1.3 ~ The incarnation

What is the incarnation

• Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came down to earth to live as a man from around 5 BCE to around 33 CE.

How is the incarnation shown in the Bible?

• For Christians, God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, became a human being in Jesus of Nazareth.
• The Bible describes the incarnation in this way:
• 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.' Matthew 1:23
• 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us' John 1:14
• The Bible teaches that God the Son came into the world to live among people, show them what God was like and enable them to have a relationship with him.
• The Bible also describes the incarnation as a great mystery, there are aspects of it that are amazing and beyond human understanding.

The importance of the incarnation today

• Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate. They believe Jesus came into the world to enable the relationship between God and humanity to be restored.
• The incarnation is therefore important for Christians believe it allows them to have a relationship with God.
• Christians believe that the incarnation shows that God loves the world and the people in it. This is why they celebrate Christmas.
• Christians celebrate the incarnation on incarnation on Christmas Day by singing Christmas carols and remembering Jesus' birth.
• Christians believe that, as a human, Jesus cold understand humanity and its problems, and identify their suffering.