In this year 2013, on Friday, April 5, I read an article full of fanciful theories. It had been handed to me by an interested soul who sourced it from the internet. (The hardcopy indicated the website as www.enjoying-the-spirit-filled-life.com/10-hs-mystery-explained ). He had so believed the writer of this article (an independent Adventist), that he felt I too should read it. It was not new however, to come across such writings, where men have had to “stretch” the scriptures as far as they possibly could, to prove their so called “present truth,” by filling the supposed gap that the scriptures are deemed to have created. After reading it, I felt I should write something against speculating on the scriptures, or making improper connections and filling “gaps;” after all, we can as well be faced with the danger that such a spirit can creep into the church.
Even though the intention of writing this article is not to discuss and contend against all the things written in the mentioned article, it is worthwhile to mention in brief the few things said to have been “explained” therein. It centers on who the Holy Spirit is, how He came into being in relation to Jesus—a popular subject where the controversial so called “trinity” is highly debated.
The article “explains” the way Jesus came into being “brought forth from God;” that when He became man, He “parted” or “left behind” the “Spirit” which, in the past, that is before His incarnation was part of Himself. It concludes that, that was the birth of the Holy Spirit as an individual “entity” or “person.” In other words, the “splitting” of Christ into Spirit and human gave rise to the Holy Spirit, which was left in heaven as Jesus was on earth as a Human. This is total foolishness and unbiblical. This article further claims that when Christ said “It is finished” (John 19:30), He meant that He gave up the Holy Spirit for ever, never to take it again and thus It (the Holy Spirit) will be living independently from Jesus for ever and that it will be involved in the work of aligning the characters of people to that of Jesus. As mentioned earlier, these are just to mention a few. Can you believe this as truth?
The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy give us a view of the Holy Spirit’s personality, and that should be enough for us. Anything beyond this is human theory, concerning the danger of which we have been fully warned. We normally know a lot about someone when he explains himself to us as Jesus did. But of the Holy Spirit, it is said of Him that “He shall not speak of Himself.” John 16:13. Thus we read that His nature is a mystery (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52). After all, it is not important to define just who the Holy Spirit is (Ibid, p. 51). Therefore, what has been revealed about Him is enough for us.
Sadly, the writer claims to believe in the writings of Sister White, and thus, has taken a number of portions from her writings to prove his views. The danger is that such false teachers are not one hundred percent in error. They, in certain cases, appear to have the “sound” truth, thus causing many to be led away from the truth. This used to happen even in Sister White’s time, when many used to write accusations against the church and then quote portions of Sister White’s writings, supporting their views, thereby making it appear that she was in favour of them.
God has warned us against occupying this ground. Never should we teach such doctrines or allow them to fill and control our mind.
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29
These words still have the force today. Furthermore, Sister White writes:
“It is a masterpiece of Satan’s deceptions to keep the minds of men searching and conjecturing in regard to that which God has not made known and which He does not intend that we shall understand. It was thus that Lucifer lost his place in heaven. He became dissatisfied because all the secrets of God’s purposes were not confided to him, and he entirely disregarded that which was revealed concerning his own work in the lofty position assigned him. By arousing the same discontent in the angels under his command, he caused their fall. Now he seeks to imbue the minds of men with the same spirit and to lead them also to disregard the direct commands of God.” –The Great Controversy, p. 523
“In regard to entering into the subject of the divine mystery of the essence of God, Christ ever maintained a wise reserve. He did this that He might close the door where human conjectures should not be encouraged. The most sacred, holy, and eternal mysteries which God has not revealed are but speculations when considered from a human standpoint, mere theories that confuse the mind.” –Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1157
Then we have another firm injunction written by the same hand of inspiration that reads:
“To the curious I bear the message that God has instructed me not to frame answers to the questions of those who inquire in regard to the things that have not been revealed. The things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children. Beyond this, human beings are not to attempt to go. We are not to attempt to explain that which God has not revealed. We are to study the revelation that Christ, the Great Teacher, has given of the character of God, that in spirit and word and act we may represent Him to those who know Him not.” –Medical Ministry, p. 92
Regardless of all these warnings, why is it that men still find it attractive to occupy the forbidden ground? The word tells us that such men are always in search for something new and startling, getting weary of the often repeated truth, just as it was with the early church.
“Some of the younger workers. . . had become weary of oft-repeated truths. In their desire for something novel and startling they attempted to introduce new phases of doctrine, more pleasing to many minds, but not in harmony with the fundamental principles of the gospel. In their self-confidence and spiritual blindness they failed to discern that these sophistries would cause many to question the experiences of the past, and would thus lead to confusion and unbelief. As these false doctrines were urged, differences sprang up, and the eyes of many were turned from beholding Jesus as the Author and Finisher of their faith. The discussion of unimportant points of doctrine, and the contemplation of pleasing fables of man’s invention, occupied time that should have been spent in proclaiming the gospel.” –Acts of the Apostles, p. 580
“There are those who know the truth but do not practice it. These greatly long for some new, strange thing to present. In their great zeal to become original some will bring in fanciful ideas which are but chaff.” –Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1157
The article cited in this treatise is just one of the numerous articles, on various subjects found especially on the internet, laden with falsehoods, as people are in search for something new. Many have had to stretch the scriptures to arrive at this. God tells His church to reject walking in this path. Our lessons should be taught and presented in the simple and straight forward manner as they have been taught in the past. As we try to write complicated articles and books, the more danger ensues itself that we can start adding something to the scriptures. Even the Internet has to be rightly used as a source of information. This is enough warning to us. AMEN.
Joel L. J. Msiska