INCARNATION

• incarnation: when god took on human form in the person of jesus
• jesus is fully human

  • to help human understand god's love; reveals god to us
• jesus is fully divine

  for his mission of salvation:

  • to save us from our sins
  • raise us to eternal life
• god the father = god the son


  so he is eternal, but took on human form in jesus

  (god limited godself into the person of jesus)
• jesus is the messiah promised in the old testament
• god the father works through god the son
• god the son is the word of god, the expression of god
• jesus is the perfect human, the second adam (according to st paul)
• jesus brings humans salvatiion
• jesus is the intermediary between humans and god:

  • jesus brings god's love for our salvation
  • if you want real (eternal) life, you need to know jesus first to know god
• "descendant of king david.", luke 1

  as messiah was prophesied to come from the line of David, and jesus is a descendant of King David

  • jesus is the fulfillment messiah promised in the Old Testament
• "you will name him jesus.", luke 1

  as 'jesus' means 'god saves..', his name refers to his divinity

  = jesus is fully divine
• "laid him in a manger", luke 2

  as jesus was born into poverty, he has come for the poor
• "he will save his people from their sins.", Matthew 1

  salvation is jesus' mission
• "a virgin will become pregnant and have a son and he will be called Immanuel.", Matthew 1

  as this is a reference to Isaiah 7:14, jesus' birth therefore fulfils the OT
• similarities between the two birth accounts:

  • reaffirms jesus as divine and human
  • says jesus is fulfillment of messiah 


  differences between the two birth accounts:

  • luke: perspective from mary, shows jesus comes for poor
  • Matthew: written for jews (has genealogy of jesus: "from abraham to king David"), from joseph's perspective
• john 1

  • emphasises closeness between father and son
  • wants reader to see jesus is god and part of the trinity
  • reaffirms jesus as word of god; father works through the son
• "consubstantial with the father.", nicene creed

  jesus is of the same substance as god

  = jesus is divine
• virgin birth:

  • jesus conceived by holy spirit= divine nature
  • jesus born of the virgin mary; goes through human processes= human nature
• jesus is fully human

  "remove this cup from me; yet not what I want but what you want.", garden of gethsemane

  • jesus is obedient to god- he is a perfect human (the second adam)

  • jesus feels fear- experiences same as human
• jesus is fully divine

  "peter answered," you are the messiah, the son of the living god."

  jesus is recognised as the son of god


  • jesus has a special relationship with god (he is the son)

  = jesus is divine
• jesus as son of man

  • jesus used this to refer to himself

  • link to his suffering- he can only suffer if he is a human

  figure in David 7 had to suffer ("I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven")

  • ref to Ezekiel- uses the term for a human ("son of man, stand up on your feet")

  • Mark 8:31: "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering... and rise again."- If not human, he wouldn't suffer

  =jesus is fully human
• jesus as son of god

  • jesus resurrects

  • ascension: jesus raises to new life and sits at the right hand of the father = jesus takes his place as god

  • Mark 14:61-62: "are you the messiah, the son of the blessed one?" "i am"- jesus acknowleges he is the son of god; has share in god's power

  
  

  = jesus is fully divine
• dei verbum, magisterium

  •" eternal word who enlightens all men"- god speaks through jesus; jesus reveals god to us to bring salvation

  • "free us from the darkness of sin... and to raise us up to life eternal ."-jesus' mission is salvation
• verbum domini, magisterium

  •"the eternal word became small."- jesus is divine (eternal is a divine quality) and human (small= human). word limits himself so humans can understand god's love

  • "new adam... who unfailingly does not his own will but that of the father."- jesus is obedient; he is the perfect human, a second adam (ref to st paul)
• similarities in Dei Verbum and Verbum Domini

  • Dei Verbum : "word became flesh"

  • Verbum Domini: "The eternal Word became small"

  both are the Word, both talk about Salvation
• Differences in dei verbum and verbum domini

  •Dei Verbum: "eternal Word, who enlightens all men"- emphasises that Jesus, the Word of God, became flesh to save humanity.

  •Verbum Domini: "the new adam... who unfailingly does not his own will but that of the father." - talks more about obedience
• st irenaeus: jesus is the intermediary between god and humans 


  •"teaches us about the father."- father works through son, we understand god through jesus (as human, translates god for us)

  •"steward of the father's grace for the advantage of men."- jesus brings god's love for our salvation; steward (god became human in jesus= god's love (grace))
• jesus as a moral teacher

  • he is the expression of god- he has divine authority to teach god's word and reveal him

  • jesus is the perfect human who practices what he preaches
• the beatitudes:

  • show us how to be happy (salvation and eternal fellowship with god)

  • call for people to change their attitude
• sermon on the mount:

  • gives believers values and rules to apply to their lives
  • gives deeper appreciation of call to love god
  • chance to do right and please god
  • hope to care for other people ("just as you do to one of the least of these... you did it to me.", parable of the sheep and the goats)
• Jesus as fulfillment of the law

  • focuses on changing people's attitudes and hearts to please god

  • if you are careful over smaller issues, bigger temptations won't develop- to experience quiet peace with control over lives

  • "Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish these but to fulfill them." - changing demand of law, as he concerns over our hearts and minds, not js behavior
• christ the redeemer

  • outstretched arms: reminder of jesus' death on cross, result of Jesus' love and obedience to god that cancelled out the effect of sin on humans, giving us the chance of eternal life

  • open arms: emits welcome- jesus' love takes in all people, no one is excluded from god's love shown in jesus
• sacred heart

  • heart: heart used in many cultures to represent love- reflects jesus' love for us

  • crown of thorns around heart: symbol of jesus' suffering, a result of jesus' love to save all people
• statues in art:

  • aid for prayer; helps for visualisation
  • helps us understand jesus
• ichthus (fish)

  letters spell out: jesus, christ, god, son, savior

  • declaration of faith abt jesus

  used by early christians under persecution
• alpha and omega

  alpha: first letter of greek alphabet

  omega: last letter of greek alphabet

  identifies god and jesus as eternal; beginning to end

  "I am the alpha and the omega,"says the lord god who is and who was and who is to come.", revelation
• chi-rho

  has first two letters of greek word for christ

  reminder of jesus

  • affirms jesus as messiah
  • affirms jesus sent to save the world through his death

  = inspires believers, expression of faith
• agree for art:

  • easier to understand god
  • god became human (jesus)- its okay to depict god with human means


  disagree for art:

  • god is eternal- you can't capture this in finite means
  • "you shall not make for yourself an idol"
  • gives limited understanding of god
• baptism, initiation sacrament

  pouring of water

  • cleansing of sin
  • become a child of god

  "he who believes and is baptised will be saved.", mark 16