The Incarnation (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)
Revision Note
The Nature & Importance of Jesus Christ
What is the Incarnation?
The word incarnation means ‘becoming flesh’
It is used to describe the Christian belief that God took human form as Jesus and lived and died in the world
The belief that Jesus is God in human form is hugely significant
The birth of Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Christ coming to earth as the Saviour who was promised by God
Jesus as ‘the son’ is part of the the Trinity which is the idea that God is present in three forms (The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit)
The Nature and Importance of Jesus Christ
For Christians, the incarnation shows that Jesus was fully God (divine) and fully human
This is very important for a number of reasons
If God was human then he understands what it means to be human and can experience human feelings like suffering and love
If God was divine it means that he is the all powerful creator of everything and is worthy of praise and worship
There are many biblical quotes which show Christians that Jesus should be viewed as both human and divine
Jesus as Human | Jesus as Divine |
|---|---|
Jesus had a human body (Luke 24: 39) | Jesus was resurrected after death (Mark 16: 1-20) |
Jesus was born to a human mother Mary as a normal baby (Luke 2: 7) | Jesus was omnipotent (Matthew 28: 18) |
Jesus got tired (John 4: 6), hungry (Matthew 4: 2) and thirsty (John 19: 28) | Jesus was omniscient (John 21: 17) |
He prayed to God (John 17) | People worshipped and prayed to Jesus (Matthew 2: 11) |
He showed human emotions such as amazement (Matthew 8: 10) and sorrow (John 11: 35) | Jesus performed miracles for example he turned water into wine (John 2: 1-11) |
Jesus died (Romans 5: 8) | Jesus forgave sins (Mark 2: 5-7) |
Biblical Accounts of Incarnation
What does the bible say about Incarnation?
When Jesus was born, God became present on earth as a human and as the second part of the Trinity - the Son
This is referred to as the incarnation of Jesus, as it was when God took on human form, becoming fully God and fully human at the same time
The bible contains passages which support the Christian view that Jesus was God in human form
‘He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed in the world, was taken up in glory’ (1 Timothy 3: 16)
The idea of Jesus being God incarnate begins with the birth of Jesus
In the Bible, the Virgin Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel who told her that she was to have a son and that he would be named Jesus and he would be a divine baby
‘The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35)
The gospels teach that Jesus had a human birth, the story of which is referred to as the nativity
Many Christians celebrate at Christmas to remember that God the Son was born in the person of Jesus
‘The Word became flesh and lived amongst us’ (John 1:14)
The events of Jesus’ life are central to the Christian faith and are what many of the Church teachings are built upon
Four key events of Jesus’ life offer proof and evidence of him as God incarnate and fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament. These four events are:
The birth of Jesus
His crucifixion and death
His resurrection
His ascension
Understanding Jesus Christ the Person
Jesus Christ the Person
The life of Jesus acts as an example to all Christians of how they should live their lives
Jesus grew up in a Jewish family and community in Nazareth. He was a carpenter like his human step-father, Joseph
At the age of 30, Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist and began teaching and performing miracles, such as healing a blind man
This is known as his ministry. He also recruited his disciples and together they taught God’s message to many people
Jesus demonstrated God’s love and gave guidance and teachings throughout his life
The Sermon on the Mount contained some of his most important messages
One of his key teachings was the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which teaches Christians to ‘love thy neighbour’ (Luke 10:30-37)
Christians continue to use the teachings from Jesus as an example of how God wants them to live and act
Worked Example
Explain two biblical teachings about Jesus as the Incarnate Son of God
In your answer you must refer to a source of wisdom and authority
(5 marks)
Answer:
The Bible teaches that Jesus was present at creation and he was with God from the beginning, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’ (John 1:1) (3 marks)
Jesus as the Son of God spoke to humanity about his Father in Heaven (1) and returned to the father, taken up in glory (2 marks)
Breakdown of marks
One mark is given for each teaching and then further marks for each development of the reason
One further mark is given for any relevant source of wisdom or authority
In this answer, the first example has a developed teaching with a relevant source of wisdom / authority which is awarded 3 marks and the second example contains a developed teaching which is awarded 2 marks
Exam Tip
You may be asked why the incarnation is important to Christians today
Correct responses to this question could include
It reminds Christians that Jesus came to earth as a human
At Christmas the community join together to celebrate the Incarnation of God in Jesus
In Jesus humans can see what God is like and so Christians can follow this example
Jesus came to earth to restore the relationship between God and humanity, it therefore allows Christians to have a relationship with God
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