The Incarnation Flashcards
What is the incarnation
The incarnation is when God took on human form to become Jesus
What does the incarnation show for christians
- For christians , the fact that God was prepared to become human shows how much God loves the human race
- For christians, the fact that God knows what its like to be human also helps christians to value his love
What happens in Lukes account of the incarnation
- Luke’s account of the incarnation focusses on Marys role
- It tells the story of how the Angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she was going to concieve and give birth named jesus, who would be the son of man
- Jesus was concieved by the holy spirit
- Mary was given the choice of wether to accept the role of Jesus mother. She gives her consent and says “Let it be with me according to your word”
- This incarnation shows how Jesus is both fully human and fully God
What happens in Matthews account of the incarnation
- Matthews account foccuses on Joseph’s role in the incarnation
- It tells of how an Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained how Jesus was concieved by the power of the holy spirit in order to save humanity from its sins
- In the story the angel refers to Jesus as “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us” showing how Jesus was in fact the son of God
What are the 5 main points that are shared in both accounts
- Mary was a virgin
- God used humans to bring about his plan for humanity
- Jesus was concieved by the power of the holy spirit
- The Angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth
- Jeus was the son of God
What is the word of God
- The catholic church teaches that God is not one person but in fact three(the father, the son and the holy spirit) and together these are called the trinity
- The second person , the son, can also be reffered to as the word of God
- The word of God became human through Jesus ( Jesus is sometimes reffered to as “the word of God made flesh”
What are bible teachings about the Word of God
- The word of God is eternal
- The word of God is God
- The word of God is also distinct from God
- The word of God is an expression of Gods love and power
What does the teaching “ the word of God is eternal” mean
The word of God is eternal means that it has always existed
-“In the beggining was the word”
What does the teaching “the word is God” mean
The word is God means that the word comes from deep inside God and is his self expression ( words come from inside someone)
-“The word was God”
What does the teaching “the word of God is also distinct from God mean”
The word of God is also distinct from God means that whilst the word of God and God are united and coexist tehre is also a distinction between them
-“The word was with God”
What does the teaching “ The word of God is how God expresses his power and love” mean
The word of God is how God expresses his power and love shows that the Word of God gives life,light and guidance
-“What has come into being in him is life”
What do christians believe about Jesus as the son of man
- Cheistians believe that Jesus was fully human as he lived a human life complete with human experieneces and emotions
- The title “son of man”emphasises his humanity and how he is like any human but also emphasis that he has been given the power and authority be God
- The fact that Jesus also suffered on the cross shows his humanity
What do christians believe about Jesus as the son of God
- When Jesus was arrested and taken to the high court he acknowledged that he was the son of God , showing his divinity and that he shared in Gods power
- Christians also believe that Jesus was always God but limited himself to human form during life on earth ( they believe this because God is eternal so therefore Jesus couldnt have become God after the ressurection and must have always been God
What is the ichtus and how was it used
The ichtus is a fish. The ichtus can also be used to remind chrustians the acronym about Jesus : “ Jesus christ ,son of God saviour” as the greek letter represnt a series of Greek words which translates to this.
-In early christianity it was used as a declaration of faith and christians would wear it to show that they believed that Jesus christ was the son of God and the saviour
What does the alpha omega symbol represent for christians and how is it used
The alpha omega symbol shows how God and Jesus are involved in everything from start to finish. It shows this because Alpha is the first letter of the greek alphabet and Omega is the last .
-It has been used since the first century and still can be found in churches
What is the chi rho symbol and what does it represent for christians
The chi rho symbol is a symbol made out of the first two letters of the greek word for christ
- It reminds christians of Jesus’ death and reminds them of how Jesus was sent by God to save humanity through his death
- It inspires christians and is an expression of their faith. Many where it as an alternative to the crucifix