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The Reformers saw this system as a threat to the work of Christ, not a compliment to it. The RCC had developed its sacramental system which served as a means of justifying the sinner before God.

The point of departure between them arose over the issues of the sufficiency of Christ’s work. These were the accepted standards by the church (with some debate) for centuries, and both the RCC and the Reformers agreed on this.

In response to such false teachings about the Christ, the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian Creed formulated an orthodox framework for articulating the person of Jesus Christ. (see Stephen Wellum, Christ Alone, 252-253)

Monophysitism confused the two natures of Christ and made Jesus a blend and mixture of the divine and human essence.

Nestorianism said that in the incarnation Jesus was two persons – a human person and a divine person which existed alongside one another.

Apollinarianism taught that the Son did not have a complete human nature.

Arianism insisted that Jesus was a created being.

Modalism taught that the Son was just a different mode of the one God, not a distinct person.

Adoptionism had argued that Jesus was merely a man who was empowered by the “Logos.”.

Docetism had said that Christ only appeared to be a man.

Various heresies had challenged these truths: He is a part of the Triune Godhead – very God of God, but a distinct person from the Father and the Spirit within that Trinity. Christ was the perfect and complete God-Man – without confusion of his two natures and without compromise of either.

They had responded to the major Christological heresies of the centuries. The Early Church creeds had clarified in powerful terms the person of Christ. The Reformers’ recovery of the sufficiency of Christ’s work needs to be upheld by the church today. The point of contrast arose, however, over the sufficiency of Christ’s work. Instead, Reformation Christology followed the pattern set by the early Church Fathers. Historically the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformers didn’t disagree with each other on the person of Christ. 16:13)? This question remains as pertinent a one today as it was when Jesus asked it of the disciples. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is” (Mat.

Before cornerstone bible church in durham