What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "What are spiritual words? Explain 1 Corinthians 2:13, what Paul understands by spiritual words, especially in the Adventist understanding that they are words of God illuminated by the Holy Spirit and received in the heart."
Answer
According to 1 Corinthians 2:13 and the Adventist understanding, spiritual words are not products of human wisdom or merely intellectual letters, but divine truths taught and revealed by the Holy Spirit. These words display their illuminating and transformative power only because the Holy Spirit impresses them upon the heart and connects spiritual matters with the spiritual. A person can truly grasp and convey the depths of God’s word only when his mind and heart are illuminated and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Words taught by the Holy Spirit
»“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit that is from God, so that we may discern the things freely given to us by God. In this we also speak, not with words that teach human wisdom, but with those that the Holy Spirit teaches, as we compare spiritual things with spiritual.” Paul recognized that his sufficiency did not lie in himself, but in the presence of the Holy Spirit, whose gracious influence filled his heart and captured every thought under the obedience of Christ.«
The Word of God written on the heart by the Spirit
»This means that the word is interpreted by the Holy Spirit and not merely read by the learner. It is not the mere letter of the words that gives light and understanding, but the word is specially written on the heart by the Holy Spirit and applied. To the spirit and heart that are consecrated to God, a growing measure of understanding is granted, while the light is passed on to others.«
Divine revelation instead of human wisdom
»The apostle feared that his work might rest on human wisdom rather than on God's power... “And my speech and proclamation were not composed of enticing words of human wisdom, but of the demonstration of the Spirit and power; so that your faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power... In this we also speak, not with words that teach human wisdom, but with those that the Holy Spirit teaches, as we compare spiritual things with spiritual. Yet the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot recognize them because they must be judged spiritually.”«
The necessity of the Holy Spirit to vivify the word
»There are many who lack spiritual insight, who take the mere letter of the word and find that, unaccompanied by the Spirit of God, it does not vivify the soul nor sanctify the heart. One may be able to quote from the Old and New Testament, may be familiar with the commandments and promises of God’s word; yet if the Holy Spirit does not sink the truth deep into the heart and illuminate the mind with divine light, no soul falls upon the rock to be broken; for it is the divine work that connects the soul with God.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
