Another look at the question, Just who is the Spirit?

 

“The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fulness of the Godhead.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 63. (1905) {Evangelism, pp. 614,615}

But, just who is the fulness of the Godhead? Who is the Godhead? The author of the above statement gives the definition to her own terminology. The paragraph before she stated that the Godhead consists of the Father and the Son:

“The Father is all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. The Son is all the fulness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be ‘the express image of His person…. The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fulness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour.’”

So there we have it! The Father is all the fulness of the Godhead, and the Son is all the fulness of the Godhead, and no one else. From the context we learn the exact meaning of Sr. White by the above first statement. The Comforter comes in all the fullness of the Father and the Son. It has no fulness of the Godhead except Theirs, because it comes from Their fulness, it is Their fulness! She didn’t say that the Comforter is all the fulness of the Godhead, as she did concerning God the Father and His only begotten Son. This is in perfect agreement with the words of Christ:

“He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and [I] will manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21).

“If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. ” (John 14:23).

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; 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. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18).

That wasn’t so hard to comprehend! It’s easy if we let the inspired writer define his or her own definitions and not make our own definitions, putting words into their mouths. A child can understand the Spirit. It’s the Spirit of the Almighty God and His only begotten Son. It’s Their united Spirit that will make Their abode with Their children. Jesus wants to manifest Himself, represent Himself, to us and not leave us destitute, like the fatherless and widows, without His presence in our hearts and minds. The Father’s “dear Son”, “Thy holy child Jesus” “the only begotten of the Father” “which is in the bosom of the Father”, His Beloved Son in whom He was well pleased, His spotless Lamb, the One to whom He said, “My love, My dove, My undefiled”, is the One who manifests Himself to us and is instrumental in bringing His Father’s presence into us. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” The Beloved of the Father is who will mediate and intercede for us before His great God. We will be saved by our Advocate of whom He foretold, “It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand”.

Why did Jesus refer to the Spirit as a Him rather than calling it the presence and power of His Father and of Himself? It is a Hebraism. Paul did the same when speaking of the man of sin (see 2Thess. 2:4), which would be an evil totalitarian replacement of Imperial Rome. Daniel did the same (see Dan. 7:20,24). Yet it was not a person or individual, but an empire. Not only did Jesus always speak perfectly in line with scripture, but He inspired its writers.

 :)

“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; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 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.” (Joh 14:9-11).

How was Jesus able to be in the Father and the Father in Him? Spiritually; heart to heart; mind to mind. Always and ever, in Christ’s soul, either awake or asleep, when an adult, a child, or a fetus, there existed a cognizance, a peace, rest, comfort. The Father’s Spirit came as a thought, a silent voice, a constant presence unseen by His eyes or unheard by His ears, but by His faith only. Even before Christ’s Spirit was developed, while still an embryo in Miriam, His Father was present, watching, overseeing His gestation, causing it to happen, and waiting with inexpressible anticipation for more and more interaction with His preexistent Son.

As communication developed God became His Son’s teacher. His Father’s thoughts were His thoughts, and the joy of His heart and the life of His soul. Even as an infant Jesus was ahead of His time. He was a child prodigy of child prodigies. “Heavenly beings were His attendants, and the culture of holy thoughts and communings was His. From the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in spiritual grace and knowledge of truth.” “Wonderful in its significance is the brief record of His early life: “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.” In the sunlight of His Father’s countenance, Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52. His mind was active and penetrating, with a thoughtfulness and wisdom beyond His years. Yet His character was beautiful in its symmetry. The powers of mind and body developed gradually, in keeping with the laws of childhood.” DA 70, 68.

And we, too, can have power over the inherent weaknesses of our nature and the deformities of our character through the access we can have to Jesus, as He had access to His Father.

“The Heir, as long as He is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though He be Lord of all; 

But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father. 

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, 

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 

  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Gal 4:1-6).

Jesus, as an embryo, was “in bondage under the elements of the world”. But, in the fetal stage and ever afterward, His conscious response to His Father gave Him the power to resist all the sinfulness that Miriam’s fallen nature formed in His body and kept before His conscience.

“For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 

Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee. 

And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given Me. 

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. 

Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 

  For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Heb. 2:11-18).

Every advantage Jesus had over Satan and sin we can have. In Christ nothing is withheld. Through the union with God, through that Spirit of at-one-ment, Jesus’ victory can be the victory of every fallen son and daughter of Adam. “Be of good cheer”, said Jesus, “I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).