7
The primary attacks on the Gospel in Church History involved the person of Christ.
This is no surprise. A proper understanding of the person of Christ is essential to a
proper understanding to His work. As Robert Letham states, "What Christ has done is
directly related to who he is. It is the uniqueness of his person that determines the
efficacy of his work"
6
Cerinthus attacked the Gospel at the end of the first century. According to him,
Christ descended on the man Jesus at his baptism and departed just before his crucifixion.
This, of course, is a denial of the true humanity of Christ, but it is also a denial of His
work since, according to Cerinthus, it was a mere man who actually died on the cross.
Arius argued that God the Father created Christ. This denies the true deity of Christ. The
Council of Nicea, which assembled in A. D. 325, condemned Arius as a heretic. His
doctrine, however, continued to plague the Church. It was the second ecumenical
council, the Council of Constantinople (A. D. 381), that dealt the decisive blow to
Arianism. Thus, the Church established full deity of Christ.
The next Christological issues involved the relation between the two natures of
Christ. Apolinaris affirmed the true deity of Christ, but his failed to acknowledge the true
humanity of our Savior. He taught that Christ took on a human body and an animal soul,
but the Logos took the place of a human spirit. His heresy was condemned by the
Council of Constantinople (A. D. 381). Nestorius taught that the Logos merely indwelt
Jesus resulting in the union of two persons. The Council of Ephesus condemned
Nestorius as a heretic in A. D. 431. Eutyches taught that the Logos absorbed the
humanity of Christ resulting in a composite nature. The Council of Constantinople
6
The Work of Christ (Downers Grove. IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 24.