We are continuing a series of episodes comparing Jesus to superheroes. This series will tackle wrong ideas about Jesus from church history in chronological order. A superhero will represent each of these ideas.
Is Jesus Like Ant-Man?
We answer this question by answering the following:
Who is Ant-Man?
What are things that Jesus and Ant-Man seem to have in common?
How does Ant-Man’s different sizes reflect the way people view the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
What is Modalism?
Who was Sabellius?
How does Oneness Pentecostalism continue modalism today?
How does modalism differ from the doctrine of the Trinity?
What are problems with modalism/Sabellianism/Oneness?
- If Jesus is not distinct from the Father, to whom was he praying?
- If Jesus is not distinct from the Father, to whom did he submit?
- If we have a modalist understanding of Jesus, what are two versions of this error? (a.) Jesus is just God the Father animating a human body. He could not be our substitute if he were putting on a show and not be fully human. (b.) Jesus is actually a fully distinct human being possessed by God. This is not an incarnation. He could not be our substitute because God merely drove a human to die.
What are some verses against modalism/Sabellianism/Oneness?
- The Father and Son are co-existent (Mat 3:16-17; Joh 17:3-5)
- The Father and Son are both divine (Joh 5:17-23)
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit perform different roles at the same time (Joh 16:7; Heb 1:3)
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit drive eschatology (Act 2:32-36)
Sources Consulted:
“Sabellianism,” Wikipedia.org.
“Sabellius,” Wikipedia.org.
“The Roman Pontifex Maximus,” Ministry Magazine, 1943.
“The Catholic Encyclopedia.”ReligionFacts.com.22 Nov. 2016. Web. Accessed 11 Jan. 2021.
Dr. Bob Thiel, “Callistus of Rome,” COGwriter.
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