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The Doctrine of the Trinity- Fact Sheet |
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Attributes of God
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The Doctrine of the Trinity- FACT SHEET Question: What is the Trinity? Trinity: A doctrine held historically by orthodox Christianity. The one true God eternally exists as three distinct Persons - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three are co-equal, co-eternal, and one in essence. This doctrine contrasts with both Modalism and Tritheism. Tritheism: The belief in three separate Gods. A denial of the Trinity doctrine. A form of Polytheism. Modalism: (Patripassianism, Modalistic Monarchianism, Sabellianism, Jesus Only, Oneness) A second and third century heresy that denies the doctrine of the Trinity, teaching there is only one Person in the Godhead. While the Trinity doctrine teaches three distinct Persons, Modalism maintains that one Person (usually the Father) has manifested Himself at different times under different names (Jesus/Spirit) or modes. Thus, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three names for the same Person. Originally taught in various forms by Noetus, Praxeas and Sabellius. Modified forms of this doctrine can be found in the teachings of William Branham, some Apostolic churches and the United Pentecostal Church. See "Trinity," "Monarchianism." Jesus Only, Oneness Movement: The founding date of the Oneness Pentecostal movement can be traced to a specific event: a revival meeting in Los Angeles on April 15, 1913. The culmination of the meeting occurred when Canadian revivalist R.E. McAlister baptized converts not according to the Trinitarian formula of the historic Christian Church, but in the name of Jesus only.1 While many at the meeting were shocked by this action, the burgeoning evangelist Frank Ewart spent many hours with McAlister following the service and was converted to the practice. According to many Oneness Pentecostals, McAlister taught Ewart that baptizing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as stated in Acts 2:38,2 was the fulfillment of the Trinitarian creed in Matthew 28:19.3 The passage from Matthew is fulfilled because Jesus, the Son, is simply the ultimate expression of the monotheistic God (rather than the Son being a distinct Person within the Trinitarian Godhead). … God. The AG debated the issue of baptism in Jesus’ name at their 1915 general assembly, and in 1916 defeated the movement in their denomination by requiring adherence to Trinitarian theology in the Statement of Fundamental Truths.6 156 ministers subsequently left the AG to form an independent Oneness denomination. In January, 1918, the General Assembly of the Apostolic Assemblies merged with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, a denomination affiliated with the original Pentecos Numerous individuals who are accepted within mainstream Evangelicalism are affiliated with Oneness Pentecostalism. The Christian musical trio Phillips, Craig, and Dean are all ministers in the UPCI. T.D. Jakes has roots in the Oneness Pentecostal movement,9 and his doctrinal statement currently proclaims his belief in three “dimensions” or “manifestations” of the one God;10 not surprisingly, doctrine is one of the two areas with which people typically express disagreement with Jakes.11 Also, the popular worship choruses “Holy Ground” and “In the Presence of Jehovah” were written by UPC songwriter Geron Davis.12 tal revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles.7 DoctrineTrinity One of the two most distinguishing beliefs and practices within Oneness Pentecostalism (along with Jesus Only baptism — see below) is modalism. Oneness Pentecostals deny the Trinity, believing instead that the monotheistic God simply “manifests” Himself in the offices or roles of the members of the Trinity. For example, one statement of Oneness beliefs claims: God is absolutely one, with no distinction of persons. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8; 45:5-6, 21-23; 46:9 Romans 3:30; Galatians 3:20; James 2:19). In order to save sinful humanity, God provided a sinless Man as a sacrifice of atonement — Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In begetting the Son and in relating to humanity, God is the Father. In working to transform and empower human lives, God is the Holy Spirit. Thus, for our salvation, God has revealed Himself as Father (in parental relationship to humanity), in His Son (in human flesh), and as the Holy Spirit (in spiritual action). (Malachi 2:10; Luke 1:35; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 Timothy 2 David K. Bernard, one of the most significant Oneness apologists, elaborates: “The term ‘God the Father’ is biblical and refers to God Himself…[The Bible] also clearly teaches that Jesus is the one Father. The Spirit that dwelt in the Son of God was none other than the Father.”17 In other words, the Godhead does not consist of three distinct Persons with one substance. Instead, the single Person performs various roles to which He assigns the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When the monotheistic God acts as the Creator, He is performing as the Father. When He provided the atoning sacrifice to enable humans to be saved, He was performing as the Son. Finally, when He works to transform redeemed humans, He is performing as the Holy Spirit. :5).16 This belief system displays three misunderstandings: a misunderstanding of the bases for conciliar proclamations, a misunderstanding of the origins of modalism, and a misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches regarding the Trinity. Properly understanding all three points is vital for accurate Christian theology. Conciliar Proclamations: Many Christians inaccurately believe that the seven Ecumenical Councils of the early Church were occasions on which new doctrine was developed. Instead, the councils clarified the consensus fidelium (consensus of the faithful, or the “mind of the Church”), and defended it from heretical attacks. For example, the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) did not “decide” that Jesus Christ is of the same substance as the Father. Similarly, the Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) did not “decide” that the Holy Spirit is also God. Instead, these councils, in reaction to heresies afflicting the Church at the time, clarified the biblical teachings for the faithful by creating pronouncements that would teach the biblical doctrines in ways that could be easily understood by the Church. Thus, the Nicene Creed was written at the Council of Nicaea in order to clearly promote the core doctrines of Christianity (including the belief that Jesus Christ is a distinct Person who is of one substance with the Father). Modalism: The doctrine of the Godhead taught by Oneness Pentecostals, rather than having its roots in the Bible, can instead be traced to the heresy of modalism taught in the third century by Sabellius (although it was first taught in 190 by Theodotus of Byzantium). Sabellius taught that the monotheistic God (called a monad) progressively revealed Himself through the offices of the Trinity. Significantly, Sabellius was excommunicated from the Church for his aberrant teachings. The Oneness Pentecostal teaching that God “manifested” Himself through the offices of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit comes directly from Sabellius, who even used the term “manifesting” to define his doctrine.21 Biblical Teaching of the Trinity: A Oneness teacher wrote, “To say that God is three persons and find substantiation for it in the Scripture is a work in futility. There is literally nothing in the Bible that supports God being three persons.”22 On the contrary, however, the passages at the end of this Profile clearly show that the concept of the Trinity can be found in the Bible. Oneness Pentecostals are correct in pointing out that the God of the Bible is monotheistic. Nonetheless, because the Bible also teaches that there is a Person called God the Father, a Person called God the Son, and a Person called God the Holy Spirit, it is clear that the Bible teaches that within the nature of the one God there exist three separate and distinct Persons. Biblical Response1. There is one God.28
Within the Godhead there are three distinct Persons: God the Father,29
God the Son,30
and God the Holy Spirit.31 28 Question: What
is Modalism? (Sabellianism) MODALISTS The Monarchians
properly so-called (Modalists) exaggerated the oneness of the Father and
the Son so as to make them but one Person; thus the distinctions in the
Holy Trinity are energies or modes, not Persons: God the Father appears
on earth as Son; hence it seemed to their opponents that Monarchians
made the Father suffer and die. In the West they were called
Patripassians, whereas in the East they are usually called Sabellians. Monarchianism: A rejection of the Trinity doctrine found sporadically throughout early Christian history. The belief that God's nature is one and that therefore He can not exist eternally in three Persons. Two most popular forms of monarchianism are dynamic and modalistic. See "Trinity," "Modalism," "Dynamic Monarchianism." Modalism: (Patripassianism, Modalistic Monarchianism, Sabellianism, Jesus Only, Oneness) A second and third century heresy that denies the doctrine of the Trinity, teaching there is only one Person in the Godhead. While the Trinity doctrine teaches three distinct Persons, Modalism maintains that one Person (usually the Father) has manifested Himself at different times under different names (Jesus/Spirit) or modes. Thus, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three names for the same Person. Originally taught in various forms by Noetus, Praxeas and Sabellius. Modified forms of this doctrine can be found in the teachings of William Branham, some Apostolic churches and the United Pentecostal Church. See "Trinity," "Monarchianism." Sabellianism was an attempt to solve the problem of
how to accept the deity of Christ and also maintain the unity of God.
Sabellians achieved this at the expense of a trinity of persons in the
Godhead. They reduced the status of the persons to modes or
manifestations of the one God. The term is frequently coupled with the
word 'monarchy' to denote the primacy of God as the Father. The
Son and the Holy Spirit are thus revelatory and apparently temporal
modes of God the Father's self-revelation... Dr. Samuel Mikolaski, professor of Historical Theology and Christian
Heritage at North American Baptist Seminary, "The
New International Dictionary of the Christian Church
Modalism or Sabellianism describes God as only one
person taking on the different roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Trinitarianism describes one God existing eternally as Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. In other words a modalist believes in one God who assumes
different transformations or manisfestations of God.
These roles are not eternal, and thus deny the eternality of
Christ and the Holy Spirit and make God the Father the main Supreme
Being. asserts the same identity when he thus remonstrates with Ananias (Acts 5:3-4): "Why hath Satan tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost . . . ? Thou hast not lied to men, but to God." Second Epistle to the Corinthians (13:13) with this formula of benediction, which might be called a blessing of the Trinity: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all." -- Question: Why
is modalism a false teaching?
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J.D. Douglas ed., pp.870-871