Third Person of the Godhead

Hey Guys :) Just wanted to share some of my personal study with you as I found this really challenging.

I've been studying with the youth from church who keep using the spirit of prophecy to substantiate the second fundamental. So, I decided to see for myself what the prophet had to say on the matter. 

I did a word search for "godhead" on the EGW app and came up with a number of references. Going through them I noticed that Sister White referred to the Holy Spirit as the "Third Person of the Godhead." At first that bothered me, but I realised later on that it wasn't an issue.

However one particular reference caught my attention. It came from a devotional, (The Faith I Live By) that was compiled in 1958. (Long after the prophet's time.) What interested me was the fact that they had devoted a whole chapter to this topic. The devotional was titled Third Person of the Godhead, February 15. I was really wary whilst reading this material as some of her comments here were striking discordant notes in my conscience. I was able to get past most of it but one statement in particular REALLY bothered me. 

"The Holy Spirit is a free, working, independent agency. The God of Heaven uses His Spirit as it pleases Him:...." - {FLB 52.4}

Along with the statements made previously, I felt that this challenged the fountarian perspective.  I interpreted that the implication was that in and of itself the Holy Spirit, separate from the father, was a "divine person." 

As this devotional was only a compilation of Ellen White's writings, I was determined to find the exact reference to check the context of this comment. However, unlike other compilations like Ministry of Healing and Colporteur Ministry, The Faith I Live By didn't have any such references. Going back to my search engine I typed in that quote and couldn't find it anywhere in the spirit of prophecy. Resorting to Google I did the exact same thing and finally found one. The Signs of the Times, March 8, 1910 - As God Pleases

Reading through this article I found that this particular reference had been severely manipulated and taken out of context. The article talks about the fact that WE cannot control the Holy Spirit anymore that we can control the way in which the wind blows. The implication was that the Holy Spirit is a "free, working, independent agency" separate from OURSELVES. Yet it still answers to God. Hence the comment "God uses His Spirit as it pleases Him."

Misappropriating comments like these, along with other comments the prophet made about the Holy Spirit, they have tried to substantiate a belief in the trinity. As it didn't sit right with what I knew to be true, I made sure I left no leaf unturned. Through earnest study and prayer God revealed this light to me and I jumped at the opportunity to share my findings.

Hope this can help you as much as it did me :) God Bless xx