God The Son Flashcards
Incarnation
This literally means ‘becomes flesh’ or ‘embodiment’ eg. God took on the form of a man.
Matthew and Luke’s versions
The gospels of Matthew and Luke include the story of Jesus’ birth. They are trying to show that the incarnation is LITERALLY true. His mother was a virgin, which for many Christians is important because it shows that he was fully human (he was born) but he was at the same time not conceived in the usual way, therefore different and special – i.e. God
Johns version
He is more interested in ideas . He wrote the ‘The word became flesh and dwelt amongst us’. In the Genesis creation story there was chaos and then God SPOKE (he SAID ‘Let there be light’)– so this means that God the creator spoke the WORD which is life, love order, and this was the essence of God which eventually became the Incarnation (became flesh – i.e. Jesus)
Why the INCARNATION is important
The incarnation is important to Christians because it shows how much God loves us – that he was prepared to give up everything to become a humble man. They think that ‘since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another’ (1 John)
Crucifixion
Jesus was arrested, tried and convicted of blasphemy by the Jewish priests who saw his new ideas as a threat. They had no authority to kill Jesus, so they handed him over to the Roman governor, saying that he was guilty of treason (plotting against the state by claiming that he was the Messiah). He was put to death by crucifixion.
Why the CRUCIFIXION is important
Christians believe that Jesus’ death was a part of God’s plan. Human beings choose to go their own way and ignore god. All human beings were born with ‘original sin’ i.e. we are all essentially inclined towards selfishness and greed . This means that we no longer have a proper relationship with God – we no longer think about God, but only about ourselves, and consequently the world is in a mess. God can’t bear to look at us and what we’ve done. We do not deserve a life after death in Heaven.
Atonement
‘at-one-ment’
i.e. the relationship has been restored. They say that Jesus’ death ‘atoned’ for our sins and that after death we can be with God in Heaven
Resurrection
Stories of Jesus resurrection vary in the gospels, but all agree that some of Jesus’ female followers went to the tomb in which he was buried on Sunday morning to anoint the body.
2 reasons the RESURRECTION is significant
- Christians agree that Jesus’ resurrection proves that life after death is possible. This means that Christians will be less afraid of dying, and that they know they will see their loved ones again in Heaven, so bereavement is a sad time, but it is not the end.
- The resurrection also proves that God is more powerful than death. This might give Christians courage to take on challenging tasks – for example Martin Luther King was brave enough to stand up for equal rights, despite receiving death threats.
Ascension
40 days after Jesus’ resurrection he was taken up into Heaven. New Testament accounts suggest a cloud descended and hid him from sight, and that when the cloud lifted he was gone.
