A Christologian

Fred Zaspel:

More than just a polemic theologian, Benjamin Warfield was first and foremost a christologian.

The person of Christ and his work clearly topped the list of Warfields many interests as measured by his literary output and preaching, as well as his recurring mention of and express concern for the doctrine. His reasons were more than academic: he was deeply convinced that in this theme we are brought to the very heart of the Christian faith. For Warfield, to maintain vigorously and carefully the doctrine of Christ set forth in Scripture is to preserve Christianity itself. The contemporary denials of the historicity of Christ, his mighty works, his deity, his two natures, his vicarious death, and his triumphal resurrection all threaten the very essence of Christianity. If these issues are not understood scripturally, the entire Christian structure crumbles, and redemption from sin is only a dream.

Warfield writes, therefore, as the polemic theologian he is—with penetrating analysis, careful exposition, and often devastating critique. Yet he consistently displays a sense of adoration of Christ and of utter dependence upon him for redemption from sin. Without question, in the person and work of Christ . . . we have reached the heart of Benjamin Warfield.

--Fred G. Zaspel, The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary (Crossway 2010), 213-14