Skip to content

Deity of Christ

In short
  • F02.1 The Son is true God, of one substance with the Father: consensus from Era I (Ignatius) to Nicaea (high)

Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 1 questions each rests on). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation

Closeness to Scripture

1 Catholic 100% 1/1 q
2 Orthodox 100% 1/1 q
3 Oriental Orthodox 100% 1/1 q
4 Lutheran 100% 1/1 q
5 Anglican 100% 1/1 q
6 Presbyterian 100% 1/1 q
7 Reformed Baptist 100% 1/1 q
8 General Baptist 100% 1/1 q
9 Anabaptist 100% 1/1 q

Closeness to the fathers

1 Catholic 100% 1/1 q
2 Orthodox 100% 1/1 q
3 Oriental Orthodox 100% 1/1 q
4 Lutheran 100% 1/1 q
5 Anglican 100% 1/1 q
6 Presbyterian 100% 1/1 q
7 Reformed Baptist 100% 1/1 q
8 General Baptist 100% 1/1 q
9 Anabaptist 100% 1/1 q
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
Closeness to the fathers, by question (0–4). Hatched = not assessed in the category file. Click a question for its verdict.
01234Catholic · F02.1: 4/4 — Nicene Creed and Lateran IV (1215) confess the Son consubstantial with the Father4Orthodox · F02.1: 4/4 — Nicene Creed; Dositheus, decree 1 (to verify wording)4Oriental Orthodox · F02.1: 4/4 — Nerses Shnorhali: the three persons share 'one essence, one sovereignty, one power and one glory' (verified)4Lutheran · F02.1: 4/4 — AC III: 'true God and true man'4Anglican · F02.1: 4/4 — Art. II: 'very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father'4Presbyterian · F02.1: 4/4 — WCF VIII.2: 'very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father'4Reformed Baptist · F02.1: 4/4 — 1689 8.2 (same wording as WCF)4General Baptist · F02.1: 4/4 — Orthodox Creed receives the Nicene and Athanasian creeds (art. 38, OCR-verified heading)4Anabaptist · F02.1: 4/4 — Dordrecht I: one God, 'the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost' (verified)4F02.1conf. high
CatholicOrthodoxOriental OrthodoxLutheranAnglicanPresbyterianReformed BaptistGeneral BaptistAnabaptistnot assessed
When the cited witnesses spoke (approximate dates) and where later traditions fixed their positions. Filled dot = consensus question; hollow orange = a question on which the fathers varied. Each item links to its source note or post-750 note.
1002003004005006007001000125015001700post-750 (compressed)Ignatius (c. 110) · F02.1Ignatiusc. 110 · F02.1Irenaeus (c. 180) · F02.1Irenaeusc. 180 · F02.1Nicaea I (c. 325) · F02.1Nicaea Ic. 325 · F02.1Westminster Confession (1646) · PresbyterianWestminster Confession1646 · PresbyterianWestminster Confession (1646) · Reformed BaptistWestminster Confession1646 · Reformed BaptistConfession of Dositheus (1672) · OrthodoxConfession of Dositheus1672 · Orthodox
  1. c. 110 Ignatius F02.1
  2. c. 180 Irenaeus F02.1
  3. c. 325 Nicaea I F02.1
  4. 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
  5. 1646 Westminster Confession Reformed Baptist
  6. 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox

F2 · Deity of Christ

The Son is true God, of one substance with the Father (Nicaea).

Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.

In short

The New Testament calls Jesus God and gives him the worship due to God. The earliest fathers did the same, and the Council of Nicaea (325) confessed him ’true God from true God, of one substance with the Father’. All nine traditions hold this.

Plan

Question: F02.1: is the Son true God, of one substance with the Father? Scripture: John 1:1, 18; 20:28; Rom 9:5; Phil 2:6; Col 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:8. Fathers: Ignatius, Ephesians 18; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.19.2; Nicaea (325). Related: F01 Trinity, F04 One person.

Questions

  • F02.1 Is the Son true God, of one substance with the Father?

Verdicts and trace

Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.

F02.1 · Is the Son true God, of one substance with the Father?

QuestionVerdictConfidenceReasoningKey sourcesScripture (benchmark)
F02.1The Son is true God, of one substance with the Father: consensus from Era I (Ignatius) to NicaeaHighF02.1.1 · F02.1.3 weighingignatius-f02-s1 · irenaeus-f02-s1 · nicaea-i-f02-s1F02.1.4: high

Post-750 development

Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.

TraditionClosest to the fathers onDeparts or sharpens on
CatholicF02.1—
OrthodoxF02.1—
Oriental OrthodoxF02.1—
LutheranF02.1—
AnglicanF02.1—
PresbyterianF02.1—
Reformed BaptistF02.1—
General BaptistF02.1—
AnabaptistF02.1—

Overall verdict

All nine traditions confess the full deity of the Son, matching Scripture and the fathers from Era I.

Verification status

Dositheus decree 1 and the Orthodox Creed’s Christological article wording are to verify; the others are standard creedal texts.