Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The Incarnation of the Son

Christians are often accused of believing irrational things. Sometime I'll comment on who gets to define rational.

But one thing Christians believe that really does push us to understand is the idea of the Incarnation. Incarnation is a big word that signifies the idea that God became human. We believe that Jesus is God.

How can God be both a helpless baby and at the same time keep the Universe in order? I don't know.

Many of the arguments that Christians have with various cults (especially Jehovah Witnesses) revolve around this question. A very powerful part of Christian history is the story of the Arians, who believed that Jesus was not God. Present day Christians debate with atheists about Jesus being God.

These are all very important things.

But the flip side of the question is just as important: Jesus was human. There has been a strain of Christianity that denies the humanity of Jesus. Maybe he just looked human. Maybe the fact that he is human is not as important as the fact that he is God.

The early Church fathers realized that Jesus had to be fully human if humanity was to be fully saved. For Jesus to be tempted just as we are, he had to be completely human (sorry Dallas Willard, Jesus didn't have "God's mind." This is Apollinarism that was rejected by the church) .

But for my money, there is a much deeper reason to consider the Incarnation. What does Incarnation say about Creation? The Creator becomes a part of His Creation. This is the great "Stamp of Approval" on Creation. God who said of Creation, " Very Good," reaffirms his position with the Incarnation.

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