Incarnation

Incarnation

* Incarnation = made flesh. This the belief God became human – Jesus of Nazareth.

Beleifs about the Incarnation

* Jesus had a normal birth, but not a normal conception ^^(the Virgin Birth)^^. This miracle ^^revealed God’s power and marked a new beginning for humanity.^^
* ^^Jesus was fully human, experiencing everything that we experience^^
* ^^Jesus was fully divine^^ (God), evidenced by the Virgin Birth. ^^Belief in the incarnation = belief in the Son of God, so this is required for belief in the Trinity^^.
* Jesus existed as a ^^hypostatic union^^, always fully God and fully human simultaneously
* Our knowledge of the incarnation comes from the ^^four gospels^^

The importance of the incarnation

* Before the incarnation, humans could only have a partial relationship with God because of the effects of sin. ^^Jesus’ death made it possible for humans to have a full relationship with God and go to heaven after death^^
* Jesus is the ^^culmination of God’s revelation,^^ revealing God’s nature and will to humanity first-hand through his life, teachings and miracles
* Belief in the incarnation is ^^necessary for belief in the Trinity as the Son of God is one of the Godheads.^^
* Jesus’ human nature is relatable for other humans, ^^enabling us to feel closer to God and more capable of understanding God.^^

SOWAS Incarnation

* Johns Gospel ^^“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”.^^
* “^^No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God”^^
* ^^“For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son”.^^
* Catechism “^^Jesus Christ possesses two natures, one divine and the other human… Jesus Christ is true God and true man”^^