Misunderstanding the Trinity :: Modalism
On Sunday we’re going to embark on a sermon series about the Triune God. An interesting fact is that the word “trinity” is never actually used in the Bible; however, the doctrine itself is clearly taught in the Scriptures. To sum it up simply, it is this teaching:
God is three persons.
Each person is fully God.
There is one God.
There’s a lot to say about these three statements, and I could “geek out” over them (and perhaps I will later on). But in the next few weeks, I thought it might be helpful to point out some common misconceptions about the Trinity. I’m calling them misconceptions or misunderstandings, but to be honest, they’re all teachings that were condemned as heretical by the early church.
The one I want to talk about today is what is usually called modalism. Here’s how Wayne Grudem explains the heresy of modalism:
Wayne Grudem
Modalism Claims That There Is One Person Who Appears to Us in Three Different Forms (or “Modes”). At various times people have taught that God is not really three distinct persons, but only one person who appears to people in different “modes” at different times. For example, in the Old Testament God appeared as “Father.” Throughout the Gospels, this same divine person appeared as “the Son” as seen in the human life and ministry of Jesus. After Pentecost, this same person then revealed himself as the “Spirit” active in the church. [1]
In this modalist misunderstanding of God, God is not three persons, but just one person who shape-shifts or changes forms. Sometimes well meaning christians try to use the analogy of water’s three forms (liquid / ice / vapor) as a way of explaining the trinity to children, but this is to unintentionally teach modalism. God isn’t merely appearing in different forms, rather the one God has eternally co-existed as three different persons.
A good example of this from the Scripture is the baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 3:16-17
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Notice in this passage that all three members of the Triune God are present in the same place at the same time. The Father is speaking from heaven, Jesus is in the water, and the Spirit rests on Jesus like a dove. This passage is one example why a modalist understanding of God is wrong.
Why is all of this important? There are lots of reasons, but one is that God has carefully revealed to us who he is in the Scriptures, and we don’t have the right to ignore who he truly is. We can’t say the details don’t matter. If you were dating someone, and ignored who they truly were, and said “the details don’t really matter,” that would probably get you into hot water. As believers we’re in a relationship with God, and the details matter.
- Ben
[1] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 242.
