The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity

by Roger E. Olson

Here we examine the Christian consensus about the second part—Jesus as Savior of the world. Unfortunately, here we cannot turn to a unifying creed setting forth as detailed a statement as that contained in the Chalcedonian Definition about Jesus’ humanity and divinity. No major unifying council of the undivided church (i.e., before the division between Eastern Orthodoxy and Western Catholicism) ever promulgated an official Christian belief about the atonement. All the major Christological creeds—from Nicea through Chalcedon through the so-called Athanasian Creed—say that Jesus Christ is Savior, but none sets forth what Christians must believe about how he saves.