THE HALL OF HERESIES: ADOPTIONISM
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
For many modern scholars, Monarchianism (from monarchia, meaning “one rule”) refers to certain beliefs from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD that emphasized that there is only one ruling God, even in light of the Trinity. One heresy that came out of this view is called Dynamic Monarchianism, which claimed that God’s power (Greek: dynamis) was merely given to Jesus—making Him divine only because of that power. This belief was influenced by earlier heresies like Docetism and Ebionism and became known as Adoptionism.
Several historical figures promoted this heresy. According to Theodotus of Byzantium, Christ only received His divinity (in other words, God’s dynamis) when He was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. Theodotus was condemned by the church around 190 AD. Later, the Adoptionism heresy became more well-known through Paul of Samosata, who served as bishop of Antioch from around 260–272 AD. He developed a more detailed version of the doctrine and used familiar Christian terms like “Logos” and “Son,” but redefined them to make the heresy sound more appealing. Around 268 AD, several Synods in Antioch condemned Paul of Samosata. According to church historian Eusebius (d. 339 AD), Paul’s teachings denied that Christ was truly God and Lord, suggesting instead that Christ came “from below” rather than “from above.” The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) officially rejected this teaching, affirming instead that Jesus is “begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘆
The basic teaching of Adoptionism claims that Christ was merely human, but because of His extraordinary closeness to God, He was “adopted” as divine. God supposedly adopted Christ either at His baptism, His resurrection, or because He foresaw Christ’s goodness from birth. According to Paul of Samosata, Jesus developed such a close relationship with God that He eventually became part of God's ousia (essence or being). From being just an ordinary man, He supposedly became divine. Paul also taught that the original Trinity consisted of the Father, the Spirit, and the Logos. This Logos, which he saw as an impersonal force like Wisdom, supposedly united with Christ and made Him the Son of God. Because God’s dynamis simply rested on Christ and Christ was merely infused with God's ousia, Paul denied that Christ was a distinct divine Person from the Father.
This heresy rejects the idea that Christ was always fully divine. Yet Scripture is clear that even before Mary conceived Him, Jesus was already called the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35). He was called "Immanuel," meaning “God with us” (Matt. 1:23), and was named "Jesus," meaning “Yahweh saves,” because He would save His people (v. 21). These titles already affirm His divinity before He was born or baptized. Scripture also shows that Christ was God before He came to earth (John 1:1–2, 4; 8:58; Gal. 4:4, etc.). He didn’t just become divine later in life—He was already God. He didn’t simply enter into God’s essence (ousia); rather, the fullness of God dwells in Him (Col. 2:9). The descent of the Holy Spirit at His baptism in the form of a dove was not adoption—it was confirmation of who He truly is: the beloved Son of the Father (Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗮𝘅
Adoptionism hasn’t completely disappeared. Some cults and modern movements have revived similar ideas but presented them in new forms. Liberal Theology, for example, often emphasizes that Christ was merely a moral teacher or enlightened reformer. According to this view, Jesus "achieved" divinity by being good, and therefore, we can too. This denies Christ’s full divinity and implies that anyone can reach the same divine status by good works. Progressive Christianity often shares a similar view, seeing Jesus primarily as a role model or enlightened teacher rather than the eternal Son of God.
The belief system of the Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) also reflects this idea through the doctrine of Eternal Progression. They teach that humans can become divine (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:107), since Jesus was “just like us” (D&C 130:1). While Christians are indeed adopted as children of God (John 1:12) and are called to imitate Christ (1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 2:5, etc.), Jesus is the only begotten Son (John 3:16). His sonship is different from our adoption! The LDS belief that humans can eventually become gods not only diminishes Christ’s full divinity but also echoes Satan’s ancient lie: “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5).
Some Word of Faith and Charismatic movements also lean toward similar errors. They often claim that Christ’s miraculous power came only from the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and therefore, believers who are also anointed can do the same miracles. By overemphasizing Jesus’ humanity and anointing, they downplay His divinity and mislead people into thinking they too can become “little gods.”
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The false idea that Christ was not always God, but only became divine, appeals to people—both in ancient times and today—because it gives the illusion that we can become divine ourselves. This reflects the same desire Adam and Eve had: to be like God. But the truth is not that a man became God. Rather, God became man. And because He became like us, we can come to Him with confidence—not just because He is compassionate, but because He understands what we go through (see Heb. 4:15). 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.
𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀:
Davie, M. (Gen. Ed). (2016).“Adoptionism.” 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺: 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤. Intervarsity Press.
Ferguson, E. (2005). “Problems Facing the Old Catholic Fathers”. 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦: 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘛𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘦-𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Zondervan
Shutt, D. D. (2022, June). “𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴: 𝘈𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘮.” Truth & Tidings. Retrieved from https://truthandtidings.com/.../ancient-errors-modern.../
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