What the Trinity IS and IS NOT. Part 3.

Modalism is the unorthodox belief that God is one person who has revealed himself in three forms or modes. Examples…(1) Water ~ liquid, ice, steam. (2) Man ~ husband, father and employee. Modalism is in contrast to the Trinitarian doctrine where God is one being eternally existing in three persons. Examples of Modalism found today: the Oneness Pentecostal movement

Arianism is an ancient Christian heresy that states that Christ is not truly divine but a created being. Examples… Sun ~ a star that creates light and heat. Examples of Arianism found today: Jehovah’s Witnesses. {For more on Arianism and Jehovah’s Witnesses see my blog here.}

Partialism is a heresy that teaches that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together are components of the one God (each composing 1/3 of the divine). Examples… 3 leaf clover, 3 parts of an egg, 3 layers of an apple.

Biblical teaching on the Trinity.

There are 3 Persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Yet there is only One God.

The Trinity is a mystery which can not be comprehended by human reason, but is understood only through faith and is best confessed in the words of the Athanasian Creed, which states that Christians worship One God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity, neither confusing the Persons, nor dividing the substance. Christians are compelled by the Bible to confess that each distinct Person is God and Lord, and that the deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is One…equal in glory, co-equal in majesty.

Examples… (1) At Jesus baptism we see Jesus, we hear the Father’s voice and we see the Holy Spirit as a dove. (2) At creation ~ God said “Let Us.” {I have several blogs on the Trinity: see "Is Watchtower doctrine Christian? Part 5--the Trinity," found here and "Who Raised Jesus? The Trinity affirmed in the Resurrection!" found here and "Is the word/concept Trinity found in the Bible? Part 1," found here  and "Is the word/concept Trinity found in the Bible? Part 2," found here .}

The Bible teaches Christians to worship One God in 3 distinct Persons. God IS the Father, God IS the Son, and God IS the Holy Spirit. But the Father is NOT the Son, the Son is NOT the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is NOT the Father. Christians are to worship One God, 3 distinct Persons.

The God of the Bible is indescribable. There are certain aspects of God, we just can’t get. That’s a very good thing… because if we could understand ALL of God… we would be equal to God. And that is really, really scary.

(This blog was written by my wife, Marian, after she listened to a YouTube by Todd Friel on Wretched TV.)