What Should We Think About Justin Martyr’s View of Christ?

In the second century, long before any formal church councils existed, there were early Christian writers called apologists. One of the most well-known was Justin Martyr. He lived not long after the time of the apostles and tried to explain and defend the Christian faith to the Roman world.

Some people today look at Justin's writings and say, "See? Even early Christians didn’t fully believe in the Trinity. Even they thought the Son had a beginning!" But how should Former Adventists Philippines (FAP) respond to that?

Let’s talk about it.

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Justin's View: Partly True, Partly Confusing

Justin believed in the pre-existence of Christ—that’s good. He understood that Jesus wasn’t just an ordinary man. But he also taught that there was a time when God the Father was alone, and that the Son (or the Logos) only existed “in the mind” of God before being begotten or brought forth just before creation.

In other words, for Justin, the Son of God didn’t always personally exist. He was like a plan in God’s mind that later “came out” so He could help in creating the world.

This idea may sound “kind of close” to the truth, but it’s actually not biblically accurate. It leans more on Greek philosophy than on the actual teaching of the Bible.

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What Does the Bible Say?

The Gospel of John makes it crystal clear:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(John 1:1)

This verse tells us three important things:

1. The Word (Logos) already existed in the beginning.

2. The Word was with God—so there's a distinction.

3. The Word was God—so there’s full divinity.

It never says that there was a time when God was alone, or that the Son was just an idea in the Father's mind. From eternity past, Jesus has always been the eternal Son of God—co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.

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A Caution About Early Church Writings

We respect early Christian writers like Justin Martyr, but let’s be clear—they were not apostles, and their writings were not inspired Scripture.

They were doing their best with the knowledge they had, often surrounded by Greek philosophy and Roman thinking. Justin's idea of the Logos, for example, was partly influenced by Platonism. That’s why, even though he said some good things, he also introduced ideas that eventually led to errors—like the heresy of Arianism, which denied the full deity of Christ.

So yes, we can find “a bit of truth” in Justin’s writings—but we don’t build our beliefs on early church fathers. We build our beliefs on the unchanging Word of God.

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What FAP Believes

At Former Adventists Philippines, we affirm what the Bible teaches and what the early church later clarified in the Nicene Creed:

• Jesus Christ is eternally begotten, not made

• He is of one being with the Father

• Through Him all things were made

There was never a time when the Son did not exist.

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Final Thoughts

So if someone quotes Justin Martyr to try and say that the Son of God had a beginning, we can kindly say:

“We appreciate Justin’s role in early church history—but we follow the Bible, not early speculation. Jesus didn’t just come out of God’s mind—He is God, and He has always existed as the eternal Son.”

In the end, history is helpful—but Scripture is the final authority.

Follow us for more biblical truths and answers to confusing doctrines.

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