What does Ellen White's statement about Christ's original, unborrowed life mean?

Ellen White’s phrase “original, unborrowed, underived life” proclaims the full and eternal deity of Jesus Christ. He is not a created being and does not depend on an external source of existence, as every creature does.

These words of Ellen G. White are often discussed in connection with the question: who is Christ in relation to the Father? The biblical and Adventist answer is that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, a distinct Person of the Godhead, yet fully and completely God. His life is not “borrowed” in the sense of a created or secondary life. He has life in Himself.

Christ: The Creator, Not Part of Creation

The Gospel of John begins with the affirmation of Christ's preexistence. The Word, who is Christ, was with God and at the same time was God. Through Him all created things came into being. Therefore, He cannot belong to the category of that which was created.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1–4

The apostle does not say that Christ merely received life the way a human being receives it from God. He says, “in Him was life.” This life belongs to Christ as His own divine attribute. This is precisely why Jesus can be the Source of spiritual and eternal life for humanity.

What the Words “Original, Unborrowed, Underived” Mean

Ellen White wrote: “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530). The words original, unborrowed, and underived emphasize that Christ’s life does not stem from a created source, was not granted to Him at a specific point in time, and is not sustained by anyone outside of Himself.

“Original” means that His life is not a derivative form of existence. “Unborrowed” means that Christ does not live by relying on another's resources, as all created beings do. “Underived” means that He has life in Himself. This is not a denial of the unity of the Father and the Son, but a testimony to the fact that the Son possesses the very same fullness of deity as the Father.

Ellen White contrasts Christ’s life with ours: we have life only as a gift from the Creator; in Christ, however, resides the very fountain of life. Man depends on God's power at every moment. Christ, being God, is not a dependent creature.

How to Understand Jesus' Words: “The Father… Granted the Son”

Some readers draw attention to the words of Christ in John 5:26. They do not need to be set against the statement concerning His underived life.

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” John 5:26

The most important point here is that the Son has life “in Himself.” This is a characteristic of deity, not of creation. The expression “granted” does not require the conclusion that the Son once did not exist or was created by the Father. Scripture speaks of the eternal relationship between the Father and the Son in language accessible to human understanding, yet it does not fully disclose the internal mechanics of the Godhead's divine life.

Seventh-day Adventists confess that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three co-eternal Persons of the one God. The Son is not the Father, but is equal to the Father in divine nature, glory, and eternity.

Christ Has the Authority to Lay Down and Take Up Life Again

Christ's unborrowed life is especially evident in His death and resurrection. On the cross, He truly died as a human being; however, His death was not a victory for powers that could permanently overcome Him. Jesus voluntarily laid down His life and had the power to take it back again.

“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:18

For this reason, Ellen White could write that no one could take Christ’s life against His will. This does not diminish the reality of Calvary: Christ voluntarily gave Himself up for our sins. Rather, it reveals the majesty of His saving sacrifice: He who is the Source of life entered into death to grant life to sinners.

Why This Truth Matters for Salvation

If Christ were merely the highest created being, He could not fully reveal the character of God and could not be an all-sufficient Savior for the whole world. But Jesus is truly God and became truly human. In Him, God Himself drew near to us.

“I and My Father are one.” John 10:30

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’” John 11:25

Conclusion and Practical Application

Ellen White’s expression regarding “original, unborrowed, underived life” is a powerful testimony to the eternal deity of Christ. It does not introduce the idea of another god alongside the Father, nor does it describe a created Son. It proclaims the biblical truth: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Creator, and the Source of life.

Practically, this means: trust Christ unconditionally. The One who has life in Himself can forgive sin, uphold you in your struggles, raise the dead, and give eternal life to everyone who receives Him by faith as Lord and Savior.