Consensus statement
Trinity Congress, Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, May 1–4, 2008
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has expressed its position on the Godhead in its fundamental beliefs.
Paragraph 2 speaks about the Godhead, and paragraphs 3-5 describe each of the three persons of the Trinity.
We, a group of Seventh-day Adventist Christians, theologians, pastors, and administrators, convening in Wahroonga, have been invited by the South Pacific Division to study biblical, theological and historical aspects of this doctrine.
- On the basis of our study of Scripture, we affirm our belief in “one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three co-eternal persons” (Fundamental Belief # 2).
- We understand the eternal pre-existence and full divinity of Jesus and the distinct divine personality of the Holy Spirit to be essential to our belief in the full redemption and atonement in Jesus Christ.
- We approach this subject with awe, and we acknowledge that human words cannot fully describe and human minds not fully grasp the mystery of the nature of God. These limitations in understanding and language arise out of God’s greatness and majesty, and the depth of the divine plan of salvation, particularly of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
- As we seek to grow in our understanding of God, we recognise the need to continually base our theology on His self-revelation in Jesus Christ, as conveyed to us by the Holy Spirit through the Bible.
- We are grateful that the Holy Spirit has led us in our past history, as the Adventist community has developed a deeper understanding of God through the study of Holy Scripture.
- We pray that God’s people will reflect the love and unity of the Godhead as they seek to understand Scripture better and share the good news that God has reconciled the world to Himself in Christ.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all (2 Corinthians 13:14).