2. The "Witness" Model of Inspiration

In the "witness" model God seems to inspire the prophet to give his or her own account of things seen and heard. John could write: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, . . . that which we have seen and heard we declare to you" (1 John 1:1-3). Being a witness means to relate the story as seen--or perceived--by the individual. Technically, a witness is not allowed to refer to views or opinions given by others. God inspires a person to give his or her own account without additional dreams or visions, but still the message is the result of divine inspiration, because the Holy Spirit impresses the mind of the prophet and inspires him or her to write as a witness.

The Gospels of Matthew and John are the result of the witness model. These apostles did not need a supernatural revelation to tell the story of Jesus; they were part of the story. The Gospels are no less inspired than the visionary writings just because they are not the result of a vision. They were inspired in a different way--the Holy Spirit was using a different model.

Some Adventist believers have a difficult time trying to understand how inspiration works when Ellen White gives her own testimony in autobiographical works, or when she tells the story of the Advent movement as she experienced it. Are these accounts less inspired than the ones that begin with "I saw"? No. We do not believe in "levels" or "grades" of inspiration; rather we believe God uses different ways to inspire the person to write a message.