False Accusations Exposed in the Light of Scriptures

Modalism in the second and third centuries passed through several changes and then reached its clearest expression with Sabellius. Sabellius taught that God was not at the same time Father and Son, and that the revelation of the Son ends with the ascension. The permanence of the Father, Son, and Spirit was denied by modalism.

But the Bible, which we believe, says in Matthew 3:16-17, “He (the Son) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I (the Father) am well pleased”; and in John 14:16-17, “I (the Son) will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth…” These words reveal clearly that the Father, Son, and Spirit exist at the same time. The coexistence of the Father, Son, and Spirit is also definitely revealed in 2 Corinthians 13:14, which says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Son), and the love of God (the Father), and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all”; and in Ephesians 3:14, 17, which says, “I bow my knees unto the Father….that he would grant you to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ (the Son) may dwell in your hearts.” Therefore, believing in the pure Word of God, we strongly reject any kind of association with modalism.

Pantheistic philosophy is the error of equating God with nature and worshipping it. The Bible says—and we believe it—”The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psa. 103:19). Again, “Christ… Who is over all, God blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5). Christ is not one with nature; He is “over all” nature. The Lord Jesus while on earth spoke of Himself clearly, saying, “I am the bread…” (Jn. 6:35); “I am the light….”(Jn. 8:12); “I am the door…” (Jn. 10:9). He was also referred to as “the lamb” (Jn. 1:29). Only those who are grossly foolish and erring in heart would equate Christ, the Almighty Creator, with the physical, material substance of bread, light, a door, a lamb, etc. These are only types and figures of the reality. Christ is the real bread, light, door, etc. He is the reality of every positive thing. We worship Him, the living Person, the Son of the living God. Furthermore, the Bible reveals that there is only one, unique God (1 Cor. 8:4). And Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord…there is o God beside me.” And this God is triune—the Father, Son, and Spirit (Mt. 28:19).

We have been evilly charged with believing in a “cosmic Christ.” This is a very subtle, cruel, and damaging insinuation. We understand from the current connotation and usage of “cosmic” that we are assumed of equating Christ with an ethereal, mystical, impersonal influence that pervades all. This is far from the truth. We know Him, we love Him, and we worship Him not as an influence, power, or force, but as the very Lord Jesus Christ who walked in the flesh among men and is now seated at the right hand of God.

Our slanderers accuse us of indulging in “Eastern mystical practices” similar to Sanskrit chanting. We strongly assert that we do nothing that is not supported by the clear Word of God. We pray, we read the Bible, we give testimonies of the Lord’s working in us, we call on the name of the Lord. This latter practice, calling on the Lord’s name, is fiercely and slanderously condemned by our opposers. But we would refer them to Scriptures too numerous to mention regarding calling upon the name of the Lord. For example, Timothy was exhorted to “follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Saul had “authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Thy name” (Acts 9:14). We neither teach nor do we practice a vain mouthing of the Lord’s name or any other words or phrases. We call on Him “out of a pure heart,” sincerely, honestly, from the depths of our being, calling out to Him that we may have personal contact with Him. We find that indeed He is “rich unto all that call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12).

Finally, we are cruelly and unjustly maligned as being a “nonChristian cult.” A nonChristian does not believe as we do that every word of the Bible is inspired by God, that He is the Triune God Father, Son, and Spirit, that God was incarnate in the flesh in the Person of the Lord Jesus, that He died upon the cross shedding His blood for our sins, that He resurrected from the dead the third day, that He ascended to the right hand of God, that He also indwells us as our life, and that He is coming again to receive His own to Himself. This is the faith once for all delivered to the saints. We would fight for it. If we are not Christians, then no one is. But we know that all those who truly believe in the Person and redeeming work of such a Christ are the bloodwashed, born again children of God, true Christians.