Theological Term of the Week: Incarnation

incarnation

The act of God in which God the son, the second person of the Trinity, took upon himself a human nature so that his divine nature and human nature were joined together in one person who is both truly God and truly man.

• From scripture:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV).

• From The Belgic Confession, Article 18, The Incarnation:

The Son took the “form of a servant” and was made in the “likeness of man,” truly assuming a real human nature, with all its weaknesses, except for sin; being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, without male participation.

And he not only assumed human nature as far as the body is concerned but also a real human soul, in order that he might be a real human being. For since the soul had been lost as well as the body he had to assume them both to save them both together.

Therefore we confess … that he “shared the very flesh and blood of children”; that he is “fruit of the loins of David” according to the flesh; “born of the seed of David” according to the flesh; “fruit of the womb of the virgin Mary”;”born of a woman”; “the seed of David”; “a shoot from the root of Jesse”; “the offspring of Judah,” having descended from the Jews according to the flesh; “from the seed of Abraham”— for he “assumed Abraham’s seed” and was “made like his brothers except for sin.”

In this way he is truly our Immanuel— that is: “God with us.”

• From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, page 334:

It was not the triune God but the second person of the Trinity that assumed human nature. For that reason it is better to say that the Word became flesh than that God became man. At the same time we should remember that each of the divine persons was active in the incarnation, Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Acts 2:30; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil 2:7. This also means that the incarnation was not something that merely happened to the Logos, but was an active accomplishment on His part. In speaking of the incarnation in distinction from the birth of the Logos, His active participation in this historical fact is stressed, and His pre-existence is assumed. It is not possible to speak of the incarnation of one who had no previous existence. This pre-existence is clearly taught in Scripture: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1. “I am come down from heaven,” John 6:38. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor,” II Cor. 8:9. “Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men,” Phil. 2:6,7. “But when the fulness of the time came God sent forth His Son,” Gal. 4:4. The pre-existent Son of God assumes human nature and takes to Himself human flesh and blood, a miracle that passes our limited understanding. It clearly shows that the infinite can and does enter into finite relations, and that the supernatural can in some way enter the historical life of the world.

Learn more:

1. Simply Put: Incarnation
2. Got Questions: What is the meaning of the Incarnation of Christ?
3. Biblical Training: Incarnation
4. J. I. Packer: Incarnation: God Sent His Son to Save Us 
5. R. C. Sproul: What We Celebrate at Christmas
6. Stephen Wellum: The Incarnation and Two Natures of Christ
7. Bob Deffinbaugh: The Importance of the Incarnation
8. Mark Jones: The Mystery and Glory of the Incarnation

Related terms:

• advent
• crucifixion of Christ
• deity of Christ
• humanity of Christ
• hypostatic union
• virgin birth

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

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Sunday's Hymn: Angels From the Realms of Glory

Angels from the realms of glo­ry,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang cre­ation’s sto­ry
Now pro­claim Mes­si­ah’s birth.

Refrain

Come and wor­ship, come and wor­ship,
Worship Christ, the new­born king.

Shepherds, in the field abid­ing,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now re­sid­ing;
Yonder shines the in­fant light:

Sages, leave your con­tem­pla­tions,
Brighter vi­sions beam afar;
Seek the great De­sire of na­tions;
Ye have seen His na­tal star.

Saints, be­fore the al­tar bend­ing,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, des­cend­ing,
In His tem­ple shall ap­pear.

Sinners, wrung with true re­pent­ance,
Doomed for guilt to end­less pains,
Justice now re­vokes the sen­tence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.

Though an in­fant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Fa­ther’s throne,
Gather all the na­tions to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:

All cre­ation, join in prais­ing
God, the Fa­ther, Spir­it, Son,
Evermore your voic­es rais­ing
To th’eter­nal Three in One.

—James Mont­gom­ery

Theological Term of the Week: Sufficiency of Scripture

sufficiency of Scripture

The truth that the words of scripture contain everything we need to know from God in order to be saved and to be perfectly obedient to him.

• From scripture:

… [F]rom childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15 ESV).

• From The London Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 1, Section 6:

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture, to which nothing is to be added at any time, either by new revelation of the Spirit, or by the traditions of men.

• From Systematic Theology by Robert Letham, page 202:

Beyond the sense of Scripture found in its explicit statements and by deduction, nothing is to be added. Scripture is the complete and utterly sufficient revelation of God for the salvation of his church (2 Tim. 3:16-17). There are two main potential sources for claiming additions to Scripture. First, mysticism proposes new revelations from the Holy Spirit. To suppose that such are needed is to regard Scripture as less than sufficient to disclose God’s glory and to unfold our salvation, faith, and life. Second, traditionalism is another threat, chiefly in the Church of Rome with its body of dogmatic accretions, reinforced by its stress on the supremacy of churchly authority. Instead, we are to look to Scripture as our only rule of faith and life (Isa. 8:19-20).

In no way does this eliminate the need for the Holy Spirit. We need his illumination in order to understand the Bible in a saving manner. Rationalism is as damaging as mysticism. The Spirit, who authored Scripture, enables us to recognize that it is the Word of God and helps us to interpret it correctly.

Nor should we reject tradition as such. However, the bottom line is that there is no truth required by God to be believed for salvation of duty required of us to perform other than what is found in Scripture.

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: What is the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture?
2. Simply Put: The Sufficiency of Scripture
3. Blue Letter Bible: What Is the Sufficiency of Scripture?
4. Matthew Barrett: The Sufficiency of Scripture
5. Carl Trueman: The Sufficiency of Scripture
6. Dave Jenkins: Sufficient for You

Related terms:

• authority of scripture
• inerrancy of scripture
• infallibility of scripture
• inspiration of scripture
• perspicuity of scripture
• sola scriptura

Filed under Scripture

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button above the header will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.