Divested of the personality of humanity, PART I

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

DIVEST, v.t. [L. It is the same word as devest, but the latter is appropriately used as a technical term in law.]

1. To strip of clothes, arms or equipage; opposed to invest.

2. To deprive; as, to divest one of his rights or privileges; to divest one of title or property.

3. To deprive or strip of any thing that covers, surrounds or attends; as, to divest one of his glory; to divest a subject of deceptive appearances, or false ornaments.

DIVESTED, pp. Stripped; undressed; deprived.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1986)

Divest to undress or strip esp. of clothing ornament, or equipment

To dispossess or deprive esp. of possessions or vested rights

Archaic to lay aside, abandon

To take away (possessions or vested rights)

Syn: see strip

A well known passage from Desire of Ages that I have color coded to help match another passage from Manuscript Releases, volume 14:

“Before this the Spirit had been in the world; from the very beginning of the work of redemption He had been moving upon men’s hearts. But while Christ was on earth, the disciples had desired no other helper. Not until they were deprived of His presence would they feel their need of the Spirit, and then He would come.

“The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high.”  Desire of Ages, p. 669.1,2, 1890.

“Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall (although unseen by you), [THIS PHRASE WAS ADDED BY ELLEN WHITE.] teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you’ [John 14:26]. ‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will come not unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you’ [John 16:7].”  Manuscript Releases, volume 14, p. 23.3}. Letter 119, 1895.

Notice the more specific statement, that the Holy Spirit is “Christ Himself”, is dated after the more universally known text from Desire of Ages, published in 1890. This challenges the many cries that Ellen White changed her theological stance on the Godhead and added a third being with the Father and Son. The definition of “divest” is very definitive of the personality of the Spirit. In order to divest someone of something, they must have been previously invested with it. In the case of the Spirit being divested of the personality of humanity, means that He had previously been invested with the personality of humanity. The use of the word, “divested”, is very telling of Ellen White’s anti-Trinitarianism. She was always striving to be as accurate and particular in her language as anyone could be. And the definition of “divested” has not changed in the least since 1828.

So, she was saying nothing different in Desire of Ages than she had earlier written in the letter bound in Manuscript Releases, volume 14. Jesus would send His Spirit as His “representative”; “He would represent Himself”. And that is because there is no other Mediator or Intercessor or Advocate between God and man than the Man Christ Jesus, none other name under heaven by which we must be saved. “The Holy Spirit is Himself [Christ] divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” Manuscript Releases, volume 14, p. 23. “The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof.… By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high.”  Desire of Ages, p. 669.

So, clearly the Spirit is not a third person of a Trinity. The Spirit is the Saviour, “the Spirit of the Saviour”. Somehow, some way, the union of the Father and Son CREATORS can make 2 personalities to equal 3—as far as we can perceive the Father and Son. The reality is that They are two, always have been two and always will be two. But, our limited intelligence should not be relied upon. We should rely upon the words of biblical inspiration. We should leave “the secret things … unto the LORD our God”, but keep “those things which are revealed”. For they “belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deut. 29:29).

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor. 2:9-16).

Maybe we can liken the person of our preincarnate Mediator, Michael, “He who is like God”. In 1 Corinthians 2:11 Paul said that since we are made in His image, we can analyze ourselves and learn about God and His Spirit. Christ and His Spirit are similar to the way people recognize my voice as me; but, literally, my voice is not me. If you heard me over the radio, you wouldn’t hear me, rather you heard the electronic reconstruction of my audible voice having entered a microphone and turned into A/C voltage levels and amplitudes. My written vocabulary in this blog can be referred to as me; but, it’s only the compositions of my thoughts. A picture of me can be said to be me, even though a photograph is made of special paper and chemicals, and isn’t flesh and blood. At a distance my visible person is me, yet really don’t you need to touch my person in order to say, “This is David”? And even if you touch my skin, my thoughts are really the essence of me. If you touch my arm, are you touching me or my arm? You say that you are touching me in both cases, if you can allow for that kind of generalization. This may sound like semantics or philosophical, but with the Creators and Their Spirit, all this semantics or philosophy takes on a whole new realm of study. We all have many extensions of ourselves. They are different that the Creators’ Spirit because our visible, audible, tangible, literary, intellectual influences don’t have the infinite force that comes from the Father and His only Begotten. By Their Spirit They can speak creation into existence.

By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:13).

But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. (Job 32:8).

The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. (Job 33:4).

If He set His heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself His Spirit and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. (Job 34:14,35).

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Ps. 33:6-9).

Their breath, Their hand, Their voice, Their command is Their Spirit that has creative power.

The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.…

Verily, verily, I say unto you, 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. (John 5:19-21,25,26).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).