My Journey to Life - Daily Study Guide

Q8. What is the purpose, role, and function of Ellen White in the Seventh-day Adventist church?

Picture: Q8. What is the purpose, role, and function of Ellen White in the Seventh-day Adventist church? JTLD 296.1

Whether addressing members of the Seventh-day Adventist church or the public at large, White’s overriding concern was the salvation of men and women, boys, and girls. She sought continually to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus and to help them understand the enormity of God’s love for the sinner. Not only did she write and preach that the gospel brings spiritual, social, and physical restoration, she demonstrated that principle in acts of sacrificial service to others throughout her lifetime. JTLD 296.2

Because she recognized the authority vested in her ministry as a non-canonical prophet, she gave counsel, rebuke, and encouragement to leaders and laity alike, based on the insights God gave her to deliver to prepare others for Jesus’ return. Her counsel prevented the church from falling into fanaticism and serious theological errors, as well as focusing the denomination on the beautiful biblical truth of righteousness by faith in Christ. JTLD 296.3

From the very first publication in 1847 by those who would later become Seventh-day Adventists (Word to the “Little Flock”) to the present, the church has affirmed belief in Spiritual Gifts, and especially the gift of prophecy as manifested in the writings of Ellen G. White. JTLD 296.4

• Bible Discovery: 2 Chronicles 20:20; Jeremiah 23:16, 17; Hosea 12:13; Matthew 7:20; Acts 2:14-21
• Further Reading: Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 32.2; The Great Controversy, vii, par. 2; Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 660.2