Observation
Dr. Kellogg expresses his frustration over brethren which have drew his “truth” into the “old controversy about the Trinity” and made it appear loathsome.
An evidence that the Trinity doctrine was a controversy back then - not the pleasant one.
Quote
These theologians have sought to darken the minds of the people and to make this sweet and beautiful truth appear loathsome to them, by drawing into it the old controversy about the Trinity.
I never raised the question as to which part of God is present in a man, whether it was God, the Father; God, the Son; or God, the Holy Spirit. The only point was that it is God and not man.
Transcript
Extract from letter from Dr. Kellogg to Dr. Hayward
August 15, 1905.
The whole thing in a nut-shell is singly this, as far as I am concerned:
I believe in God.
I believe God made Adam.
I believe God not only made Adam, but has made every man and every other living thing that has ever existed.
I believe that man exists only by the continued exercise of Divine power and intelligence. The work of creation doesn’t stop with the making of the man, but must continue going forward in him as long as he lives.
God was present when he made Adam.
God must be present at the making of every living being., Every cell is a separate, distinct creation wrought by the mind of the one Creator.
The body is a structure. The builder and maker is God. In this sense it is a temple and the maker of the temple is continually working in it. God is so great, so kind, so patient, so humble, so infinite, and all that is good, that although he is the maker; the owner ; the rightful rule of the temple, he has offered to man the privilege of being the ruler of the temple if he will be. So the maker of the temple; the builder; the creator while working in the templte and occupying the temple; as the builder and the creator still may not be the ruler of it in the fullest sense. Man’s will may control instead of God’s will. When man submits his will to God and seeks to work in harmony with God then the maker and builder is also the ruler.
The “living temple” were intended to set forth chiefly the great fact that God is the maker of the temple, and that the same power which made it maintains it. That we are constantly dependent upon that power for our existence and our being, and that this was the precise reason why men should carefully study God’s will in relation to his body in all the relations, and to obey the Divine will and follow the divine order. In other words, that he should commit the Creator and the builder and preserver of the temple to be its ruler. This is my philosophy and all there is of it.
I am not the discoverer of this doctrine nor the perpetrator of it. The Bible teaches it; Sister White teaches it, and many others have seen this same truth and found it sweet. These theologians have sought to darken the minds of the people and to make this sweet and beautiful truth appear loathsome to them, by drawing into it the old controversy about the Trinity.
I never raised the question as to which part of God is present in a man, whether it was God, the Father; God, the Son; or God, the Holy Spirit. The only point was that it is God and not man. The brethren can easily understand how that God can be present in a meeting-house or a grove or in a prayer-meeting or religious meeting anywhere.
I asked a brother, “How can you say that Go is present here in this grove?” “Oh! he said, This is His Spirit which is present here.” “Very well, it is the Spirit of God which is present in man, creating blood and tissue.” Every man is made out of dust just as was the first man. This process is continually going on. God transforms the air, earth and water into food and it is by this process of transformation, which we call assimilation, made into human flesh.
It was the Spirit of God which ‘brooded upon the face of the waters’ and carried forward the work of creation. Job said “The Spirit of God hath made me.” David said - “He hath made us and not we ourselves.” The Spirit of God is God, but I haven’t entered into this part of the controversy and do not care to. I am satisfied to know that God cares for me and that He will do for me everything I need to have done, at least everything which I will permit Him to do. I know He answers my prayers and I am willing to trust myself and all of the issues that men can raise to His keeping. My only concern is that I shall keep my will in submission to His, so that He may be ruler of my life.
It is sad to see these men spending their time and energy and the money, which toiling men and woman have saved and put in their hands to be used for the propagation of truth, in their effort to make the people believe but I have believed and taught such nonsense or any such ridiculous things, nor can I understand now they could draw such an inference from what I have taught by voice and pen. But the Lord permits it, and I am not responsible for it, so far as I can see.
I have never read any work on pantheism or theosophy or any of this mystical stuff. I never had any appetite for it. I have had too much to do to spend time in the study of error, but I have seen the truth, and it is as when one has looked at the sun. I have seen it and I know it is the truth and I can not deny it.
As regards “The Living Temple”, I wrote the book with a prayer in my heart and on my lips and earnestly prayed to the Lord to help me write truly and wisely. It must be that for some reason it was the Lord’s will that the book should not be circulated in the manner proposed, but I can conceive also that it may be possible that providence has been willing that some other people should have an opportunity to show what attitude they will take toward truth. “His truth enduerth forever,” hence we need not be afraid that the truth will suffer. “The truth will prevail.”
If we stand for the truth; battle for the truth; love the truth; and live the truth, it will take care of us and win our battles for us.