CHAPTER ONE
“3 Step Salvation”
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
From this declaration recorded in Acts 2:38, and spoken by the Apostle Peter, the Modern Day Modalist has in a wooden literal sense, broken Peter’s words down to a 3 Step Salvation Process that fallen man must complete for redemption. These steps are:
1. REPENTANCE
Modalists define repentance as “turning away from all sin. And, so far as this first aspect is concerned, it closely resembles reformation.”1 They go on to assert “Before a person can repent, he must feel sorrow for his sins. And this must be godly sorrow. For someone to be sorry merely because they have brought trouble upon him, is not enough. He must be sorry because he has broken the commandments of God, spurned His gospel, and thereby grieved Him days without number. Such godly sorrow is the only motivating force for real repentance.”2
2. BAPTISM IN JESUS NAME (In Jesus Literal name)
It is believed by Modalists that while “water itself does not contain any saving virtue…God has chosen to include it in His plan of salvation.”3 They go on to assert “Christian water baptism is an ordinance instituted by Jesus Christ. If it is not important in the plan of God, why did Jesus command it in Matthew 28:19?” While in the passage cited Jesus directs his disciples to baptize in the “name” of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” Modalists assert “The word name is used here in the singular, and it is the focal point of the baptismal command. The titles Father, Son, and Holy Ghost describe God's relationships to humanity and are not the supreme, saving name described here, which is Jesus.” To them “Jesus is the name in which the roles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are revealed.”4
3. THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (With Evidence of Speaking in Tongues)
To the Modern day Modalist “The birth of the Spirit and the baptism of the Spirit are synonymous terms.”5 To them this new birth consist of both water and Spirit, and “was never set forth as being optional or unessential.” In fact, “until a person is born of the Spirit, he cannot be called a "son" of God.”6
In summary, to the Modalist, just as Christ experienced death, burial and resurrection in providing fallen mankind with salvation, in repentance the convert is identified with the death of Christ, baptism identifies him with Christ’s burial, and coming up from the watery grave of baptism coupled with receiving new life in the Holy Spirit illustrated by tongue speaking identifies him with Christ’s resurrection.
