Christianity Chapter 1: Christian Beliefs - 1.3 The Incarnation

Question 1

What is The Incaranation?

Answer 1

Incarnation: to take on flesh; God becomes a human being

Question 2

What are 2 quotes for The Incarnation?

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

What does The Bible teach about the reasons for the incarnation?

Answer 3

• 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.
• God takes on a physical human form in order to be more accessible to humanity.

Question 4

What does Immanuel mean?

Answer 4

Immanuel means ‘God with us’.

Question 5

How does the Bible describe the Incarnation and why?

Answer 5

The Bible also describes the incarnation as a great mystery, because there are aspects of it that are amazing and beyond human understanding:

‘the mystery from which true godliness springs is great’ (1 Timothy 3:16)

Question 6

What is the importance of The Incarnation for Christians today?

Answer 6

• 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 (see 1.2). The incarnation is therefore important for Christians because 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 what they celebrate during Christmas (see 3.5). Christians celebrate the incarnation on Christmas Day by singing Christmas carols and remembering the story of the birth of Jesus.
• Christians believe that, as a human, Jesus could understand humanity and its problems, and identify with their suffering.