(Answering Objections to Modalism)
This article is an excerpt from my book "Godhead Theology," Look for it at Amazon Books.
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:13-17)
To many in the Trinitarian camp, Matthew’s account of the baptism of Jesus gives a convincing narrative for proving the existence of a Trinity of individual God-persons in the Godhead. Modalism is challenged by the pluralists by the three manifestations of God found in Matthew 3:13-17. We are told that the Trinity is revealed here for all to see. The Son of God is in the water being baptized by the Baptist, God the Holy Spirit descends from heaven and settles upon the Son, then God the Father speaks from Heaven. In the face of this event it is argued that the Trinity must be true.
Since nothing suffers from examination except error, we will proceed to examine this Matthean narrative.
Modalism’s Response
First there is this to point out: while Trinitarianism sees three persons in the baptism story, Modalism sees three manifestations and will argue that manifestations do not necessitate persons. As an example we will point to the advent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. This narrative is found in Acts 2:1-4,
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
In Matthew’s water baptism narrative there were three manifestations of Yahweh present: the Voice, the Dove-like Spirit, and the Person in the water. Notice that these manifestation were discernible by the senses: two by sight and one by hearing. Likewise, in Luke’s Spirit baptism narrative there are three manifestations of the Holy Spirit: The Wind, the Fire, and the Utterance of the Spirit. Notice that these manifestation, on the Day of Pentecost, were discernible by the senses, as were the manifestations at the baptism of Christ: again, two by sight and one by hearing. Now, there is just as much authority to argue that the three manifestations of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost prove three persons of the Holy Spirit as there is to argue that the three manifestations of God at the baptism of Jesus prove three persons in the Godhead.
We should stop and consider what a “person” is, before we go arguing for three persons of God present at the baptism of Christ, or anywhere else for that matter. The Trinitarian argues for “person” in the sense of an individual sentient being, not as a persona, or mask (Grk: prosÅpon), that would be the Modalist’s way of arguing “persons” for the Godhead. Therefore, in this corporal sense of person Joseph Henry Thayer gives this definition: “consisting of body and soul; face or countenance, the natural face one is born with.” So, we ask: How many “persons” were present at the baptism of Jesus?
The unadulterated truth is: a voice does not constitute a person. If a voice constituted a person then Wisdom and Understanding are persons of the Godhead for Wisdom and Understanding are said the have voices: “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?”
Likewise, neither does a bird constitute a person. Therefore, according to Thayer’s definition of person (“consisting of body and soul; face or countenance, the natural face one is born with.”) the only “person” of the Godhead present at the baptism of Jesus was Jesus Himself. Of course this is proper for Paul did write that Jesus is the image (face, or coun-tenance) of the invisible God. In fact he wrote it this way: “Who [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”
If the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus were not for revealing the Trinity, what were they for? The Bible gives the answer to that question in John 1:33-34, “And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” We must only speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent. The Bible states clearly what the signs were for that particular event. Their purpose was not to teach a Trinity and it would be wrong to say so. Their purpose was to reveal to the Baptist who the Messiah was. To say more than that is to speak where the Bible does not speak and to take the text where neither God nor the scribe (in this case Matthew) intended it to go.
It is convenient for the Trinitarian that there were three signs; but, why was that? The answer is simply this: Three is God’s biblical number of confirmation. The law of witnesses was established in Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15.
According to the law of witnesses, any evidence for a matter must be confirmed by two or three witnesses. This rule of confirmation has been followed throughout Scripture. (See Num 35:30, cf Matt 18:16; 2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:13; Heb 10:28). It is no less visible in the account of the “witnesses’ given to the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth. We may safely assume that it was for this very reason of confirmation that the advent of the Holy Spirit had three witnesses as well. Confirmation is also why the seraphim cry a threefold “holy.”
The seraphim cry “holy, holy, holy,” before the throne not to give equal honor to three god-persons but to confirm their praise and to confirm Yahweh’s worthiness to receive it.
The end result is that the three manifestations that Yahweh chose to confirm His witness to the Baptist of the Messiah do not reveal three person of God, but they do reveal two natures of the Son of God. The two manifestations of the Voice and the Dove, of course, speak of the Father and the Spirit. The Father and the Spirit are the deity that is incarnated in the humanity of Jesus. We are taught from John 4:24 that God is Spirit: Not “a” Spirit, but is “Spirit.” Further, the Christian is informed by the apostle Paul that in relation to God there is but ONE Spirit;the same apostle wrote that the Father is the only God.
Therefore, the Father and the Holy Spirit is the self same God-individual in different ways of being. This Spirit of God the Father settling upon the human Christ in the water is a witness of the Incarnation. No, the Incarnation did not happen at this time, as the doctrine of Adoption would suggest; this descent of the Spirit was but a witness to John—it was for his benefit only. Christendom has been blessed that John shared his testimony; but it is just that, John’s personal testimony of how he came to know the Son of God from all others he baptized.
This article is an excerpt from my book "Godhead Theology," Look for it at Amazon Books.
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