What is Modalism?
Modalism is a heresy that denies the Triunity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Modalism teaches that God is one single person who in different times throughout history has manifested Himself in 3 modes or forms. In the Old Testament He took the mode of Father, in the New Testament He became incarnate and took the mode of the Son and after the ascension of Christ took the mode of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore Modalism says that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit never existed at the same time, but one after the other.
The Trinity
To better understand why modalism is a false teaching, it is important that we understand the truth that God is Triune. Contrary to what modalists will tell you, the Trinity is not polytheistic, that is, it does not teach 3 Gods. The doctrine of the Trinity rightly teaches that there is only one God, who has eternally existed in 3 separate and distinct persons,the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
It’s important to understand what is meant by persons. Jesus can pray to the Father because Jesus is not the same person as the Father. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Yet all three distinct personages of YHWH are all equally God. As we see in this diagram, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are separate persons, yet all are equally God.
Some have tried to explain the Trinity as if it was a pie. The Father is one slice, the Son is one slice, and the Holy Spirit is the last slice. However, this is an inadequate illustration (as all illustrations of God are). Jesus is not one third of God, as if God could be divided into pieces. Jesus is one hundred percent God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all one hundred percent God, individually, and as a whole together, perfectly united forever. Jonathan Edwards put it best when he said,
“I think [the doctrine of the Trinity] to be the highest and deepest of all Divine mysteries”.
Jonathan Edwards
We may not be able to understand how God is three and one but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. It is undeniable that God has revealed Himself as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls the Father God in Ephesians 4:6, the Bible calls the Son God in John 1:1 and the Bible calls the Holy Spirit God in Acts 5:3-4. Yet we see something miraculous at the Baptism of Jesus. All three persons of God are present at the same time all doing separate tasks, but united in it all. Jesus being baptized, the Holy Spirit descending and the Father speaking truth about the Son.
The Trinity is a mysterious doctrine but is core to the Christian faith. The Triunity of God speaks to His relational nature, makes sense of the truth that God is “love” and further reveals the nature of God’s plan of redemption. Modalism denies the Trinity and thus perverts the very nature of God that He has chosen to reveal to us in the Scriptures.
Modalism Misunderstands the Cross
The average Christian in the pew is not able to articulate the doctrine of the Trinity. Since it is a mysterious teaching, a lot of churches just don’t teach on it. I have heard Godly men and women try to explain God’s Triunity in modalistic terms. Many even believe that Jesus is the Father. Although they are in error, it is sadly a common misunderstanding and often an honest mistake. However there are whole denominations, such as oneness Pentecostals, that teach and defend the heresy of modalism. Like all other heretical denominations this leads to a perversion of the gospel and a works based religion.
Modalism denies the core truth that on the cross Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. That means that all the wrath and anger of God almighty for our sins was satisfied when it was poured out on Jesus the Son. But if the Father is the Son how could this be? How can the Father pour out His wrath on the Son if they are both the same person? How is Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father if they are the same person? In an effort to make sense of God, modalism has actually left us with more questions than answers. Instead of the Father crushing the Son as our substitute, modalism teaches that the Son crushed Himself for our sin. So when Jesus cries out in Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me,” He was actually addressing Himself for forsaking Himself and crushing Himself. Modalism turns Jesus into a schizophrenic lunatic with suicidal tendencies and multiple personality disorder. Trinitarianism sees Jesus as a willing third party mediator, who purposely took the punishment for our sins from God the Father and so saved us from the penalty of eternal death in hell that we have rightly earned.
The Gospel
At the heart of the Gospel is the person of Christ and what He has accomplished for us. At the cross and the resurrection we see the Trinity working in perfect unity to accomplish our redemption. The Father predestines, the Son accomplishes the work of salvation by absorbing our punishment from the Father, dying and rising again. And the Holy Spirit reveals and applies the salvation of the Son to the elect of God. Modalism denies that this work is even possible. God is love, and God is eternal. Therefore we must believe that God is triune. How could God be love, all by Himself as one person? Love assumes there is an object of affection that is not ones self. For an eternity God has been in a perfect triune relationship of love. We call this the blessed Holy Trinity. One God, eternally existing in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
