When the fullness of God’s self-revelation in Scripture is not taken into account, heresy is the result. Those who emphasize the oneness of God to the neglect of what Scripture teaches regarding the deity of the three persons fall into errors such as Adoptionism, Modalism, and Arianism. Those who fail to grasp what it means to say that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, fall into various forms of subordinationism. Those who emphasize the three to the neglect of what Scripture teaches about the oneness of God fall into forms of tritheism.
Keith Mathison, “The Mystery of The Trinity“
R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
More by R. Scott Clark ›
Excellent article! For an amusing take on false views on the Trinity, look up “The Lutheran Satire ,” for “St Patrick’s Bad Analogies “.
No Patrick, that’s Modalism 😂
Great article. In the revelation of the Trinity, God presents us with an awesome mystery that confounds our human understanding, but proud men are not content to accept their limitations, and their fallen reasoning draws them into blasphemous heresies as they defiantly claim to understand what only God knows. “…they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:21-1:22