It never ceases to amaze me to see the mental contortions we go through to make our theology fit the Bible, and/or the Bible fit our theology. We should be content with the plain word of God. Just interpreting that is challenge enough.

Please quote just one text from Scripture refering to the "lesser light" and the "greater light".

Sorry, Daryl, that didn't answer your question. You can remove this post if you want.

That's why this is called the 'SPIRIT OF PROPHECY'forum.
We are disgussing the writings of Ellen White in here, and there relevence to scripture as well as their duty.

EGW referred to herself as the lesser light, stating her purpose was to point us back to the Holy Scripture.

Her writings would not be necessary if we studied THE BOOK as we should.

Your post was not contrary to the posted rules of the Maritime Forum, so will not be deleted.

Your premise is correct, in this sense, if we will study the scripture as we know we should, we will have all we need for salvation, but, because we are who and what we are, God, in His infinite love and mercy, gave us SOP to guide us in our study.
Not to take the place of scripture, but to help us find the answers we need so we can understand.

The stated purpose of her books are to guide us into a better knowledge of salvation.To open our minds AND GUIDE US TO THE TRUTH, as it is in Christ Jesus.

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Examine me, O LORD, and prove me: try my reins and my heart. Ps.26:2
It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in men.Ps.118:8

quote:

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Originally posted by Gerry Buck:
Her writings would not be necessary if we studied THE BOOK as we should.

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While searching for something on the CDRom, I came across this statement which I found interesting:

quote:

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I took the precious Bible and surrounded it with the several Testimonies for the Church, given for the people of God. Here, said I, the cases of nearly all are met. The sins they are to shun are pointed out. The counsel that they desire can be found here, given for other cases situated similarly to themselves. God has been pleased to give you line upon line and precept upon precept. But there are not many of you that really know what is contained in the Testimonies. You are not familiar with the Scriptures. If you had made God's word your study, with a desire to reach the Bible standard and attain to Christian perfection, you would not have needed the Testimonies. It is because you have neglected to acquaint yourselves with God's inspired Book that He has sought to reach you by simple, direct testimonies, calling your attention to the words of inspiration which you had neglected to obey, and urging you to fashion your lives in accordance with its pure and elevated teachings.

The Lord designs to warn you, to reprove, to counsel, through the testimonies given, and to impress your minds with the importance of the truth of His word. The written testimonies are not to give new light, but to impress vividly upon the heart the truths of inspiration already revealed. Man's duty to God and to his fellow man has been distinctly specified in God's word; yet but few of you are obedient to the light given. Additional truth is not brought out; but God has through the Testimonies simplified the great truths already given and in His own chosen way brought them before the people to awaken and impress the mind with them, that all may be left without excuse.

Pride, self-love, selfishness, hatred, envy, and jealousy have beclouded the perceptive powers, and the truth, which would make you wise unto salvation, has lost its power to charm and control the mind. The very essential principles of godliness are not understood because there is not a hungering and thirsting for Bible knowledge, purity of heart, and holiness of life. The Testimonies are not to belittle the word of God, but to exalt it and attract minds to it, that the beautiful simplicity of truth may impress all. {2T 605}

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Something that immediately stood out that I had never noticed before was that she used the Testimonies to surround the Bible, and said they would not have been needed had people studied their Bibles. The testimonies were to help us reach the standard of perfection that God has for His people.

Ellen White wrote more than testimonies. She also wrote the story of the controversy between Christ and Satan, now in the five volumes we call the Conflict of the Ages series. There are also the health writings, and other works about Jesus and His earthly ministry. These works do not fall into the catagory of testimonies.

We cannot forget that the OT said that there would be a forerunner, a prophet, a messenger, who would precede the "great and dreadful day of the Lord." Jesus came once as a man to die. His forerunner was John the Baptist. According to the prophecy, there would be a forerunner before His second coming. So even if men had not needed the testimonies, the forerunner was still coming and came in the work and ministry of Ellen G. White. That's why rejecting her role and work (as so many in the SDA church do today) is so serious. To reject her role as God's messenger is to say God was wrong in prophecying that someone would come to do the work she did prior to His second coming.

[While I quoted what Gerry said, I don't want anyone to think that I did so to attack Gerry. I used it as the background to the statement that I found.]

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Jesus is the joy of living
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Linda

I had not read that quote.
My understanding of what I read was that the 'Testimonies' were the only ones she meant. I am, after all, just a man. I need the input of others, and desire to learn.
I thank you for what you posted, it clears up what I had tried to say.
I know you did not attack, you found more information to provide a better understanding of my post..

As we work together, studying and sharing, we grow.
Some will find one thing, another something else, and as we add them together and study them out, it becomes easier to see the whole picture a little more clearly.
We may not know everything, only that which God has deamed necessary.
He is the great provider and He is the one that opens His word and the works of His servants to our understanding.
Thank God for His holy word and His willing servants, including Ellen G. White.

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Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 ¶ Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in men.Ps.118:8

Apostasy creeps in subtly, and appears as light. Are you all saying that the bible is the lesser light leading to the greater light of Ellen White's writings, other than the "Testimonies"? If the bible is the standard by which we test truth, what is the greater: further light, or the standard? They are not at odds, but Ellen White surely only supplements what we should have found ourselves if we had studied as we should. She said that.
Hearing the bible downgraded should set off the loudest alarms.

No, no, no,no,no, and no again.
What we are saying is the same thing EG White said herself, her writings are the 'lesser' light pointing to the greater light.

The purpose of her writings were to get people to get back into the Word.
When the Adventist movement first started, we were known as the people of the Book.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case today.
We allow others to tell us what the Book says and don't look into it ourselves.

She addressed this problem at one time when she admonished her listeners to not quote her unless they were better versed in Scripture.

She did not set herself up as the final word, she always said that Scripture is, but there were those in her day that used her as the final authority, just as some today do.

That is never been the purpose of her books, but rather, that we would get into the book and discover the rich treasure there.

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Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 ¶ Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in men.Ps.118:8

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Did some typing corrections only

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited November 12, 2001).]