In this essay, I will investigate how themes of divine justice are woven through the Nicene Creed. This paper will argue that the Creed’s teaching on the Son aligns with the diverse expressions of divine justice in Scripture and contains important implications for how we consider the justice of our triune God in se and his economic work ad extra. This thesis raises an important question: what is the relationship between divine justice and the righteousness of Christ? I contend that Nicene logic culminates in the answer provided by Reformed theology. I will explore this thesis and its corollary in three parts.
First, I will undertake a selective exposition of the Nicene Creed by exploring three statements regarding our Lord Jesus Christ that pertain to divine justice, ordered in terms of the divine essence ad intra to its ad extra expression in the economy, namely: (1) “Light of Light,” (2) “For us and for our salvation,” and (3) “He shall come again, with glory, to judge…” John 5:19-29 plays a major role in my biblical case, revealing this Nicene logic as it moves from eternal generation (Jn 5:19, 26) to final judgment (Jn 5:27-29).
Next, I will present the way divine justice and righteousness appear in some of the post-Nicene debates as it relates to “for us and for our salvation.” For example, consider Athanasius’ response to Arius in the “First Discourse” of his Four Discourses Against the Arians (specifically Chapter XII). While Arius used Psalm 45:7 (i.e., “You love righteousness and hate wickedness”) to argue against the deity of Christ, Athanasius argued to the contrary: Christ’s possession of divine righteousness indisputably demonstrates his deity and immutability. Salvation, therefore, can only come through participating in this divine righteousness. These case studies will provide the groundwork to compare these early theological emphases on participating in divine righteousness against later Reformed proposals, which emphasize penal substitution and forensic justification.
In conclusion, I will reinforce the continuity between the post-Nicene period and later Reformed Orthodoxy regarding the Nicene statements #1 and #3 above (viz., theology proper, final judgment, and retributive justice). The eternally begotten Son receives divine righteousness from the Father, just as he receives his being from him (Jn 5:26). And this divine righteousness is demonstrated in the final judgment of Christ (Jn 5:27-29). I will then re-engage the discontinuity that emerged in statement #2, “for us and for our salvation” (that is, between participatory and conventional/federal soteriologies) by contending that Reformed soteriology best fits the biblical data and Nicene logic.
My contribution with this essay is threefold. First, it will bring into sharp relief aspects of divine justice/righteousness in the Nicene Creed and its relationship to Scripture. Second, it will demonstrate the way this divine attribute played a role in defending the deity of Christ and the broader Nicene tradition. Third, it will outline important differences between soteriologies based on participation versus those based on covenant and legal, forensic imputation.