Partialism is a Trinitarian heresy that distorts the Christian doctrine of the Trinity by teaching that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not fully God individually, but instead are each parts or components of God. According to Partialism, the divine essence is divided into three parts, with each person of the Trinity comprising only a portion of the divine nature. This idea stands in contrast to the orthodox Christian teaching of the Trinity, which affirms that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God, sharing the same divine essence, undivided.
Partialism has been condemned as heretical by the historic Christian church because it undermines the unity and simplicity of God’s nature and distorts the biblical understanding of the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity.
History of Partialism
Partialism as a heresy did not develop as a formal movement but rather represents one of several misunderstandings of the doctrine of the Trinity that arose during the early centuries of Christian theology. It is closely related to other Trinitarian heresies that sought to explain the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, such as Modalism (Sabellianism) and Arianism.
Trinitarian Controversies in the Early Church: During the first few centuries of the Christian church, as theologians sought to define the nature of God in light of the biblical revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, several heresies emerged that failed to preserve the balance between divine unity and divine distinction. Partialism was one such error that developed out of attempts to explain how the three persons of the Trinity relate to each other and to the divine essence.
Relation to Other Heresies: Partialism can be seen as an error that arises when the Trinity is thought of in quantitative rather than qualitative terms. By viewing the persons of the Trinity as making up parts of God, Partialism is similar to tritheism, which divides the Godhead into three separate gods, and Arianism, which denies the full divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, in Partialism, each person is still considered to be divine but only as one-third of God.
Partialism is also sometimes confused with Modalism (Sabellianism), which teaches that God is one person who manifests in three different "modes" (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) rather than three distinct persons. However, Partialism differs in that it recognizes the distinct persons but falsely claims that each person constitutes only a part of the divine essence.
Condemnation by Early Councils: The early ecumenical councils, particularly the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and the Council of Constantinople (381 AD), were convened to address various Christological and Trinitarian heresies. While Partialism was not a major heresy addressed directly by these councils, the Nicene Creed and the subsequent Trinitarian definitions of the early church condemned any view that divided the divine essence. The creed affirms that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consubstantial (of the same essence) and coequal, which directly contradicts the Partialist idea of dividing the divine essence into parts.
Theology of Partialism
Partialism, as a misunderstanding of the Trinity, makes the mistake of viewing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three parts that together make up the whole of God. According to this view:
God is Composed of Parts: Partialism suggests that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each only part of the divine nature, meaning that none of them are fully God on their own. Instead, they are seen as components or aspects of God, who together constitute the fullness of divinity. This divides the divine essence into three parts, similar to the way parts make up a whole in a physical object.
Diminished Divinity of Each Person: Partialism diminishes the full divinity of each person of the Trinity by suggesting that they are not individually fully divine. In orthodox Christian theology, each person—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is fully and equally God, possessing the entire divine essence. Partialism, however, denies this by teaching that each person is only one-third of God.
Misunderstanding of the Unity of God: Partialism distorts the biblical teaching that God is one in essence and three in person. By dividing the essence of God into parts, Partialism denies the doctrine of the divine simplicity, which teaches that God is not composed of parts but is one, indivisible being. Orthodox Christianity holds that the divine essence is shared fully by each person of the Trinity, not divided among them.
Why Partialism is Heretical
Partialism is considered heretical because it violates the core principles of the doctrine of the Trinity, as affirmed by Scripture and the historic ecumenical councils. Several key reasons for its rejection include:
Denial of the Full Divinity of Each Person: Partialism denies that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God. The historic Christian understanding of the Trinity, as articulated by the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, teaches that each person of the Trinity is fully divine and coequal in power, glory, and essence. Partialism diminishes the full divinity of each person by treating them as only parts of God, thus falling into the error of subordinationism or tritheism.
Contradiction of Divine Simplicity: The doctrine of divine simplicity teaches that God is not composed of parts; He is a single, indivisible being. Partialism violates this principle by dividing God’s essence into separate parts and treating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as components rather than fully unified in one essence. This division undermines the unity of God, which is a foundational teaching of the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5).
Failure to Uphold the Biblical Trinity: The Bible reveals that God is one in essence (Deuteronomy 6:4) and yet exists eternally in three distinct persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). These persons are not parts of God but are each fully and equally God, sharing the same divine nature. Partialism misrepresents this truth by introducing a form of division that the Bible does not support. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, co-eternal, and consubstantial, meaning that they are of the same substance or essence (John 1:1, 14; John 10:30).
Historic Christian Orthodox View
The historic Christian orthodox view of the Trinity is articulated in the Nicene Creed (325 AD), the Athanasian Creed, and the definitions of the Council of Constantinople (381 AD). These creeds affirm that God is one in essence and three in persons, with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being fully God and coequal in majesty and power. Key elements of the orthodox view include:
One Essence, Three Persons: Orthodox Christianity teaches that God is one in essence (ousia) but exists eternally as three distinct persons (hypostases): the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is fully divine, possessing the entire divine essence without division or separation. This is the heart of the doctrine of the Trinity: one God in three persons.
Consubstantiality: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consubstantial, meaning they share the same divine substance. There is no division or hierarchy of essence between the persons of the Trinity. Each person is fully God, not merely part of God, and they are eternally united in their divine being.
Equality of the Persons: In the orthodox view, the three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal. The Father is not greater in essence than the Son or the Holy Spirit, and each person fully participates in the divine nature. This maintains the balance between the oneness of God and the threeness of persons, without falling into either tritheism (three gods) or modalism (one person with three manifestations).
Divine Simplicity: God’s essence is simple and undivided. Divine simplicity means that God is not composed of parts or separable elements. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct in personhood but not in essence. Each person fully possesses the one divine nature, and this nature is not divided among them.
Conclusion
Partialism is a Trinitarian heresy that teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each parts of God, dividing the divine essence into three parts. This view contradicts the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which affirms that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God, sharing the same undivided essence. The heresy of Partialism undermines both the full divinity of each person of the Trinity and the unity of God’s nature. The Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed offer the orthodox Christian understanding of the Trinity, affirming that God is one in essence and three in persons, coequal and coeternal, without division or confusion.