The Call Of A Prophet (Further Thought)

This week we have followed Abraham, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, and John the Baptist. Different men, different times, different messages, but one thing connects them: God used human beings to speak truth to other human beings.

And that brings us to Ellen G. White.
Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen White manifested the prophetic gift. There is no question that her writings profoundly influenced this movement. Many Adventists have found spiritual instruction, correction, encouragement, and a deeper appreciation for Christ through her books.

But perhaps we should ask a question larger than whether we accept or reject the prophetic claim.
What happens when God gives His people a messenger?

Shouldn't we first determine whether the messenger really is a prophet?

Certainly. But Scripture gives us another test.
What happens to the people who hear the message?
Because the prophets were never the destination.

Abraham teaches faith.
Elijah confronts idolatry.
Isaiah exposes sin and reveals the suffering Messiah.
Daniel demonstrates faithfulness under pressure.
John the Baptist prepares people for Christ.
The messenger points beyond himself.

But isn't that where we sometimes have a problem? We say Ellen White points us to Scripture and Christ. Yet in actual life, her writings can sometimes settle a question before Scripture has even been allowed to speak.

That is a fair criticism.
There is a difference between saying, “Ellen White offers valuable spiritual insight,” and saying, “Ellen White says it, therefore the discussion is over.”
The first can stimulate our thinking.
The second can stop it.

But if the church believes she was a prophet, shouldn't her writings carry special authority?

For those who accept that calling, certainly they deserve serious consideration. But no human messenger was given to replace Scripture or to take the place of Christ.
And perhaps we need to be honest about something else.

We have spent decades becoming remarkably good at explaining prophets.
But have we become equally good at living what they taught?
We can explain Abraham's faith and still struggle to trust God when obedience costs us.
We can preach Elijah's message against idolatry while protecting the idols we have made respectable.

We can admire Isaiah's courage while avoiding the uncomfortable truth that God may be calling us to confront injustice.
We can celebrate Daniel's faithfulness while discovering that our convictions become negotiable when they threaten our comfort.
And we can preach John's message about preparing for Christ while being far more interested in proving that we are the remnant than in becoming a people who are actually ready for Christ.

So you're saying our greatest danger may not be ignorance.

Exactly.
We can become experts at explaining the prophets while remaining strangers to the repentance they demanded.

Then perhaps Ellen White creates the same danger. We could spend enormous energy proving that she was a prophet and still miss what she was trying to tell us.

Yes.
And that's why I don't think we should either idolize Ellen White or dismiss her. I can read her writings, find wisdom in them, be challenged by them, and appreciate their contribution without pretending that every question about her prophetic status has been settled simply because the denomination says so.

And someone who sincerely believes she was a prophet should be able to hold that conviction without treating every question as rebellion.

Then what should ultimately test any prophetic claim?

Not merely how impressive the messenger is.
Not how many books were written.
Not how strongly our denomination defends the person.

The deeper test is this:
Does the message drive us toward Scripture, toward Christ, toward repentance, toward obedience, toward love, and toward a life that actually reflects what we claim to believe?
Because we can defend a prophet and still resist the prophetic message.
We can quote Scripture and still avoid obedience.
We can know what Ellen White wrote and still fail to know Christ.

Then perhaps the question isn't only, “Was Ellen White a prophet?”

That is an important question.
But perhaps the more searching question for every Adventist is:
“When God sends truth through any messenger, am I actually willing to hear it?”

The prophets were not given to make us experts in prophets.
They were given to turn people back to God.

So perhaps the test of this week's lesson is not how well we can defend Abraham, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, John—or Ellen White.
It is whether their messages have actually changed us.
Are we becoming better at defending our messengers, or better at hearing the God to whom they point?