On the Incarnation

1. God created humanity in His image, granting grace, but man chose corruption and death.

For God is good—or rather, of all goodness He is Fountainhead, and it is impossible for one who is good to be mean or grudging about anything.

Divine goodness. God, out of His sheer goodness, created all things from nothing through His Word. He bestowed special grace upon humanity, making them in His own Image and giving them a share in the Word's reasonable nature, so they might know Him and live forever in incorruption.

Conditional immortality. This gift of incorruption was conditional upon obedience to a single command. By remaining in contemplation of God and preserving their innocence, they would escape the natural law of death inherent in their creation from nothing.

The Fall. However, influenced by the devil, men turned away from God and transgressed the commandment. This act caused them to lose the grace of incorruption and fall under the dominion of death and corruption, reverting towards the non-existence from which they came.

2. Humanity was perishing, losing the knowledge of God and facing ruin.

Man, who was created in God’s image and in his possession of reason reflected the very Word Himself, was disappearing, and the work of God was being undone.

Loss of God's image. Through transgression, humanity became corrupted, losing the likeness of God and the ability to know their Creator. They descended into sin, lawlessness, and impiety, becoming more like brute beasts than reasonable beings.

Universal corruption. Death and corruption gained complete dominion over the human race. This wasn't just a moral failing but a fundamental undoing of God's creation, as beings made in His image were perishing and returning to non-existence.

Failure of other means. God had provided ways for men to know Him: through creation, the law, and the prophets. Yet, men remained blinded by sin and the deceit of evil spirits, failing to lift their minds to the truth or escape their ruin.

3. God's goodness demanded a solution to man's desperate state.

It was unworthy of the goodness of God that creatures made by Him should be brought to nothing through the deceit wrought upon man by the devil; and it was supremely unfitting that the work of God in mankind should disappear...

Divine dilemma. God faced a dilemma: He could not go back on His word that transgression would result in death, yet His goodness could not allow His creation to be utterly ruined by corruption and the devil's deceit. To let man perish would be unfitting and argue limitation, not goodness.

Repentance insufficient. Simple repentance was not enough. While it could stop further sinning, it could not reverse the corruption and the law of death that had taken hold of human nature as a consequence of the initial transgression.

Restoration needed. What was needed was not just forgiveness, but a fundamental restoration of human nature, a reversal of corruption, and a victory over death itself. This required a power beyond human or angelic capacity.

4. Only the Word, the Creator, could restore man and conquer death.

Who, save the Word of God Himself, Who also in the beginning had made all things out of nothing? His part it was, and His alone, both to bring again the corruptible to incorruption and to maintain for the Father His consistency of character with all.

Unique capacity. Only the Word of God, who brought all things into being from nothing, possessed the power to recreate humanity and restore incorruption to corruptible nature. He alone was the Image of the Father, capable of renewing the likeness in man.

Mediator and Sacrifice. The Word was uniquely positioned to act as both restorer and mediator. Being above all creation, He was worthy to offer a sacrifice on behalf of all humanity and act as an ambassador with the Father.

Solidarity with humanity. To restore humanity, the Word needed to unite Himself with human nature. By indwelling a human body, He could reverse the corruption that had become inherent within it and make it a vehicle for life and incorruption.

5. The Word became Man to offer His body as a sacrifice for all, paying the debt of death.

For this reason, therefore, He assumed a body capable of death, in order that it, through belonging to the Word Who is above all, might become in dying a sufficient exchange for all, and, itself remaining incorruptible through His indwelling, might thereafter put an end to corruption for all others as well, by the grace of the resurrection.

Assuming a mortal body. The immortal Word took on a mortal human body, born of a virgin, specifically so that it could die. This body, being His own, could be offered as a perfect sacrifice and substitute for the death owed by all humanity.

Abolishing death's power. By surrendering His body to death, the Word fulfilled the law of death for all mankind. Because His body was united with the immortal Word, it could not remain dead, thus abolishing death's power and voiding its dominion over those united with Him.

First-fruits of resurrection. His death was not the end, but the means to a new beginning. By raising His own body incorruptible, He provided the first-fruits and pledge of the resurrection for all who believe, clothing them with incorruption.

6. The Incarnation renewed God's image in humanity and revealed the Father.

The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was He alone, the Image of the Father, Who could recreate man made after the Image.

Re-creation of the Image. Humanity had defiled the Image of God within them. The Word, being the perfect Image of the Father, came in person to dwell among men and renew that likeness in them, just as an artist redraws a damaged portrait on the same panel.

Teaching through human acts. Men had become fixated on sensible things and could not apprehend God through creation alone. By taking a human body and performing divine works within it, the Word met men on their own level, allowing them to perceive His Godhead and, through Him, the Father.

Filling all things. The Word's self-revelation was in every dimension:

• Above (creation)
• Below (Incarnation)
• Depth (Hades)
• Breadth (world)
  He filled all things with the knowledge of Himself, ensuring that wherever men looked, they could find Him and be led to the Father.

7. Christ's death on the cross was the uniquely fitting means of salvation.

He had come to bear the curse that lay on us; and how could He “become a curse” otherwise than by accepting the accursed death?

Bearing the curse. The cross was the "accursed" death according to scripture ("Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree"). By accepting this death, Christ bore the curse that lay upon humanity due to the Fall, freeing us from its power.

Drawing all people. The outstretched arms on the cross symbolized Christ drawing all humanity—both Jews and Gentiles—to Himself, breaking down the "middle wall of partition" and uniting them in His body.

Conquering the devil's domain. The air was considered the sphere of the devil. By dying on the cross, lifted up in the air, Christ conquered the devil in his own domain, purified the air, and opened the way for humanity to ascend to heaven.

8. The Resurrection is the undeniable proof of Christ's victory over death.

A very strong proof of this destruction of death and its conquest by the cross is supplied by a present fact, namely this. All the disciples of Christ despise death...

Public and witnessed. Christ waited three days before rising to ensure His death was undeniable and widely witnessed. This public death made His subsequent resurrection a clear and powerful demonstration of His victory over death, not a secret disappearance.

Incorruption of His body. Unlike others who die, Christ's body did not see corruption. This was proof that His death was not due to natural weakness but was a voluntary act by the Life itself to abolish death's power.

Fearlessness of Christians. A primary proof of the resurrection is the radical change in human attitude towards death. Before Christ, even the holy feared death; now, Christians, including women and children, eagerly face martyrdom, trampling on death as a conquered foe.

9. The ongoing transformation of the world demonstrates Christ's living power.

Does a dead man prick the consciences of men, so that they throw all the traditions of their fathers to the winds and bow down before the teaching of Christ?

Active power. Unlike dead heroes or gods, Christ is actively working in the world today. He invisibly persuades people everywhere to accept His faith, abandon sin, and pursue virtue and immortality.

Defeating false gods and demons. Christ's name and presence rout demons and expose the fraud of idols and magic. Where Christ is named, idolatry ceases, and evil spirits flee, acknowledging Him as God's Son.

Global impact. Christ's teaching, spread by simple men, has transformed the world, convincing vast numbers to despise earthly things and aspire to heaven. This global, unifying impact is unparalleled by any human philosopher or deity.

10. Jewish scriptures clearly foretold Christ's coming, works, and death.

Certainly nobody who reads the Scriptures can plead ignorance of the facts as an excuse for error!

Prophetic witness. The Jewish scriptures, which they themselves read, contain clear prophecies about Christ. These include His birth from a virgin, His appearance as a man, His divine nature ("God is with us," "Holy One of holies"), and His coming from Egypt.

Specific signs and death. Prophecies detailed specific signs of His coming, such as healing the blind, lame, and deaf—miracles that occurred only with Christ. They also foretold His death, including being pierced in hands and feet and hanging on a tree (the cross), and suffering for humanity's sins.

Cessation of Jewish institutions. Daniel's prophecy indicated that after the "Holy One of holies" was anointed, prophecy, vision, and the kingdom of Jerusalem would cease. The fact that these have ceased since Christ's coming is a clear sign that He is the promised One.

11. Gentile objections are answered by the Word's presence in creation and His power over all things.

If the Word of God is in the universe, which is a body, and has entered into it in its every part, what is there surprising or unfitting in our saying that He has entered also into human nature?

Word in creation. Gentiles acknowledge the Word's presence and activity in the universe, which they see as a great body. It is therefore not unfitting for the Word to be present and active in a part of that body, such as human nature.

Healing and teaching. The Word became man not for display, but to heal and teach suffering humanity on their level. He used a human body as an instrument because corruption was inherent within the body, and life needed to be woven into it to overcome death.

Power over all. Christ's power over demons, oracles, magic, diseases, and death itself surpasses that of any human hero, philosopher, or supposed god. His ability to transform lives and fill the world with His teaching proves He is not merely man or daemon, but the true Son of God.

Last updated: May 7, 2025