Ellen G. White Uses Scripture as the Authoritative Word of God

Ellen G. White’s use of Scripture is significantly influenced by her high view of Scripture. ^{5Ellen G. White’s use of Scripture is profoundly influenced by her understanding of the process of divine revelation and inspiration. For a description of Ellen G. White’s understanding of the process of revelation and inspiration, see Frank M. Hasel, “Revelation and Inspiration,” in Denis Fortin and Jerry Moon, eds., The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald®, 2013), 1087-1101; idem, “Inspiration, Degrees of,” in ibid., 895-897. See also J. H. Burry, “An Investigation to Determine Ellen White’s Concepts of Revelation, Inspiration, ‘The Spirit of Prophecy’ and Her Claims About the Origin, Production, and Authority of Her Writings” (M.A. thesis, Andrews University, 1991); and P. G. Damsteegt, “The Inspiration of Scripture in the Writings of Ellen G. White,” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 5, no. 1 (1991): 155-179.} While clearly affirming that biblical authors freely wrote biblical books using their individual style of writing, she took for granted the ultimately divine origin of the Bible and believed that God guided the biblical writers in receiving and communicating the divine message. Thus she consistently accepted the Bible as the Word of God and had “implicit faith in the Bible as a whole as it is.” ^{6Ellen G. White, in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, rev. ed. (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald®, 1980), 7:917. The wider context of this quote reads: “Do not let any living man come to you and begin to dissect God’s Word, telling what is revelation, what is inspiration and what is not, without a rebuke. . . . We want no one to say, ‘This I will reject, and this will I receive,’ but we want to have implicit faith in the Bible as a whole as it is.”} In this sense she used the Bible as “an unerring counselor, and infallible guide,” ^{7Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education (Nashville: Southern, 1923), 100.} and as an “unerring standard.” ^{8Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press®, 1942), 462.} For her the Bible was the result of a supernatural process of divine revelation and inspiration where the human and the divine harmoniously and inseparably worked together. “The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us’ John 1:14.” ^{9Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press®, 1911), vi.} As such the Bible is characterized by a “simple beauty of language” and an “unerring truthfulness.” ^{10Ellen G. White, “Importance of Bible Study,” Youth’s Instructor, May 7, 1884, 75; cf. idem, Lift Him Up (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald®, 1988), 127.} Consequently, Ellen White treated Scripture with respect and deference throughout her lifetime, and valued the authority of the Bible above any other authority, including her own prophetic ministry. She did not deify Scripture; to her God alone is infallible. ^{11Ellen G. White, letter 10, 1895; in idem, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald®, 1958, 1980), 1:37.} But she also firmly believed that “His word is true” ^12Ibid. and that the Bible is “reliable.” ^{13Ellen G. White, “What Manner of Persons Ought Ye to Be?” Signs of the Times, Oct. 1, 1894, 740.} Thus for Ellen White the Bible is the ultimate norm and the standard for all Seventh-day Adventist doctrines, faith, and practice. “The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of God’s will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience.” ^{14E. G. White, The Great Controversy, vii.} Ellen G. White uses the Bible as the highest authority for faith and practice in the church. ^{15“God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms” (E. G. white, The Great Controversy, 595). Many hundred similar passages refer to the Bible as standard, foundation, basis, and rule in her writings.} This leads to a second related aspect of her use of the Bible: the sola Scriptura principle.GOP 302.1