✠ God & Decree · Trinity

Modalist

One person in three modes or operations — Sabellian; rejected by II.3's 'three persons of one substance.'

This is a contested or rejected alternative.

The Westminster baseline on Trinity is Nicene-With-Filioque. Personas and schools listed below hold this alternative position instead — either because they argued for it at the Assembly (like the Erastians on polity) or because they represent a receiving tradition that departed from the Standards on this point.

Other positions on Trinity

Nicene-With-Filioque WCF One God in three persons; the Son eternally begotten of the Father, the Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father *and the Son* (WCF II.3). Eastern-Procession-From-Father-Only Spirit proceeds from the Father alone; the Eastern Orthodox position rejected (implicitly) by WCF II.3's filioque. Subordinationist Son or Spirit ontologically subordinate to the Father — Arian/Socinian; rejected by II.3.

Cite this position

Study Reformed, “Modalist” (Position), Westminster Standards Atlas, version 79a5f9880ac1, https://studyreformed.com/atlas/cite/position/god_decree/trinity_processions/modalist/.

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Ontology version 79a5f9880ac1 — the state of the Atlas you are reading, so a citation stays checkable when the ontology is revised.