{"id":9546,"date":"2026-07-12T22:23:32","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T20:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/answers\/the-lord-jesus-christ-the-only-begotten-son-of-the-father-is-truly-god-in-infini\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T22:23:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T20:23:32","slug":"shho-oznachaye-shho-hrystos-ye-bog-u-bezmezhnosti-ale-ne-v-osobystosti","status":"publish","type":"answers","link":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/answers\/shho-oznachaye-shho-hrystos-ye-bog-u-bezmezhnosti-ale-ne-v-osobystosti\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does It Mean That Christ Is God in Infinity, but Not in Personality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jesus Christ is the true God in the fullness of the divine nature, but He is not the same Person as the Father.<\/strong> This is precisely how Ellen White\u2019s expression should be understood: \u201ctruly God in infinity, but not in personality.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What does \u201ctruly God in infinity\u201d mean?<\/h2>\n

The phrase \u201ctruly God in infinity\u201d does not diminish Christ; on the contrary, it emphasizes His full Deity. Christ is not a created being, not a \u201clesser god,\u201d and not the highest angel. He possesses the divine nature, eternity, glory, authority, and creative power of God.<\/p>\n

The apostle John speaks of this very clearly:<\/p>\n

\"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.\" John 1:1<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this text, two truths are revealed at the same time. First, \u201cthe Word was with God\u201d \u2014 therefore, the Son is not the same Person as the Father. Second, \u201cthe Word was God\u201d \u2014 therefore, Christ truly is God by His nature.<\/p>\n

Paul confirms the fullness of Christ\u2019s Deity:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.\u201d Col. 2:9<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not part of Deity, not a symbol of Deity, not merely God\u2019s power, but \u201call the fullness of Deity.\u201d Therefore, the Adventist understanding of Christ decisively rejects Arianism \u2014 the idea that the Son was created or had a beginning as a creature.<\/p>\n

What does \u201cbut not in personality\u201d mean?<\/h2>\n

The words \u201cbut not in personality\u201d do not mean that Christ is not a Person. They mean that Christ is not the Person of the Father. The Father is a Person, the Son is a Person, and the Holy Spirit is a Person. They are not one Person simply appearing in different roles.<\/p>\n

The Bible shows real communion between the Father and the Son. Jesus prays to the Father:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.\u201d John 17:5<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is not a theatrical monologue of God speaking to Himself. The Son addresses the Father as another divine Person. At the same time, He speaks of the glory He had with the Father before the creation of the world. Therefore, Christ is eternal and divine, yet personally distinct from the Father.<\/p>\n

This is exactly what Ellen White\u2019s expression safeguards: Christ is God in infinity, but He is not the Father in person.<\/p>\n

The unity of the Deity does not cancel the distinction of the Persons<\/h2>\n

Jesus said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI and My Father are one.\u201d John 10:30<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This \u201cone\u201d means unity of nature, will, character, love, saving purpose, and divine authority. But this unity does not mean that the Father and the Son are one and the same Person. Jesus Himself did not say, \u201cI am the Father,\u201d but said, \u201cI and My Father are one.\u201d In both grammar and meaning, there is here both unity and distinction.<\/p>\n

The Epistle to the Hebrews describes the Son as the perfect revelation of the Father:<\/p>\n

\u201cWho being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.\u201d Heb. 1:3<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Son is the \u201cbrightness of [the Father\u2019s] glory\u201d and \u201cthe express image of His person.\u201d This is the language of full Deity, not createdness. But He \u201csat down at the right hand\u201d of the Father, which again shows personal distinction.<\/p>\n

Theological significance in Adventist teaching<\/h2>\n

In the teaching of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, God is revealed as the unity of three eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is not tritheism, because God is one. And this is not modalism, because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are not one Person in three masks.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 baptismal formula also shows this truth:<\/p>\n

\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d Matt. 28:19<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

One \u201cname\u201d and three divine Persons. This harmonizes perfectly with Ellen White\u2019s expression. She does not deny the Deity of Christ; on the contrary, she affirms His infinity while distinguishing His Person from the Person of the Father.<\/p>\n

Conclusion and practical application<\/h2>\n

Therefore, the expression \u201cChrist is truly God in infinity, but not in personality\u201d means: Jesus possesses the fullness of the divine nature, but He is not the same Person as the Father. He is not created, not lower than God in nature, not an angel, and not a symbol. He is the eternal Son of God, our Creator, Savior, and Mediator.<\/p>\n

Practically, this leads us to worship Christ, trust in His sacrifice, and gain a deeper understanding of God\u2019s love. Pray to the Father in the name of Jesus, receive salvation through the Son, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God\u2019s character to you. If Christ truly is God, then His word has the highest authority, His sacrifice has infinite value, and His love deserves the full dedication of our lives.<\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"faq_question":"\u0429\u043e \u043e\u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0430\u0454, \u0449\u043e \u0425\u0440\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0441 \u0454 \u0411\u043e\u0433 \u0443 \u0431\u0435\u0437\u043c\u0435\u0436\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0456, \u0430\u043b\u0435 \u043d\u0435 \u0432 \u043e\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0456?","bible_refs":"John 1:1, Colossians 2:9, John 17:5, John 10:30, Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 28:19","answer_lang":"uk","source_question":"The Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, is truly God in infinity, but not in personality. UL 367.4"},"answer_topic":[145],"class_list":["post-9546","answers","type-answers","status-publish","hentry","answer_topic-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers\/9546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answers"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/answers"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"answer_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advent-ug.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/answer_topic?post=9546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}