Nicene Orthodoxy with Blair Smith
Life and Books and Everything
Clearly Reformed
4.6 • 635 Ratings
🗓️ 28 April 2025
⏱️ 65 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kevin welcomes his good friend—neighbor, church colleague, and seminary colleague (soon to be boss!)—Blair Smith to the podcast. As a systematic theology professor, Blair’s expertise is on Trinitarian theology, in particular in the crucial fourth and fifth centuries. Listen in as Kevn and Blair look at the theology and the history behind the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Council of Constantinople (381). Yes, there are a lot of names and concepts flying around in the podcast studio with this one, but for good reason. What could be more important than the doctrine of the Trinity, than knowing who God is?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Sponsors & Intro
2:11 Who Is Blair Smith?
9:34 Four Degrees & Education Background
12:20 Conversation Outline & Begin Nicene Discussion
19:38 What Should We Know About The Fatherhood Of God?
25:25 Nicene Origins & The Need For Clarity
28:40 Sponsor Break
30:54 How Does This Help Us Understand The Eternal Son?
37:15 Trinity Debates & Subordination Controversy
46:59 What Led To The Revision Of The Nicene Creed?
54:53 Common Ground & Finding The Right Language
57:07 How Does Augustine Fit Into Nicene Orthodoxy?
1:01:38 Books From Blair To Consider
1:03:42 Why Should We Care About The Doctrine Of The Trinity?
BOOKS & EVERYTHING
One God Almighty: The Biblical Doctrine of the Triune God
Our Father in Heaven: Rediscovering and Embracing the Fatherhood of God
DESIRING GOD | What’s The Difference?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of Life and Books and Everything is brought to you by Crossway, |
| 0:12.9 | publisher of my new book, which I'm mentioning here in this episode, since we're talking |
| 0:18.2 | about the Nicene Creed and the Council of Nicaea from |
| 0:21.2 | 325, my book aptly titled, The Nicene Creed. |
| 0:25.9 | No, I did not write the Nicene Creed, but it is a book on the Nicene Creed, what you need |
| 0:30.7 | to know about the most important creed ever written. |
| 0:34.3 | This book is a part of the foundational tools of our faith series. People may not have |
| 0:38.3 | realized, but I've written three books with Crossway, Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer. Originally, |
| 0:44.6 | it was going to be the Apostles' Creed. That would make sense as the third of those foundational |
| 0:48.5 | catechetical tools. But with this anniversary, switched from the Apostles' Creed to the Nicene Creed, it's not long, |
| 0:56.2 | it's fewer than 100 pages, and hopefully it can be a helpful introduction for you, for a small group, |
| 1:02.9 | for people in your church. |
| 1:04.4 | Pick up a copy of the Nicene Creed, wherever books are sold, or visit crossway.org slash plus. |
| 1:09.7 | Sign up for an account, learn how you can get 30% off. |
| 1:12.9 | Also want to mention Desiring God, grateful for their support of LBE. |
| 1:18.5 | They have released a new content series on biblical manhood and womanhood titled, What's the |
| 1:23.2 | Difference? |
| 1:24.5 | In eight accessible articles, the teachers at DG, along with some guest contributors, |
| 1:29.8 | aim to explain and celebrate the differences between men and women in the church. And in society, |
| 1:36.7 | you think about Genesis 1, God made us in his image. That's the first important thing. The second |
| 1:42.6 | important thing, he made us male and female. |
| 1:45.1 | If you erase male and female, you erase God's plan for showing his image and what he does and what he |
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