I'm not saying the ontological/identity distinction is wrong.
But it does seem to philosophize and theologize eloquent to define things in western terms of philosophy (platonic mostly) when these concepts were probably not on the minds of the writers of Scripture.
This is partly what I struggle with.
We try to explain things so finitely that we have to use jargon that no one understands.
Yet the nuance and semantic is important to clarify.
At the same time, the seeming paradoxes of 3 in 1 for the ANEs was nothing in their minds.
What are we to make of all this?
And does it not seem that we who draw a sharp distinction between the 3 persons (identity) lead to tri-theism?
Isn't that the seeming result?
I have tried to avoid modalism so much, that this is where it might take me.
Anyone else feel this tension?
Bear in mind though, you are looking at an extremely 'brief' snapshot of time here during which the Word was in the form of flesh with it's constraints. I'm not convinced my analogy of father, son, and husband ROLES is so out of line with the order of things eternal:
And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Jn 17:5
Thanks. Still, you're drawing an opinion of the eternal Trinity from a very brief temporal snapshot.
I'm as Trinitarian as anyone else. Much of what I've posted here is playing the devil's advocate in order to draw out comments. I do however believe we will see only One in eternity.
(mandym, do you know what the white in bird poop is?)
Modalism is probably the most common theological error concerning the nature of God.
It is a denial of the Trinity. Modalism states that God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes, or forms.
Thus, God is a single person who first manifested himself in the mode of the Father in Old Testament times.
At the incarnation, the mode was the Son and after Jesus' ascension, the mode is the Holy Spirit.
These modes are consecutive and never simultaneous.
In other words, this view states that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never all exist at the same time, only one after another.
Modalism denies the distinctiveness of the three persons in the Trinity even though it retains the divinity of Christ.
Present day groups that hold to forms of this error are the United Pentecostal and United Apostolic Churches.
They deny the Trinity, teach that the name of God is Jesus, and require baptism for salvation.
These modalist churches often accuse Trinitarians of teaching three gods.
This is not what the Trinity is.
The correct teaching of the Trinity is one God in three eternal coexistent persons:
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In the Book of Revelation we see, perhaps as no where else in Scripture, the Triune nature of God clearly revealed and emphasized, particularly in the Apostle John’s vision of the throne room of God as recorded in Chapters 4 & 5.
I have been aware of everything you posted there for many many years.
I know what they believe and of course I believe that they are not as accurate as we are regarding the triune nature of God.
However, The oneness people CLEARLY have an understanding of the "3-ness" of God, as we do...even though it is not as accurate as our view.
For that reason I do not put them in the same class as heretical cults such as the Jehovahs wittnesses, mormons, etc etc.
I have the scriptures as my only guide, as the scriptures teach us to do. I dont heed the "early church"