Why Early Adventists Rejected the Traditional Trinity Doctrine

It is a certainty that early Seventh-day Adventists did not adhere to the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, but rather they explicitly rejected it as unscriptural and illogical, while maintaining a strong belief in the full divinity and pre-existence of Jesus ChristARSH November 10, 1863, page 189.16+2.

They were convinced that the Scriptures, while abundantly teaching the pre-existence and divinity of Christ, are entirely silent regarding the complex doctrine of a trinityARSH November 10, 1863, page 189.16+1. They differentiated their position from Unitarians, affirming the true divinity of Christ, but they rejected the Trinitarian formulation itselfARSH November 10, 1863, page 189.16.

Here is a look at the basis for their original position regarding the Godhead:

The Nature of Christ and the Father

The core belief held was that Christ is indeed divine, but His relationship to the Father is defined by generation, not by co-equal, co-eternal personhood in the Trinitarian sense.

• The Son's Pre-existence and Divinity: They acknowledged that Christ is the glorious, powerful, and eternal Son of God, who, "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God" Philippians 2:6AERS 164.2+1. The uncreated Word, who was with God and was God, was the Being who was made flesh and dwelt among us John 1:1+1LUJ 10.1. All people should "honor the Son, even as they honor the Father" John 5:23SITI November 20, 1884, page 698.3.

• The Father as Supreme Source: The Father alone is absolutely self-existent and without beginning, and He is supremely, or absolutely, good John 5:26ATO 131.1. Although Christ is properly called Jehovah—THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS—He received life in Himself as a gift from the Father Jeremiah 23:5-6+1ATO 131.1+1. The Father is greater than the Son in that He had no beginning, whereas Christ's personality had a beginningPTUK December 18, 1890, page 409.7+1.

• Unity in Work and Spirit: The Father and the Son are one because their interests are blended and they co-operate togetherRAR 10.2+1. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself 2 Corinthians 5:19SITI November 20, 1884, page 698.3. Furthermore, they share the same Holy Spirit, which is simultaneously referred to as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ Romans 8:9PTUK January 9, 1896, page 19.1.

Objections to Trinitarianism and the Atonement

The primary theological difficulty early Adventists found with the traditional Trinity doctrine centered on its effect upon the validity of the AtonementAERS 164.2.

• Degradation of the Sacrifice: Trinitarians frequently asserted that the divine nature (the second person of the trinity) could not suffer or dieAERS 164.2+2. If this were true, only the merely human nature of Christ died, meaning the sacrifice was only humanAERS 164.2+1. This position was viewed as degrading the Atonement by bringing the sacrifice down to the level of Socinianism, since the divine Son of God would have taken no part in the suffering and death necessary for redemptionARSH November 10, 1863, page 189.16.

• Inconsistency of Position: They noted that many respected theological writers fell into inconsistencies, declaring that the divine nature could not suffer, yet simultaneously stating that the Redeemer "who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, and in whose blood we have redemption, was God over all"AERS 176.5.

• The Need for Divine Death: For the redemption through Christ’s blood to be effective, it was necessary for the Son of God, who was in the beginning and by whom the worlds were made, to suffer death for us Colossians 1:14AERS 167.5.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is understood as the divine presence and power—the divine afflatus and medium of power, which is the representative of both the Father and the Son Psalm 139:7LUJ 10.1. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are powers imparted by the Spirit to believersARSH September 20, 1898, page 604.3.

Summary of the Rejected Doctrine

The traditional Trinitarian teaching—such as insisting on "three persons in one God" or calling God the "Triune God"—was considered an "interminable jargon" and "not very consonant with common sense," as three times one does not equal oneARSH November 5, 1861, page 184.4+1. It was believed that this complexity of human opinion obscured the simplicity of the truth presented in ScriptureARSH November 3, 1863, page 181.25+1.