Sabellianism is a theological doctrine that emerged in the early 3rd century AD concerning the nature of the Godhead and the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Sabellianism, also known as modalism or modalistic monarchianism, teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God, rather than three distinct persons within the Godhead.
The main tenet of Sabellianism is that God is singular and indivisible, with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existing as manifestations or modes of the one God at different times, rather than eternal co-existing persons within the Godhead. According to Sabellianism, God revealed Himself in three consecutive modes – first as the Father in creation and salvation history, then as the Son in incarnation as Jesus Christ, and finally as the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ ascension. In this view, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three names for one God, who has revealed Himself in three distinct modes across salvation history.
The key Scriptural basis used to support Sabellianism is found in Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Sabellians interpret this as meaning God is absolutely one indivisible being, rather than three co-eternal persons. Additionally, modalists point to verses that seem to identify Jesus Christ and the Father as the same person, such as John 10:30 where Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” They claim texts like this mean Jesus and the Father are the same person, not distinct persons.
Sabellianism is contrasted with trinitarianism, the orthodox Christian belief that God exists eternally and simultaneously as three distinct and equal persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The key difference is that trinitarians believe the Father, Son and Spirit are co-eternal persons within the Godhead, whereas modalists contend they are sequential roles or manifestations of the one God at different times.
The origins of Sabellianism are traced back to an early 3rd century theologian named Sabellius who was excommunicated from the church in Rome around 220 AD. Not much is known about Sabellius himself, but his teachings gained a considerable following in Rome, Libya and Egypt. Prominent champions of Sabellianism were Beryllus, Bishop of Bostra, and later writers like Paul of Samosata and Marcellus of Ancyra keep Sabellian thought alive for several centuries.
In 260 AD, Pope Dionysius of Rome formally condemned Sabellianism as heresy, expelling Sabellius from the church for teaching that Father, Son and Spirit were three roles or modes of one God rather than distinct co-eternal persons. The Council of Constantinople in 381 AD reaffirmed this condemnation, declaring in the Nicene Creed that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons who together make up the one true Godhead.
There are several key objections that have been raised against Sabellianism over the centuries:
1) It denies the eternality of the Son – By seeing Father and Son as two modes of God rather than distinct persons, Sabellianism essentially denies that the Son existed eternally with the Father. Multiple Bible verses speak of the eternality of the Son, such as John 1:1 which refers to Christ as the eternal Word who was with God in the beginning.
2) It confuses the oneness and threeness of God – The Bible simultaneously affirms God’s oneness (Deut 6:4) and threeness (Matt 28:19), which Sabellianism struggling to hold together. Trinitarianism better upholds this mystery by affirming God’s simultaneous oneness and threeness.
3) It cannot make sense of Christ’s baptism – In Matthew 3:16-17 when Jesus is baptized, the Father speaks while the Spirit descends on the Son. Sabellianism cannot easily explain this if Father, Son and Spirit are just three modes of one person.
4) It struggles to explain Christ’s prayer to the Father – In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father – an action that confuses Sabellianism but makes sense if Father and Son are distinct persons.
5) It was condemned as heresy by multiple church councils – From Pope Dionysius’ synod in Rome in 260AD to the Council of Constantinople in 381AD, Sabellianism was consistently deemed heretical and contrary to Scripture.
While Sabellianism had a significant following in the 3rd century after Christ, it began to decline as trinitarianism was formalized at the Council of Nicea in 325AD and in the Nicene Creed. The strong stance taken against it by Pope Dionysius and Athanasius ensured that by the 5th century, Sabellianism had disappeared completely from the Roman Empire’s Christianity.
Today it continues to appear occasionally in various unitarian groups that deny the doctrine of the Trinity. However, all mainstream Christian denominations uphold the eternal Trinity and co-divinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as formulated at Nicea and Chalcedon. The deviations of modalism remain a caution against overly simplistic conceptions of God which reduce the threeness of persons to mere manifestations of the one divine essence.
The doctrine of the Trinity can admittedly be difficult to grasp, but remains crucial for upholding what Scripture reveals about the nature of God. By affirming one God eternally existing in three co-equal divine persons, the Trinity allows us to faithfully reconcile the oneness and threeness of God revealed progressively throughout the Biblical narrative. Sabellianism fails to uphold this mystery – collapsing Father, Son and Spirit into sequential modes or roles.
In summary, Sabellianism teaches the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three successive modes or roles of the one God throughout history, rather than three eternally distinct persons within God’s nature. This view was deemed heretical and unbiblical by numerous church councils, who formalized belief in the Trinity to uphold what Scripture reveals about God’s tri-personal nature and the eternal deity of Christ. Sabellianism continues to periodically re-emerge, but remains outside the bounds of orthodox Christianity.