There are so many connections in this world. People have no idea how each religion has so many ties to one another. Even religions that you would never think intertwine in fact do. How it that we know what is expected of us and how is it that we know the true power of God’s love for us. Think of the relationship between incarnation and atonement. First what does each one mean and how are they similar and how they are different. First you have to look at each one separate. First you must understand each term to then be able to see how they are connected to each other. There are many versions of incarnation and atonement but with the Christian religion to be more specific, these ideas are very much connected. Saint Anselm, a very intelligent …show more content…
Incarnation means “the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form (2) the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)” What this means is that in certain religions they believe that when you die you move on spiritually you become closer to the person that you are meant to be in the eyes of your God. With each incarnation, you take certain characteristics with you and lessons you learned from certain experiences in your past lives. “In Christian faith incarnation is continual in that our redemption depends on the reality that the eternal son of God came to us as a man. If he did not come fully down, then we are not fully saved (Dawson 5-6). Since Jesus became what we are, accepting our very humanity and God crossed the gap between human and deity, and he overcame our sin and came to live on our behalf. He chose to leave a faithful life that was beyond our capacity, but required by the Father. (Goodwithgod)” With Jesus giving his life all the humans would have been forced to live a life of damnation. Jesus evolved and became human took a man and God …show more content…
First we need to understand who he was. “Saint Anselm (1033-1109) was a Benedictine monk, Christian philosopher, and scholar who is recognized for many intellectual accomplishments, including his application of reason in exploring the mysteries of faith and for his definition of theology as "faith seeking understanding. He was one of the most important Christian thinkers of the eleventh century. He is most famous in philosophy for having discovered and articulated the so-called “ontological argument;” and in theology for his doctrine of the atonement. (Greg Sadler)" He may have been a monk and a great philosopher, but he was definitely not afraid to speak his mind. His teachings are a major part of the basis of our understanding of
“The word "Incarnation"comes from the Latin words "in" and "carnis" which means “flesh."" Flesh is the solid part of our being, the part that we can see and touch, in contrast to our mind, soul, and spirit” According to John 4:24, God in his natural form is a spirit. In God’s plan of salvation, “it was necessary for the Son of God to be revealed to humankind in ways that they could see and touch, and so the Incarnation was a part of the plan-- placing the eternal, immortal, invisible Son of God in a body of flesh”(Lehigh, David). According to the Catholic Church, “The Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human.
Saint Thomas of Aquainas may have been one of the greatest thinkers who attempted to bridge the proverbial gap between faith and reason. His Sacred Doctrine which was the initial part of his Summa Theologica was the basis for his conclusion about the existence of God. Aquinas tended to align his beliefs close with Aristotle's supposition that there must be an eternal and imputrescible creator. In comparison, Anselm's impressions were influenced largely by Plato. In his text Proslogion he outlined his Ontological argument that regarding the existence of God. It was simply that God was the ultimate and most perfect being conceivable, and that his state of existing is greater than not existing therefore god, being perfect in every way, must exist. This is where their paths divide, and although they essentially reach the same determination they paint the picture quite differently.
St. Anselm and St. Thomas Aquinas were considered as some of the best in their period to represent philosophy. St. Anselm’s argument is known as the ontological argument; it revolves entirely around his statement, “God is that, than which no greater can be conceived” (The Great Conversation, Norman Melchert 260). St. Thomas Aquinas’ argument is known as the cosmological argument; it connects the effects of events to the cause for why they happened. Anselm’s ontological proof and Aquinas’ cosmological proof both argued for God’s existence, differed in the way they argued God’s existence, and had varying degrees of success using these proofs.
One of the main principles of Christianity is the belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, that these two natures are combined harmoniously in one being. In general, all modern Christians believe that Jesus was human, he was considered to be “The Word was made flesh” (John, I: 14). However, Jesus was more than just a human, despite being subjected to pain, suffering and death like all other human beings, he was sinless and also possessed the power to heal and to defy death in order to ascend, both body and spirit, into heaven. He was all man and all God, a combination of these two elements, remaining distinct but united in one being. The deity of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief in Christianity, which is referred to in many parts of scripture, “God was revealed in the flesh” (I Timothy, 3:16). The Christian faith does not perceive Jesus as God but rather a reincarnation of God, a mysterious deity who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Throughout history, controversy has surrounded the issue of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, leading to the formation of Docetism, the belief that Jesus was fully divine but not fully human, Arianism, that Jesus was superior to all of creation, but less divine than God, and Nestorius, that there were two separate persons within Jesus. This the proportion of the divine and human within Je...
With each religion comes things to learn and understand. Some things are easy to grasp onto, while others can be impossible to comprehend. Why was it necessary for Jesus to be human? How did Jesus overcome the most powerful of human leaders? Why did God send His only son for us? In the book On the Incarnation by Athanasius, these questions are thoroughly explained. Beginning with the creation of man, God promised to protect and care for us. This promise He fulfills through Jesus His son.
The Ontological Argument, which argues from a definition of God’s being to his existence, is the first type of argument we are going to examine. Since this argument was founded by Saint Anslem, we will be examining his writings. Saint Anslem starts by defining God as an all-perfect being, or rather as a being containing all conceivable perfections. Now if in addition of possessing all conceivable perfections t...
“Sin finds its remedy under the fourth fundamental Christian doctrine, the atonement, worked by Jesus Christ. The orthodox understanding of the atonement sees Christ’s death as satisfying the just wrath of God over man’s sins.” Generally speaking, God has provided a way for man to escape eternally death. It’s the way for his creation to be reconciled back to him. “When Christ died, the Trinity itself split, in order to fulfill the law while providing forgiveness to humans. The doctrine that God himself keeps the law-his own law-even at so a [sic] great a cost to himself, demonstrates his most profound commitment to the rule of law. All things considered, God in the person of Jesus Christ came to earth and obeyed the laws of God without deviation he accepted the Laws of
Anselm was a stable believer in God, so he wanted to use logic and reason to confirm his faith and clarify God’s existence. Anselm’s argument was given in chapter two of Proslogion. Its main focus is the meaning of God. Furthermore, he claims that everyone, whether they trust in God or not, agrees with this definition. Anselm says there is a difference between understanding that God exists and understanding him to be a concept.
Erickson (1998) says there are a few theories on the atonement depending on how your read certain scripture, the theories are as follows: The Socinian Theory (1998:801); This theory speaks of Christ on the Cross as a perfect example of what kind of dedication followers of God must do, there is no connection to a sacrificial death whatsoever. The moral influence theory (1998:802); This theory believes the cross was an example of God’s love and not much more. The Governmental theory (1998:806); This theory sees the death of Christ on the Cross as atonement and also as a picture to the believer as to how serious sin is, and it must not be taken lightly. The Ransom Theory (1998:810); In this theory it is proposed, and quite popularly so, that as slaves to the world of Satan, humanity needed saving, Jesus’ death became our ransom, his death took our place. With this theory, the identity of Jesus was concealed from Satan, so he would accept the ransom. Finally the Satisfaction Theory (1998:813); This theory speaks about Christ’s death as satisfaction in place of all man-kinds sin, it also speaks against the fact Satan needed a payment of any kind, and it isn’t centred on man.
Jesus is the eternal son of God. Jesus died for our sins on the cross. Jesus took on flesh so that he could be one of our mankind, but he is not just man; he is God in flesh, the second person in the Trinity. “The son is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation for in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-16). Jesus is also the Lamb of God, as there has always been the image of Jesus as lamb being sactificial which represents that Jesus being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (Martens,
The concept of the Deity of Christ is one of great complexity. Numerous students, scholars, theologians and philosophers have studied Christ and His attributes. One of the most asked questions and sought after answers has been thoroughly dissected and examined to be able to even begin comprehending such a mystery. Millions ask: “How can Jesus Christ, the Son of God be one-hundred percent man, and one-hundred percent God at the same time? Also, how is it even possible that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can also be God Himself?”
When other popular teachers died, their movement died with them. However, after the death of Jesus, his movement continued to build strength and grew rapidly. James, Peter, John and Paul, Jude and the writer of Hebrews were convinced of Jesus’ resurrection, they believed this with such conviction that they did not even try to defend or prove this. They stated it as fact. “In each narrative, names are given of those to whom the resin Christ presented himself (Barnett 130)”. This can be verified and proven true, based on eyewitnesses. After the death of Christ, the lives of the writers of the New Testament were radically changed. They traveled where they had not gone to reach out to people outside their comfort zone. They died in their challenge
...ons. Jesus is the most qualified of the three Divine persons because Jesus wants to be on with us and with the world. Everyone in the world was born by a woman and men work with hard labor, this is the human consequence for not following the law of God. Jesus is the light of the world, he came to save is from all sin by being condemned to death. I also believe that the Incarnation matters because if the Incarnation did not happen, the world may be different.
Jesus Christ was the light that came to earth to brighten the lives of the people. He taught phenomenal and meaningful lessons that changed many hearts and caused people to accept Jesus as their Lord. Jesus Christ is the life of Christianity; the Word of God in flesh. His life, his ministry, and his crucifixion where prophesied long before he was born and Christians believe that they were all fulfilled. He had so much love for human kind that he came to earth to die for the sins of the people, so that their souls would be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible testifies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who taught memorable life lessons and performed astonishing miracles during his ministry.
In chapter 1: Divine Revelation Itself, it is discussed how God wants us to understand and know the love he has for us. Revelation does not only consist of words about God: but it also contains the living experience of God. God shows us how to live as he would want us to not just by telling us but also God reveals himself. When coming to grips with that God is truly like, we come to understand the reasoning for our existence. As we all now he died in order to save us, he also makes us aware of our connection to God. Jesus is known as a message and the messenger of God. Jesus tells us that God promises us that salvation will ultimately lead to eternal closeness. God sent his son so that he could educate us about the inner life of God and