About Christos

The story

I grew up in a Christian tradition where the answers to questions about Jesus's identity felt settled. But when I started reading the New Testament carefully — and encountering scholars from outside my own tradition — I realised the conversation was far richer and more complex than I'd been led to believe.

I went looking for a resource that would lay out the arguments fairly — not to tell me what to think, but to help me think well. I couldn't find one. So I built Christos.

How we approach fairness

Every theological position on this site is presented at its strongest. We follow a simple rule: if someone who actually holds that position wouldn't recognise our description of it, we haven't done our job.

In the spirit of transparency: I came to this project with questions, and through my research I've developed my own perspective. But the content on this site is written to be fair to all positions. If you ever feel a view has been misrepresented, I want to hear about it.

A note on unity

Before diving into the theological debates on this site, it's worth pausing to say something about what matters most.

We must not mistake the means for the end. Truth is the means — God himself is the end. Our pursuit of doctrinal accuracy is vital, but it serves a deeper purpose: knowing and loving the God who revealed himself through Jesus of Nazareth. If our theology becomes an end in itself, we have lost the plot.

Jesus commanded his followers not to judge one another. Paul put it starkly: "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand" (Romans 14:4). When we ask "is this a salvation issue?" we are often asking the wrong question. We are not saved by something — a doctrine, a formula, a creed — but by someone. What we believe matters enormously; it shapes our conception of God and our understanding of the gospel. But everything ultimately comes down to a heart issue — our orientation toward God and our willingness to follow where he leads.

If Christ is the head of the church, he gets to decide who is in and who is out — not us. And through the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth has superintended the writing and transmission of the New Testament. These scriptures preserve for us the essentials of the Christian faith: who to baptise, who to call a brother or sister, who to receive in fellowship. The information is there. The question is whether we will read it humbly.

Theological triage

To navigate these discussions wisely, it helps to recognise that not all doctrines carry the same weight. We can place teachings along a spectrum:

Notice that the spectrum mirrors itself around the centre. The categories are determined not by our opinions but by reading scripture — by what it actually says, explicitly, about what is essential, what is commanded, what is warned against, and what is condemned.

We must assume that God, through the Holy Spirit, through the apostles and New Testament authors, is at least a moderately good communicator. If something is truly essential for salvation, why would he not include it clearly in the text? What impetuosity and arrogance drives us to elevate our theological inferences to the level of essentials that God himself apparently chose not to make explicit?

What scripture calls essential

The New Testament is remarkably clear about what it considers essential. Paul summarises the gospel he received and passed on: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). The confession of faith is equally direct: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Peter at Pentecost: "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). The Philippian jailer asked what he must do to be saved, and received this answer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

What scripture calls fatal

Equally, the New Testament identifies certain teachings as destructive. John warns: "Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus as having come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist" (1 John 4:3; cf. 2 John 1:7). Paul writes to the Galatians with unusual severity: "If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!" (Galatians 1:9). And the denial of the resurrection strikes at the foundation: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17).

The call to unity

And then there is this: the New Testament is unambiguously, repeatedly, and emphatically clear that unity among believers matters. This is not a minor theme — it is woven through virtually every letter:

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." — 1 Corinthians 1:10

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all." — Ephesians 4:3–6

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." — John 17:20–21

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." — Philippians 2:3

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." — Colossians 3:13–14

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." — Romans 15:7

"Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble." — 1 Peter 3:8

If we profess to follow Jesus as our Lord, let us put aside our arguments, our arrogance, and our judgment. Let God be our judge by his Messiah Jesus. And let us learn gentleness and humility, respect and grace, as we discuss these important issues and seek truth — for the truth has nothing to fear.

A note on labels and generalisations

Methodology

Christos draws on scholarship from across the theological spectrum: Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Unitarian, and critical-historical traditions. We prioritise the biblical text itself, examine the Greek where relevant, and try to apply consistent hermeneutical principles across all passages. Key theological and Greek terms are defined in the glossary.

This isn't an academic journal — it's an educational tool for curious readers. We simplify where necessary, but never at the cost of accuracy.

Key voices

Christos draws on scholarship from across the theological spectrum. You can find the key scholars for each tradition on the Positions page.

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Christos is part of Probably Theology — a family of projects helping people think about the Bible honestly. If this work has been helpful, you can support the ongoing work on Ko-fi.

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