The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that Jesus is our comforter, and at the same time it says that the Holy Spirit is our comforter. Doesn’t that mean that we have two comforters?

“The Saviour is our Comforter. This I have proved Him to be.” {8MR 49.3}

“…we adore God for His wondrous love in giving Jesus the Comforter.” {19MR 297.3}

“It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which Jesus said He would send into the world, that changes our character into the image of Christ; and when this is accomplished, we reflect, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord.” {AG 246.8}

Answer

Anyone examining the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy will learn quickly that there is only one Comforter. Christ Jesus is our Comforter. The Holy Spirit is not someone different to Christ, it is actually how Christ comforts us.

Let us note a few passages that will help explain this a little better. Speaking of the Holy Spirit we read:

“This refers to the omnipresence of the Spirit of Christ, called the Comforter. {14MR 179.2}

“This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin. {RH, May 19, 1904 par. 1}

“He [Jesus] gives them His Holy Spirit, the manifestation of His presence and favor.” {9T 230.3}

“The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ.” {DA 805.4}

In another place she applies John 14:17 to Jesus Christ Himself:

“They beheld Him [Jesus] "whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14:17.” {DA 494.3}

Elsewhere she says:

“Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” {14MR 23.3}

We can clearly see from the pen of inspiration the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, the soul of His life, His presence, His own Life, in fact, it is Himself.

“"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:57, 63). Christ is not here referring to His doctrine, but to His person, the divinity of His character.” {1SM 249.3}

That is why Sister White could say that Jesus is our comforter and the Holy Spirit is our comforter, while still maintaining that we only have one comforter.

Having explained what sister White means, it is very easy to see from her own writing that we only have one comforter:

The word translated “comforter” in John 14:16 is “parakletos” which is translated in 1 John 2:1 as “advocate”. Here are the two passages:

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter [parakletos], that he may abide with you for ever” John 14:16

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” 1 John 2:1

This plainly tells us that our Comforter is our Advocate. The two words are exactly the same in Scripture. With this in mind, let us see what Mrs. White had to say:

“Men have only one Advocate, one Intercessor, who is able to pardon transgression.” {LHU 319.4}

This Advocate and intercessor is only Christ. Our Comforter is Jesus Christ. There is no one who can comfort like Him.

“There is no comforter like Christ, so tender and so true.” {RH, October 26, 1897 par. 15}