Within Seventh-day Adventist theological discourse, the question of how Ellen White understood the doctrine of God has become increasingly significant. Was she a monotheist Trinitarian as described in the denomination’s current Fundamental Belief #2: “There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation.” Was she an anti-Trinitarian, as some have claimed? Or did she hold a distinct theological position that transcends these two categories?
Defining Theological Positions
To properly assess Ellen White’s position, we must clearly define the relevant theological perspectives.
1. Monotheism: The Foundation
Monotheism—belief in one God—represents the essential distinction between Christianity and paganism. Scripture consistently affirms this principle:
“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?” (Malachi 2:10 ESV)
“And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.” (Mark 12:32)
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)
2. Seventh-day Adventist Trinitarian Position
The contemporary Seventh-day Adventist Trinitarian position holds that:
a) There are three eternal divine persons. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)
b) These three eternal persons are one in purpose, mind, and character. “The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one.”1
c) There is only “one God,” and He—this Triune God—is a unity of three persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The terms “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit” are metaphorical terms used to describe the roles that each divine person assumed at some point in eternity past. “The Son is not the natural, literal Son of the Father. … The term ‘Son’ is used metaphorically when applied to the Godhead.”2 “It may be inferred from the Scriptures that when the Godhead laid out the plan of salvation at some point in eternity past, They also took certain positions or roles to carry out the provisions of the plan.”3
“One God is three persons” is the monotheistic principle of the Trinity doctrine. So, even though “no text of Scripture specifically says that God is three Persons,”4 and, “even though the doctrine of the Trinity is not part of what the Bible itself says about God, it is part of what the church must say to safeguard the biblical view of God.”5 Belief in three divine persons without affirming the fact that there is only one God, would place a denomination in the category of Tritheists/Polytheists; therefore, “to safeguard the biblical view of God,” a Seventh-day Adventist must affirm that “one God is three persons” even if the Bible does not explicitly define one God as such.
3. Seventh-day Adventist Anti-Trinitarian Position
Those holding an anti-Trinitarian perspective believe:
a) There are two divine persons and their Spirit. The Father alone is eternal. The Father literally begot the Son; thus, there was a time when the Son did not exist. The Holy Spirit is not a third person but is Christ Himself: “We want the Holy Spirit, which is Jesus Christ.”6
b) These two persons and their Spirit are one in purpose, mind, and character.
c) The “one God” is the Father. “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:6); “But to us there is but one God, the Father...” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
4. The Seventh-day Adventist “Eternal Godhead” Position
There exists a third perspective that might best characterize Ellen White’s understanding:
a) There are three eternal divine persons. “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the eternal Godhead is involved in the action required to make assurance to the human agent…”7 “The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus.”8
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio.”7 This position acknowledges the Holy Spirit “is as much a person as God is a person”8 while also recognizing Ellen White’s statements that the Spirit is Jesus Himself. The nature of the Spirit, which is both a third person and Jesus Christ, will remain a mystery.
This view accepts the Father as eternal: “The glory of the Eternal Father is enshrouding His Son.”9
It also accepts the Son as eternal: “Then look beneath the disguise, and whom do we see?—Divinity, the Eternal Son of God...”10 Rather than speculating on how a begotten Son can be eternal, this position simply affirms that Christ is God’s only begotten and eternal Son. There is no need to explain this mystery.
Ellen White wrote: “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.”11
This view also acknowledges the Spirit as eternal: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God...” (Hebrews 9:14)
b) These three eternal persons are one in purpose, mind, and character.
c) The “one God” is the Father. Ellen White explicitly identifies the “one God” as the Father, which is precisely what the Bible plainly teaches. “Let the missionaries of the cross proclaim that there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, who is Jesus Christ the Son of the Infinite God. This needs to be proclaimed throughout every church in our land.”12
Ellen White’s Position
When examining Ellen White’s published writings, the “Eternal Godhead” position most accurately reflects her understanding of the doctrine of God. Like the prophets who wrote the Bible, she never defined the one God as being a plurality of persons. She repeatedly declared that God is a person.
“From my girlhood I have been given plain instruction that God is a person, and that Christ is ‘the express image of His person.’”13
“We know that Christ came in person to reveal God to the world. 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.’ [Hebrews 1: 3].”14
“We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds.”15
The monotheism of the Bible writers and Ellen White was alike—the one God is a singular, loving personal being—the Father.
Her two statements, “The Son of God was next in authority to the great Lawgiver,”16 and “His Son he had invested with authority to command the heavenly host,”17 would call into question the claim some have made that she was a Trinitarian.
A Trinitarian must accept as fact the scholarly assumption that the one God is three persons, which Ellen White never did. Modern Seventh-day Adventist scholars say: “While no single scriptural passage states formally the doctrine of the Trinity, it is assumed as a fact by Bible writers.”18
She did not accept human theological reasoning as a valid basis for doctrine. The Seventh-day Adventist Biblical Research Institute admits the following: “No text of Scripture specifically says that God is three Persons: but theological reasoning on the basis of biblical principles leads to that conclusion.”19
Ellen White always demanded a plain “Thus saith the Lord” for what she believed. She wrote: “Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.”20
The “Eternal Godhead” position provides this perspective:
Maintains strict monotheism while acknowledging three divine persons
Recognizes the eternal nature of all three divine persons
Identifies the Father specifically as “the one God” in alignment with multiple biblical passages
This “Eternal Godhead” perspective offers a nuanced middle ground that honors both the biblical emphasis on one God (the Father) and the full, eternal divinity of the Son and Spirit. It avoids the theological limitations of both strict Trinitarianism (which obscures the Father/Son relationship, eliminating the headship of the Father—“…and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Cor. 11:3) and anti-Trinitarianism (which compromises the eternal nature of the Son and denies the third person status of the Holy Spirit).
Conclusion
Understanding Ellen White’s position on the doctrine of God requires careful attention to the full scope of her writings. Rather than forcing her theology into existing categories, the “Eternal Godhead” framework provides a helpful lens through which to appreciate her unique contribution to Adventist theology. This approach maintains fidelity to Scripture while acknowledging the mystery inherent in our understanding of the divine.
1. Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 422.1.
2. Ángel Rodríguez, Adventist World, Nov. 2015, p. 42.
3. Frank Holbrook, These Times, June 1, 1981, p. 28.4.
4. Kwabena Donkor, God in 3 Persons— in Theology, Biblical Research Institute Release— 9, May 2015, p. 20.
5. Richard Rice, The Reign of God, An Introduction to Christian Theology from a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective (Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 1985), p. 89.
6. Ellen White, Letter 66, 1894.
7. Ellen White, Ms45-1904.16.
8. Ellen White, AUCR, October 7, 1907 par. 9.
9. Ellen White, Evangelism, p. 615.
10. Ellen White, Ms 66, 1899.
11. Ellen White, The Great Controversy, p. 665.
12. Ellen White, 15 MR 25.3.
13. Ellen G. White, Ms. 137, 1903, Nov. 12.
14. Ellen G. White, Ms. 46, 1904, May 18.
15. Ellen G. White, Evangelism, p. 616, from Ms. 66, 1899, Apr. 13.
16. Ellen White, Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900.
17. Ellen White, EGW 1888 Materials, p. 886.
18. Ellen White, Review and Herald, Dec. 17, 1872.
19. Ellen White, Signs of the Times, Jan. 9, 1879.
20. Adventist Review, July 30, 1981, Special Issue on Bible Doctrines, p. 4.