Based on my search through Ellen White's writings, I can provide you with comprehensive information about her understanding of the Trinity. Ellen White's writings present a clear Trinitarian view of the Godhead, affirming the existence of three distinct persons who are one in nature, character, and purpose.
## The Three Persons of the Godhead
**The Father:**
Ellen White consistently presents God the Father as a personal being. She writes: "The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science represent, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for man was made in His image" (
MH 413.1).
**The Son:**
Regarding Christ, she affirms His eternal nature and divine equality: "Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God" (
PP 34.1). She also states: "God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son" (
8T 268.3).
**The Holy Spirit:**
Ellen White clearly identifies the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Godhead: "Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power" (
DA 671.2).
## Unity and Personality
Ellen White emphasizes both the unity and distinct personalities within the Godhead:
"The Father and the Son each have a personality. Christ declared: 'I and My Father are one.' Yet it was the Son of God who came to the world in human form" (
9T 68.2).
She also clarifies: "The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one" (
MH 422.1).
## The Eternal Relationship
Ellen White presents Christ as eternally existing with the Father: "Before the entrance of evil there was peace and joy throughout the universe. All was in perfect harmony with the Creator's will. Love for God was supreme, love for one another impartial. Christ the Word, the Only Begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father,—one in nature, in character, and in purpose,—the only being in all the universe that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God" (
GC 493.1).
## The Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is presented as Christ's representative on earth: "The Holy Spirit is Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth" (
DA 669.2).
## Baptismal Formula
Ellen White affirms the traditional Trinitarian baptismal formula: "Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world. Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King" (
6T 91.3).
## Personal Nature of God
She emphasizes that God is not merely an impersonal force: "There is a personal God, the Father; there is a personal Christ, the Son" (
HL 287.1).
Ellen White's writings consistently present a Trinitarian understanding of God - three distinct persons who are one in nature, character, and purpose, working together in perfect unity for the salvation of humanity. Each person of the Godhead has distinct roles while maintaining their essential unity and equality in divine nature.