a babe in Bethlehem.” — Review and Herald, Apr. 5, 1906

“The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate–a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1, 2.Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father–one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. “His name shall be calledWonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2. And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting. . . . When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22-30. ¶ The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings. “By Him were all things created, . . . whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.” Colossians 1:16. Angels are God’s ministers, radiant with the light ever flowing from His presence and speeding on rapid wing to execute His will. But the Son, the anointed of God, the “express image of His person,” “the brightness of His glory,” “upholding all things by the word of His power,” holds supremacy over them all. Hebrews 1:3. “A glorious high throne from the beginning,” was the place of His sanctuary (Jeremiah 17:12); “a scepter of righteousness,” the scepter of His kingdom. Hebrews 1:8. “Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.” Psalm 96:6. Mercy and truth go before His face. Psalm 89:14.” — Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 34.1-2

“”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:1-5). The world did not see divinity in the humble Man of Nazareth. The only-begotten Son of the infinite God was in the world, and men knew Him not in His true character. ¶ “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. “I lay it down of myself” (John 10:18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world.” — 1SM 296.1-2

“A human being lives, but his is a given life, a life that will be quenched. “What is your life? It is even vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” But Christ’s life is not a vapor; it is never-ending, a life existing before the worlds were made.“ — The Signs of the Times, June 17, 1897, p. 5

“Let them be thankful to God for His manifold mercies and be kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour; and one Spirit—the Spirit of Christ–is to bring unity into their ranks.” — Testimonies Volume 9, p. 189

1 John 1:3, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (see also 2 John 9)

2 John 9, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”