Matthew Johnston on The Person of Jesus Christ

In this episode, we welcome Pastor Matthew Johnston to discuss his chapter in the recent book The Nicene Creed titled: “The Person of Jesus Christ”. What does the Nicene Creed teach about Jesus of Nazareth, and how does it aid us in terms of both grammar and guardrails? At the same time, what does it mean over time as both heresies and orthodoxy develops, and how should one understand the place of the creed over time? What was the main points at issue in the Christological debates between the Reformed, with their emphasis on the distinction of the two natures of Christ – and Roman Catholicism, with their emphasis on the unity of the two natures of Christ. Given texts like Mark 13.32 and Matthew 24.36, how should one understand the knowledge of Jesus – and what is the place of suffering given Christ’s divine (impassible) nature? Pastor Johnston takes us into this now-oft-forgotten debate between Calvin and Turretin and Robert Bellarmine which includes a Roman Catholic emphasis on “the doctrine of the beatific vision in Christ’s soul from conception”, and a Protestant emphasis on “the doctrine of Christ’s two states (status duplex) – humiliation and exaltation”. Moreover, these distinctions lead into differing conceptions of the sacraments and the church. Ultimately, we ask about whether Roman Catholics and Evangelicals truly confess and worship the same Jesus.

Book: The Nicene Creed: The Nature of Christian Unity and the Meaning of Gospel Words edited by Mark Gilbert and Leonardo De Chirico

Support Pastor Matthew Johnston here

Also check out the Reformanda Initiative:

- “Claiming Catholicity: What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?”

- “Is Rome a True Church? Wrestling with History, Reformers, and Rome Today”

Other resources:

“Robert Bellarmine and His Controversies with the Reformers: A Window on Post-Tridentine Roman Catholic Apologetics”; Engaging Thomas Aquinas; A Christian’s Pocket Guide to the Papacy by Leonardo De Chirico

“The Catholicity of Christianity and the Church” by Herman Bavinck

Nicaea and Its Legacy by Lewis Ayres

The Apostles’ Creed by Albert Mohler

Historical Theology (2 vol.) by William Cunningham

Union with Christ and the Life of Faith by Fred Sanders

Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment by Gregg Allison