Check out this definition:


Question: "What are Sabellianism, Modalism, and Monarchianism?"

Answer:
One of the most hotly debated theological issues in the early Christian church was the doctrine of the Trinity. How do God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit relate to one another? How can there only be one God, but three Persons? All of the various early heresies resulted from individuals overemphasizing or underemphasizing various aspects of the Godhead. Ultimately, all of these false views result from attempts by finite human beings to fully understand and infinite God (Romans 11:33-36). Sabellianism, Modalism, and Monarchianism are just three of the numerous false views.

Monarchianism had two primary forms, Dynamic Monarchianism and Modalistic Monarchianism. Dynamic Monarchianism is the view that Jesus was not in His nature God. It is the view that God existed in Jesus, just as God exists in all of us, but that God existed in Jesus in a particularly powerful way. Jesus was God because God inhabited Him. Modalistic Monarchianism, also known as Modalism, is the view that God variously manifested Himself as the Father (primarily in the Old Testament), other times as the Son (primarily from Jesus’ conception to His ascension), and other times as the Holy Spirit (primarily after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven). Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism teaches the God has simply revealed Himself in three different modes, and that He is not three Persons, as the Bible asserts. Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism is also known as Sabellianism, named after Sabellius, an influential early proponent of the view. Yet another aspect of Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism / Sabellianism is Patripassianism, which is the view that it was God the Father who became incarnate, suffered, died, and was resurrected. Patripassianism essentially teaches that God the Father became His own Son.

With all that said, Sabellianism, Modalism, Monarchianism (dynamic and modalistic), and Patripassianism are all unbiblical understandings of the relationship between the Persons of the Trinity. It is impossible for us as finite human beings to fully understand an infinite God. The Bible presents God as one God, but then speaks of three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How these two truths harmonize is inconceivable to the human mind. When we attempt to define the indefinable (God), we will always fail to varying degrees. Dynamic Monarchianism fails in that it does not recognize the true deity of Jesus Christ. Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism / Sabellianism / Patripassianism fails because it does not recognize God as three distinct Persons.
We all know you deny the Trinity, but what heresy do you fall into concerning the trinity? Do you believe the father is a divine Person? Do you believe the Son is a divine Person and do you believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person? You accuse of labelling you then you turn around and lie and claim we believe in three "whatevers."  We believe in "three Persons or Personalities in the one divine essence." The three Persons are known as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You want your heresy presented correctly than quit misrepresenting the orthodox Trintarian formula. You claim you are not a modalist but you have exposed your bait and switch techniques (by the title of this post alone) since modalsim is a DENIAL of Three Persons. "Dynamic Monarchianism fails in that it does not recognize the true deity of Jesus Christ. Modalistic Monarchianism / Modalism / Sabellianism / Patripassianism fails because it does not recognize God as three distinct Persons." The fact that YOU continue to gripe and whine about this just shows you have something to hide and use the canard that you are not a modalist as if that is the only heresy concerning the trinity. Sabellianism/Modalsim is just one that was officially formulated back in the 3rd century by an African bishop named Sabellius and which had to be dealt with by the church and condemned. Modalism IS by definition a denial of Three Persons in the one divine essence! You ARE a modalist despite your constant denials. If you don't believe in three distinct Persons than what in the world do you believe and how are you NOT a modalist?
  

Proverbs 29:2 "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."
Last Edited By: XrcTim Feb 8 10 4:54 PM. Edited 4 times.