Modalism

[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

..back to the absurdity of saying that there are "3 Persons in the Godhead." If we had ONLY a couple dozen verses concerning God, like e.g. 2 Cor 13.14, or when Jesus was baptized, then we might concoct the ancient "3 Persons" formula, but when we add in the hundreds and even thousands of other verses in the Bible, many which you have introduced, then that old description of God must be tossed in the trash heap of antiquity.

Don't you agree?

A cursory glance at the day's headlines strongly suggests that the human species isn't very good at solving problems. So how am I supposed to figure out the 'intrinsic' or 'essential' nature of God? Or count 'persons' of the God-head? James advised, "Do not be many teachers" and that's more true here.

Having said that, here are some tentative observations: 1. The gospel reached me in the local baptist 'Bible church' & I'm ever thankful for that, and won't sweep away the past into a dustbin. 2. Having said that, if the Bible says there are seven spirits before the throne of God, or an angel is a ministering spirit, or that "He comes with myriads of His holy ones", I'm not going to ignore that because it doesn't match our notions. The Bible comes first, not our conceptual schema.

3. I already listed my schema and will try to recap. Jesus said, "Even as the Father sent me, so I send you". This shows a chain of representative subservience. Jesus said, "Even as I kept my Father's commands, so you must keep my commands." Ditto. Jesus said, "They'll persecute you for my namesake even as they hate me for keeping the Father's name. The servant is not above the Master."

Jesus said, "Even as I am one with the Father, so you should be one with one another". This 'one' doesn't violate the Great Jewish Sh'ma, which Jesus affirmed. This is an absolute obedience to dictates of God thru scripture. How many times does the NT say, "That the scripture might be fulfilled"? This is alluded to by Paul when he says in Galatians 3:20 that "A mediator indicates more than one but God is one". Moses the first mediator was himself disobedient and fell in the desert. Jesus was one, or perfectly obedient as representative mediator, thus the new Covenant is superior to the old and we don't need a third covenant. Because God is one, and Jesus reflected that.

The Centurion testified on the same lines and Jesus marveled at his understanding. The Centurion being under authority gave him authority to to those under him. Same thing: a chain of representative subservience. Yet nobody conflates the Centurion with his supervisor, or for that matter the Centurionwith his slaves. Each one is distinct, yet when the servant speaks, the master's will is known. "No one has ever seen God, yet the Only Begotten Son has revealed God". Likewise, the Centurion was 'Caesar revealed' to the servants. I.e., When you see me, you see him who sent me.

Jesus even took the chain of representation further, saying, "Whatever you do to the least of these my brothers, you do to me." Yet no one conflates Jesus with them.

Seems to me that most of this would have been easily understood by first-century readers.