When I looked for instances where the Three Powers are mentioned together, I found clear statements in the Bible, and numerous clear, unambiguous quotations, that state unequivocally that there are three living persons that make up the Godhead. As a result of these quotations, along with other quotations that identify the three individual members of the Godhead as living persons, I have complete confidence that the Father is a real person, Christ is a real person and the Holy Spirit is a real person. It is impossible to believe that the Holy Spirit is only an influence after reading the following small sampling of a larger group of quotations which one finds in researching this topic.—Dan
Since writing that introduction I developed a exhaustive Bible Study on the "Three Persons" working together that is really excellent. The study on the "Three" is found in the pdfs that immediately follow. You can find all four parts of the study at the Godhead Bible Studies page.
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen
"I am instructed to say, The sentiments of those who are searching for advanced scientific ideas are not to be trusted. Such representations as the following are made: “The Father is as the light invisible; the Son is as the light embodied; the Spirit as the light shed abroad.” “The Father is like the dew, invisible vapor; the Son is like the dew gathered in beauteous form; the Spirit is like the dew fallen to the seat of life.” Another representation: “The Father is like the invisible vapor. The Son is like the leaden cloud. The Spirit is rain fallen and working in refreshing power.” {Ms21-1906.8} All these spiritualistic representations are simply nothingness. They are imperfect, untrue. They weaken and diminish the Majesty which no earthly likeness can be compared to. God cannot be compared with the things His hands have made. These are mere earthly things, suffering under the curse of God because of the sins of man. The Father cannot be described by the things of earth. The Father is all the fulness of the Godhead bodily and is invisible to mortal sight. {Ms21-1906.9} The Son is all the fulness of the Godhead manifested. The Word of God declares Him to be “the express image of His person.” [Hebrews 1:3.] “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] Here is shown the personality of the Father. {Ms21-1906.10} The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fulness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ." {Ms21-1906.11}
"Every church member will be vigorous and fruitful in proportion as he honors the Father, who is not to be regarded as an essence but as a personal God who made man in His own image and likeness. {Ms93-1893.6} The Son of God, who is the express image of the Father’s person, became man’s Advocate and Redeemer. He humbled Himself in taking the nature of man in his fallen condition, but He did not take the taint of sin. As the second Adam He must pass over the ground where Adam fell, meet the wily foe who caused Adam’s and Eve’s fall, and be tempted in all points as man will be tempted, and overcome every temptation in behalf of man. To Him should man look—to Him who endured the “contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:3. While every human being is to be loved for Christ’s sake, not one is to be looked to as supreme in counsel and unerring in wisdom. {Ms93-1893.7} The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, in Christ’s name. He personifies Christ, yet is a distinct personality. We may have the Holy Spirit if we ask for it and make it [a] habit to turn to and trust in God rather than in any finite human agent who may make mistakes." {Ms93-1893.8}
"Christ gave His followers a positive promise that after His ascension He would send them His Spirit. “Go ye therefore,” He said, “and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father (a personal God), and of the Son (a personal Prince and Saviour), and of the Holy Ghost (sent from heaven to represent Christ); teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” {Ms70a-1897
Psalms 93:2 (NKJV) 2 "Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting."
"Again and again during my experience in the Lord’s work, I have been called upon to meet these erroneous sentiments. In every case, clear, powerful light has been given that God is the eternal, self-existent One. From my girlhood I have been given plain instruction that God is a person, and that Christ is “the express image of His person.” [Hebrews 1:3.] God always has been. That which concerns us is not the how or the wherefore. {Ms137-1903.3} In the Word God is spoken of as the everlasting God. This name embraces past, present, and future. God is from everlasting to everlasting. He is the Eternal One. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms;” {Ms137-1903.4}
John1:1"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
"Christ is equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. He could pay the ransom for man’s freedom. He is the eternal, self-existing Son, on whom no yoke had come; and when God asked, “Whom shall I send?” he could reply, “Here am I; send me.” He could pledge himself to become man’s surety; for he could say that which the highest angel could not say,—I have power over my own life, “power to lay it down, and ... power to take it again.” {YI June 21, 1900, par. 2}
"This Word is to be the chief study in our schools. Here we may hold converse with patriarchs and prophets; here we may learn what our redemption has cost that One who was equal with the Father from the beginning, and who sacrificed His life that a people might stand before Him redeemed from every common, earthly thing, and renewed in the image of God." {Lt84-1909.11}
"Christ came to the world as a personal Saviour. He represented a personal God. He ascended on high as a personal Saviour, and he will come again as he ascended to heaven,—a personal Saviour. {GCDB March 6, 1899, par. 6}
"Christ is one with the Father, but Christ and God are two distinct personages. Read the prayer of Christ in the seventeenth chapter of John [John 17:1, for example], and you will find this point clearly brought out." {RH June 1, 1905, par. 14}
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
"The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. “For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man, which is in him; even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” {Ms20-1906.32}
"We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, unseen by human eyes, that the Lord God is our Keeper and Helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind." {Ms66-1899.11}
"Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is there, always a presence, a person connected with heaven, One given us in Christ’s place, to act in His stead. He is always at our right hand, to speak to us soothing, gentle words, to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer." {Lt89b-1897.5}
"The Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—were working in behalf of man. Every power in the heavenly universe was put into activity to carry forward the plan of redemption." {Ms47-1901.6}
"The three representative powers of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, were pledged to carry out God’s plan for the salvation of the lost race. Thus fully did the Lord engage the heavenly universe in the work of redemption. How few understand and appreciate this infinite sacrifice!" {Ms139-1907.10}
Luke 3:21-22 (KJV) "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."
"Christ’s prayer cleaves through the hellish shadow of Satan and enters heaven. And from the Father comes the representation of a dove of burnished gold, which is the Holy Spirit of God, and settles and enshrouds Christ, and they hear the voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [Matthew 3:16, 17.] You read this over and over again in a careless manner; but it means everything to you and me. God has accepted Him as our representative and head." {Ms17-1893.7}
"The work of salvation is not a small matter, but so vast that the highest authorities are taken hold of by the expressed faith of the human agency. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the eternal Godhead is involved in the action required to make assurance to the human agent to unite all heaven to contribute to the exercise of human faculties to reach and embrace the fulness of the threefold powers to unite in the great work appointed, confederating the heavenly powers with the human, that men may become, through heavenly efficiency, partakers of the divine nature and workers together with Christ." {Ms45-1904.16}
"To neglect this work is to insult Jehovah, to grieve the Holy Spirit, and to prove disloyal to Christ." { RH July 18, 1899, Art. A, par. 7 }
"Those who unite with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who show by their lives that they are no longer following the course they followed before they united with these divine instrumentalities, will receive wisdom from above. They will not depend on human wisdom. In order to deal righteously with the world, as members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King, Christians must feel their need of a power which comes only from the heavenly agencies who have pledged themselves to work in their behalf. After we have formed a union with the great threefold power, we shall regard our duty toward the members of God’s family with a much more sacred awe than we have ever done before." {Ms11-1901.8}
"Keep yourselves where the three great powers of heaven—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—can be your efficiency. These powers work with the man who gives himself unreservedly to God, heart and soul, and mind and strength." {Lt102-1903.11}
"Let an abiding Christ live in the soul, and we shall show far greater wisdom then we have done. We shall know more of God and of Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit which opens the door for us to advance." {Lt43-1899.49}
"When we have accepted Christ, and in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit have pledged ourselves to serve God, the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit—the three dignitaries and powers of heaven—pledge themselves that every facility shall be given to us if we carry out our baptismal vows to “come out from among them, and be ... separate, ... and touch not the unclean thing.” When we are true to our vows, He says, “I will receive you.” {Ms85-1901.4}
"Christ has given His precious life that that soul may reflect His own divine likeness? Shall the human agent allow the soul to be the habitation of sin, and act as if there were no God, no Christ, no Holy Spirit? God forbid!" {Lt18-1894.2}
"When you gave yourself to Christ, you made a pledge in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—the three great personal dignitaries of heaven. “Hold fast” to this pledge." {Ms92-1901.5}
"Christ tells them they were to fight in fellowship with all the children of light; that satanic agencies would combine their forces to extinguish the light of the life of Christ out of their ranks. But they were not left to fight the battles in their own human strength; that the angelic host coming as ministers of God would be in that battle, and also there would be the eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit—arming them with more than mortal energy, and [who] would advance with them to the work, and convince the world of sin." {Ms130-1901.52}
"Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him, to stand with Him, with His Son, and with His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf. Doing this you will reveal to the world the principles of righteousness."—The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901. { 7ABC 442.3 }
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven (by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost): but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great (by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost) in the kingdom of heaven.” The three highest authorities in the universe, with all the heavenly family, shall call great, in the fullest sense of the term, those who do and teach the commandments of our heavenly Father." {Ms129-1907.28}
"After the believing soul has received the ordinance of baptism, he is to bear in mind that he is dedicated to God, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. These three all co-operate in the great work of the covenant made by baptism in the sight of the heavenly universe. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit receive the believing soul into covenant relation with God." {Ms56-1900.26}
Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"
"In the name of whom were you baptized? You went down into the water in the name of the three great Worthies in heaven—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost you were buried with Christ in baptism; and you were raised up out of the water to live in newness of life. You were to have a new life. You were to live unto God; you were not to live unto yourself and keep yourself under your own supervision for fear someone would touch you and hurt you. {Ms95-1906.13} … Those who have been baptized can claim the help of the three great Worthies of heaven to keep them from falling, and to reveal through them a character that is after the divine similitude. … {Ms95-1906.23} … Here is where the work of the Holy Ghost comes in, after your baptism. You are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. You are raised up out of the water to live henceforth in newness of life—to live a new life. You are born unto God, and you stand under the sanction and the power of the three holiest beings in heaven, who are able to keep you from falling. You are to reveal that you are dead to sin; your life is hid with Christ in God. Hidden “with Christ in God”—wonderful transformation. This is a most precious promise. When I feel oppressed and hardly know how to relate myself toward the work that God has given me to do, I just call upon the three great Worthies, and say: You know I cannot do this work in my own strength. You must work in me, and by me, and through me, sanctifying my tongue, sanctifying my spirit, sanctifying my words, and bringing me into a position where my spirit shall be susceptible to the movings of the Holy Spirit of God upon my mind and character." {Ms95-1906.29}
"Let every soul be careful how he shall conduct himself after he has made his profession before many witnesses. Who are these witnesses? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly universe are witnesses of that burial in the water in the likeness of Christ’s death. Those who have been truly converted have been buried with Christ in the likeness of His death, and raised from the watery grave in the likeness of His resurrection, to walk in newness of life. By faithful obedience to the truth these are to make their calling and election sure." Ms57-1900.21
"We are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and these three great, infinite powers are unitedly pledged to work in our behalf if we will co-operate with them." {Ms144-1901.17}
"We took our baptismal vows in the presence of the three highest authorities of the heavenly courts—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We solemnly pledged ourselves before all Heaven to die to sin and to walk in newness of life. Have we been working out our own salvation with fear and trembling? or have we been living a worldly life, indulging in sin?" {Ms87-1902.36}
"No one is to take part in the solemn ordinance of baptism without giving the subject careful, prayerful thought. The candidates, and especially the youth, are to be carefully instructed in regard to the obligations they assume in taking this step. They pledge themselves to devote their lives to God’s service; and the three great powers of heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, pledge themselves to co-operate with them, to work in and through them. As they accept Christ as their Saviour, they receive power to become the sons of God. {Ms118-1902.4} … Fearful perils are before those who bear responsibilities in the cause of God—perils, the thought of which makes me tremble. But the word comes, “My hand is upon the wheel, and I will not allow men to control My work for these days. My hand is turning the wheel, and My providence will continue to work out the divine plans, irrespective of human inventions. Man’s plans will be overthrown, and the Lord God of heaven will reveal His glory. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will work out heaven’s law. These three great powers have pledged themselves to bring to nought the inventions of idolatrous human minds. … In the great closing work we shall meet with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but let us not forget that the three great Powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the wheel, and that God will bring His purposes to pass. He will gather from the world a people who will serve Him in righteousness, who will not bind yokes on the necks of their fellow beings, but will break every yoke of human invention." { MS118-1902 }
"Baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” [Matthew 28:19.] What are these three great Powers of heaven? We are baptized in their name. What does that mean? These heavenly Powers are obligated if we will place ourselves in right relation to God, according to the best of our accountability; if we will watch against the temptations of the enemy; if we will resist the devil, that he shall flee from us, if we guard our appetite—man is to do that which he can do for himself. And when he goes down into the water to be baptized and raised up out of the water he is to live a new life, and place himself so these three great Powers can cooperate with Him and He can cooperate with them. {Ms183-1907.7} … we want the holiness of the three great Powers that are pledged to keep us if we will comply with the conditions. But they cannot keep us unless we do. {Ms183-1907.11} … the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves at your baptism, and when you rise up out of the water, you pledged yourself to go under their jurisdiction, and that you would watch and pray, and would be grateful every day for the power that was given you to keep you in the right path, so that you should not fall. {Ms183-1907.27} … . The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are promised to us." {Ms183-1907.32}
[These are only a sample of the quotations that can be found in which the Three Great Powers of Heaven are mentioned.]
Scriptures and these kinds of quotations—of the latter these are only a sample—clearly reveal there are three living person that make up the Godhead. You cannot believe the writings of Ellen White and deny that the Holy Spirit is a distinct living person! I am aware of the quotations that are pulled out to suggest otherwise, but those quotes are ambiguous and go contrary to the ones that are so clear and unmistakeable. I am deeply saddened that many are losing their spiritual footings by listening to suggestions otherwise.—Dan
This article speaks of the three great powers of the Godhead in the context of baptism.
The pages on the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit have pages connected to them that are exceedingly valuable to explore.
Four-Part Godhead Bible Studies
Christ, The Self-Existent, Eternal Divine Saviour
The Holy Spirit: Third Person Of The Godhead
Three Persons Of The Godhead Working/Mentioned Together
Books and Sermons On The Godhead
Quotes On The Trinity In The Writings of Ellen White