Between God and man

Communication between God and man.

“Since the sin of our first parents there has been no direct communication between God and man.” (Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, page 366, ‘The Law and the Covenants’)

This is very clear and also very easy to understand but who then, if not God Himself, has been communicating with fallen humanity?

We have been told

“The Father has given the world into the hands of Christ, that through His mediatorial work He may redeem man and vindicate the authority and holiness of the law of God. All the communion between heaven and the fallen race has been through Christ.” (Ibid)

Notice here that Ellen White makes it clear that since the time that Adam and Eve sinned, there has been “no direct communication between God and man” but that “All the communion … has been through Christ”.

We can see here that in the sense of divine personalities (individual personages), Ellen White differentiates between God and Christ – even in Christ’s pre-existence. In other words, she does not refer to Christ as God – at least not as a personality (personage) separate from the Father.

If Christ is said to be God in personality (personage), Ellen White’s statement would not make any sense. It would be making her say that there has been “no direct communication between God and man” but because Christ is God there has been direct communication between God and man. This statement would be nonsensical. There would be the same confusion as if John had said “the Word was with ‘ton qeon’ (the God), and the Word was ‘ton qeon’ (the God)”. This would be making two separate individuals the same individual. How could that possibly be?

Here we must ask a question. Why was it that after the fall, ‘God’ would not directly communicate with man but Christ would and did? This is well worth pondering. To those who say that there is no difference between the Father and the Son this is a very difficult question to answer.

In personality (individual personage), Christ was the Son of God – albeit He was God essentially (God Himself in the person of the Son).

Ellen White then explains

“It was the Son of God that gave to our first parents the promise of redemption. It was He who revealed Himself to the patriarchs. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses understood the gospel. They looked for salvation through man's Substitute and Surety. These holy men of old held communion with the Saviour who was to come to our world in human flesh; and some of them talked with Christ and heavenly angels face to face.” (Ibid)

Here we are told that it was not God (‘the God’ – ‘the Father’) who has communed with fallen humanity but the Son of God (albeit God Himself in the person of the Son).

As regards to divine personages, Ellen White usually spoke of Christ as the Son of God - or the Son of the infinite God - or the Son of the Father - or some such similar expression albeit she made it very clear that He was God essentially (God Himself in the person of the Son).

Written by Terry Hill http://theprophetstillspeaks.co.uk/SBWC.htm