- God, With,
Us: Incarnation in Three Soundbites
I. Incarnation in Three Soundbites
1. Humanity
without compromise
2. Divinity without compromise
3. Unity (or personhood) without compromise
Heresies = compromises
II.
Humanity
Taken for granted
in the New Testament
Theological conclusions from Jesus' humanity:
- 1. Romans 5:12-21:
Jesus can reverse sin
2. 1 Corinthians 15: We can rise again
3. Hebrews 2:14-18, 4:15-16, etc.: Jesus can intercede
III. Divinity
Subtle in the New Testament
- Just OK: "Prooftexts"
(biblical one-liners)
- John 20:28, Rom. 9:5,
Heb. 1:8, 1 John 5:20, Titus 2:13 + 2 Peter 1:1, John 1:1, John
1:18, John 8:58
-
- Better: Roles and
acts of Jesus (narratives)
- A role in creation:
1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:2, John 1:2-3
Sovereignty over creation:
- Calming the storm,
walking on water, feeding miracles
- Forgiving / judging:
Healing the paralytic, sheep / goats, 2 Cor. 5:10
Central role in salvation: Luke 19:10, "savior" title,
healings/exorcisms
Special relationship with the One who sent him:
- Baptism, transfiguration,
Matt. 11:27
- Special relationship
with the Holy Spirit:
- John 14:26, John 15:26,
John 20:21-23, Acts 2:33, 38
- Always part of the
NT's "trinitarian" triads: Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14
-
- Best: A common worship
practice (liturgies)
- "Lord" (kurios):
1 Cor. 16:22, Phil. 2:5-11 (after Isa. 45:22-23)
-
- Humanity and divinity
affirmed: Nicea, 325 and Constantinople, 381
-
- IV. Unity
- How are they one?
Two schools of thought on "hypostatic union":
- 1. Alexandria: "Word-flesh"
Christology (cf. John 1)
- (Dangers: Compromises
Jesus' true humanity)
- 2. Antioch: "Word-man"
Christology (cf. Mark 1)
- (Dangers: Compromises
Jesus' unity and even divinity)
- Chalcedon's uncompromising
compromise, 451:
- In Christ divinity
and humanity are "without confusion, change, division, or
separation"
- Communication of attributes
(communicatio idiomata):
- Each nature influences
(without compromising) the other
- Result: Divine humanity
(Athanasius), human divinity (Barth)
- Analogy: Red-hot iron
(John of Damascus)
- Concurrence of relations:
- The relationships
constituting divine personhood and human personhood concur in
one person
- Either way, incarnation
grounds doctrines of salvation (e.g., Anselm)