Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White was divinely inspired. Her writings, life, and ministry meet the criteria of a true prophet. She possessed the same quality of inspiration as Bible prophets, though she never considered her writings to be the same as Scripture. On the contrary, Ellen G. White always uplifted the Bible. But how did she herself understand God’s prophetic revelations to her and the process of her inspiration?
First, Ellen G. White always considered the Bible as the authoritative and infallible revelation of God. The Bible reveals God’s truth and His plan of salvation for the fallen human race. In that process, as we are learning, He uses prophets to communicate His messages.
Second, Ellen G. White recognized that the process of inspiration involved divine-human interaction. God communicated His messages, but then the prophet would convey the divine instruction using his or her own words. As Ellen G. White put it: “It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. . . . The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God.”—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 21.
In relation to visions and prophetic dreams, Ellen G. White understood “thought inspiration” as a union of divine revelation and human experience. She wrote, “ ‘The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human.’ ”—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 25. God used many ways to produce an understanding of His message in the mind of His messenger. These included picture representations, words, and thoughts that engaged all the prophet’s senses. Ellen G. White’s experience was similar to that of Bible writers.
Third, Ellen G. White noted that not all of her human experiences and communications were inspired. “There are times when common things must be stated,” she advised, “common thoughts must occupy the mind, common letters must be written and information given that has passed from one to another of the workers. Such words, such information, are not given under the special inspiration of the Spirit of God.”—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 39. It is important to realize this distinction as we read and relate to her writings and experiences, particularly her correspondence and diaries.
Knowing Ellen G. White’s understanding of revelation and inspiration helps us avoid extremes and read her counsels prudently with understanding.
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Supplemental EGW Notes
This Day With God, “Let Christ Guide,” December 18, p. 361.
The Upward Look, “Nature’s Lesson Book,” June 2, p. 167.\
The above quotations are taken from Ellen G. White Notes for the Sabbath School Lessons, published by Pacific Press Publishing Association. Used by permission.