The Flat Earth Theory

Was Jesus omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent while on Earth? Was Christ divine when He walked the Earth? Did He perform miracles by His own power?

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I’m glad you were blessed by the videos. Yes, I’m aware of some of the issues concerning this topic. First I would like to clarify that we do not believe what Christ can or cannot do determines His divinity. We believe Christ’s divinity refers to His nature. Sure, having a divine nature enables Him to do things other beings cannot, but His abilities do not constitute divinity, but are evidence of it. Does that make sense? Procreation is capability given to humanity, but if a person for some reason is unable to procreate, this does not mean they are not human. Powers and capabilities are evidence of nature, but do not constitute the nature itself. To argue Jesus is divine or not divine based on what He can or cannot do is just as erroneous an argument as arguing that a person is human or not human based whether they can procreate, etc.
 
When it comes to Jesus, He told us everything He did was by the power of His Father for He said “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30) and “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10) Sister White writes why this was necessary. She says “In becoming man’s substitute, Christ did not manifest his power as the Son of God. He ranked himself among the sons of men. He was to bear the trial of temptation as a man, in man’s behalf, under the most trying circumstances, and leave an example of faith and perfect trust in his Heavenly Father. Christ knew that his Father would supply him food when it would gratify him to do so. He would not in this severe ordeal, when hunger pressed him beyond measure, prematurely diminish one particle of the trial allotted to him by exercising his divine power. Fallen man, when brought into straightened places, could not have the power to work miracles on his own behalf, to save himself from pain or anguish, or to give himself victory over his enemies. It was the purpose of God to test and prove the race, and give them an opportunity to develop character by bringing them frequently into trying positions to test their faith and confidence in his love and power. The life of Christ was a perfect pattern. He was ever, by his example and precept, teaching man THAT GOD WAS HIS DEPENDENCE, and that in God should be his faith and firm trust.” RH August 18,  1874, par. 7-RH August 18,  1874, par. 8
 
All throughout the Bible and the writings of Ellen White we are told that Christ exercised no divine power on Earth, but as our example relied upon His Father’s power. “The power of the Saviour’s godhead was hidden. He must overcome in human nature, relying upon God for His power. This is the privilege of all who accept Jesus Christ. In proportion to their faith will be their victory.” 12LtMs, Ms 111, 1897, par. 34 “His divinity was veiled beneath humanity. He hid within himself those all-powerful attributes which belonged to him as one equal with God. At times his divine character flashed forth with such wonderful power that all who were capable of discerning spiritual things pronounced him the Son of God.” 3SP 259.1
 
Sister White adds “He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity; He was all the while as God, but He did not APPEAR as God. He VEILED the DEMONSTRATIONS of deity which had commanded the homage and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God, while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. He for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty.  He was God, but the glories of the form of God for a while He abandoned.” 5LtMs, Lt 11, 1887, par. 15-5LtMs, Lt 11, 1887, par. 16
 
When statements such as “the savior’s godhead was hidden” or “He did not appear as God” or “did not manifest his power as the Son of God” or “divested Himself of the form of God” or “laid aside His glory and His majesty” are made, these statements mean exactly what they say—that He did not manifest His power as the Son of God. We do not take this to mean that He did not have the capability of using His powers, but only that day by day He chose not to so that He might be our example in all things. The reason we believe He could have exercised His powers if He chose to, is because Satan tempted Him to do so at various times, whether it was turning stone into bread or tempting Jesus to come down off the cross. We read in the Desire of Ages “Thus when Christ was treated with contempt, there came to Him a strong temptation to manifest His divine character. By a word, by a look, He could compel His persecutors to confess that He was Lord above kings and rulers, priests and temple. But it was His difficult task to keep to the position He had chosen as one with humanity.” DA 700.4 If Jesus could not have exercised His powers to perform these things, then it would have been impossible Him to be tempted on these things if it were impossible for Him to do them. “Christ could have come down from the cross. But it is because He would not save Himself that the sinner has hope of pardon and favor with God.”  {DA 749.1}  “To be surrounded by human beings under the control of Satan was revolting to Him. And He knew that in a moment, by the flashing forth of His divine power, He could lay His cruel tormentors in the dust. This made the trial the harder to bear.” DA 700.3
 
In 1895 WW Prescott wrote “It is true that when Christ was here, he could have wrought works in his own power which we cannot do, but it is also true that he did not work his works in his own power, but became wholly an example unto us in allowing God’s power through the Spirit to rest upon him, and to work through him.” GCB December 1895, page 632.1 This statement we agree with. Sister White also wrote “Paul’s heart went out in sympathy toward the afflicted man, whose faith he discerned; and he eagerly grasped the hope that he might be healed by that Saviour, who, although he had ascended to Heaven, was still man’s Friend and Physician, having more power even than when he was upon earth.” (3SP 362.1) The reason some believe that angels performed the miracles I imagine is because Sister White wrote “The miracles of Christ for the afflicted and suffering were wrought by the power of God through the ministration of the angels.” (DA 143) Do you not believe that? It is true Christ performed many miracles, but given all the above statements (and many more which I don’t have time to share here) show that the way in which Christ performed miracles was by exercising His authority and faith in His Father to do what His Father asked Him to do. One of the best examples of this was probably when Jesus calmed the storm. Sister White writes concerning this “When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the “Master of earth and sea and sky” that He reposed in quiet. That power He had laid down, and He says, “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” John 5:30. He trusted in the Father’s might. It was in faith—faith in God’s love and care—that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God.” {DA 336.1}
 
If there are some that argue that Jesus exercised His own divine power while a human and then make it a test to accuse others of denying the divinity of Christ (as if His powers are what constitutes divinity) I would be very skeptical of such a position as it would contradict the vast weight of inspired evidence to the contrary and it would destroy the ability of Christ to be our example, and if studied further, it would be seen to also destroy the spiritual significance of the Sabbath rest and the righteousness of Christ and the whole gospel. In short—such a person would have the very same end result as if believing in the trinity. We must be diligently careful not to deny the divinity of Christ by redefining it according to our own ideas as do the trinitarians and then begin accusing others of rejecting His divinity if they do not accept our definition of it. That is exactly what the doctrine of the trinity has done. Without one shred of inspired evidence they define divinity as being “without beginning” and then accuse others of denying the divinity of Christ if we believe Jesus is God’s real Son. To define divinity as capabilities and then accuse others of denying the divinity of Christ because they do not believe Jesus had or exercised such capabilities while a man would be to pursue the same course. The scriptures are clear, divinity is the nature of God. Whether Jesus works miracles by His own hand or through His authority and commanding the ministration of angels makes no difference on His divinity. He is divine because He was brought forth from divinity and thereby bears the same nature as His Father.
 
Obviously much more could be said about this subject and the various instances in the life of Christ such as seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree etc, but if studied, answers do exist in the Bible and the writings of Ellen White that harmonize perfectly with all the inspired writings. It is only my purpose here to answer your question concerning what we believe. Hope all this makes sense.