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The Incarnation

Trinitarian origins. The doctrine of the incarnation—the standard orthodox account of the incarnation of Jesus—was developed in the fifth century (at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451) in order to address a number of popular (supposedly) heretical teachings and to reaffirm the Nicene (AD 325) and Niceno-Constantinopolitan (AD 381) trinitarian creeds regarding the Son of God. This doctrine, as declared in the Chalcedonian Definition (or Creed), diminishes, perverts and in some cases nullifies several key Biblical teachings.

Etymology. The word itself, incarnation, derives from the Latin verb incarno which means "to make into flesh" and is drawn from John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh."

Doctrine of the incarnation. The doctrine of the incarnation is the belief that the Son of God, while retaining his divine nature, assumed human form in the person of Jesus Christ through the miracle of the virgin birth. Jesus Christ was then fully divine: being of the substance of the Father as the begotten Son of God; and fully man: taking flesh and human nature by way of his human mother through the virgin birth. The principal texts used to defend this doctrine are the following:

  • John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • Galatians 4:4: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
  • Philippians 2:5-8: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
  • Hebrews 10:5-7: Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
  • 1 John 4:2 (REV): This is how you know the spirit is from God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
  • 2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

What is apparent from the above Bible texts (and many other similar texts) are the following:

  1. Son of God. That Jesus had pre-existence as the "Son of God." That is, when God sent His Son into the world (John 3:16; Galatians 4:4), God had a (divine) Son to send.
  2. Son of Man. That Jesus was "born of woman," "has come in the flesh," "became flesh," was "found in human form," was "born in the likeness of men."

What is *not* apparent from the above Biblical texts, is the nature of this incarnation. The Bible is not explicit in the following:

  • That Jesus possessed a dual nature—fully divine and fully human (i.e. 100% God and 100% man).
  • That Jesus' divine nature was operational—i.e. that he retained and utilized his divine attributes.
  • That Jesus' divine nature was restrained or confined—i.e. that Jesus possessed *some* divine attributes, but not all.

Colossians 2:9 proof text. If you include verse 10, this passage reads as follows,

  • Colossians 2:9-10: For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

There you have it. It says, "in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." What could be more plain than this! It says that Jesus was 100% God. Case closed.

Not so fast. This passage is speaking of Christ's post-resurrection state. After the resurrection and specifically after his ascension to heaven, Christ, in his new glorified body, became "the head of all rule and authority" and we are "filled in him" by the Holy Spirit. It is *not* referring to Jesus' body when he was on earth prior to the resurrection. That the Father restored Christ to his former glory as the Son of God is quite reasonable to assume, given that this is what Jesus prayed for in Gethsemane (John 17:5).

As great a mystery as is the incarnation, much greater can be said of the mystery of Christ's glorification. As little can be pieced together regarding Christ's incarnation on earth, even less can be found regarding Christ's glorified state in heaven. To say that Christ's glorified state in heaven is the same state that he had on earth as a man is pure speculation. Other than Jesus retaining a human appearance and was able to eat human food after the resurrection (Luke 24:42-43), we know little else. We don't even have a clue as to what our glorified bodies will be like, other than that they will be like Jesus',

  • 1 John 3:2: Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

Satan's temptations. At the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan. His first temptation was to make stones into bread:

  • Matthew 4:1-3: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

Obviously, this is not a temptation for an ordinary human being. No human has the power to turn stones into bread. Satan was then appealing to his divine nature, no? Not necessarily. The power of Jesus to perform miracles was a power given by God, a power that we can also have.

  • Matthew 9:5-8: For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
  • Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

As Jesus was given authority to perform miracles, then Jesus had the authority to turn stones into bread. Divine attributes did not need to enter into the equation. Jesus simply could perform this miracle (and all other miracles) by the authority that had been given to him.

As was true for Jesus, so it was true for his disciples—they were given authority to perform miracles.

  • Matthew 10:1: And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
  • Luke 10:19: Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
  • Mark 16:17-18: And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.

As Jesus was tempted to misuse his authority, so can we. You may have heard of ministers misusing the authority given to them by God for personal, selfish reasons. This amounts to the same thing. Jesus himself speaks to this potential for misuse:

  • Matthew 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

It is evident then that there will be people who will be excluded from heaven who misused the divine authority given to them. The temptation that Jesus experienced is then a temptation that those who have been given authority can also experience.

The question is moot. The question: "Did Jesus have divine powers when on earth?" is a moot question (having little or no practical relevance), given that even if he had these powers, he could not use them, if he was to be our Example in all points. The plan of salvation involved Christ manifesting perfect trust and obedience to the Father in the face of all trials. It did not involve him using (or misusing) his divine powers.

  • 1SM 275.1: Christ could have worked a miracle on His own account; but this would not have been in accordance with the plan of salvation. The many miracles in the life of Christ show His power to work miracles for the benefit of suffering humanity. By a miracle of mercy He fed five thousand at once with five loaves and two small fishes. Therefore He had power to work a miracle, and satisfy His own hunger. Satan flattered himself that he could lead Christ to doubt the words spoken from heaven at His baptism. And if he could tempt Him to question His sonship, and doubt the truth of the word spoken by His Father, he would gain a great victory.
  • 1SM 276.3: It was not any part of the mission of Christ to exercise His divine power for His own benefit, to relieve Himself from suffering. This He had volunteered to take upon Himself. He had condescended to take man's nature, and He was to suffer the inconveniences, and ills, and afflictions of the human family. He was not to perform miracles on His own account. He came to save others. The object of His mission was to bring blessings, and hope, and life, to the afflicted and oppressed. He was to bear the burdens and griefs of suffering humanity.
  • 1SM 278.1: The Saviour of the world became sin for the race. In becoming man's substitute, Christ did not manifest His power as the Son of God. He ranked Himself among the sons of men. He was to bear the trial of temptation as a man, in man's behalf, under the most trying circumstances, and leave an example of faith and perfect trust in His heavenly Father. Christ knew that His Father would supply Him food when it would gratify Him to do so. He would not in this severe ordeal, when hunger pressed Him beyond measure, prematurely diminish one particle of the trial allotted to Him be exercising His divine power.

What Jesus did, we can do by trusting in God as he did.

  • John 14:12: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Emptied himself. The Bible tells us that he "emptied himself" at the incarnation—"but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). Although the Bible is not specific on what Christ emptied himself of, we can assume at least the following:

  • Jesus emptied himself of immortality. Jesus became mortal, subject to death.
  • Jesus emptied himself of omniscience. Jesus came into the world as a babe who grew up and "increased in wisdom" (Luke 2:52).
  • Jesus emptied himself of omnipresence, given that he could not be present everywhere as the promised Holy Spirit would be (John 16:7).

So, although Christ claimed divinity, he lived as one of us, the life of humanity. He could sympathize with our weaknesses because he was subject to our weaknesses (Matthew 8:17; Hebrews 4:15; 5:2).

  • Hebrews 2:17: Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Trinitarian view of the incarnation and its problems

For trinitarians, the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) provides the standard orthodox account of the incarnation of Jesus.

Chalcedonian Definition (or Creed). This "definition" was made during the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 and established the doctrine of the incarnation recognized by the Catholics and many Protestant churches. Along with a definition of the incarnation, it reaffirms the trinitarian Nicene Creed (AD 325) and Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381). You can read the summary statement of this definition (or creed) at the Protestant Reformed Churches website under Ecumenical Creeds - Chalcedon. The main teachings of the Chalcedonian Definition include:

  1. Jesus has two natures—He is God and man, "co-essential with the Father" (i.e. against Arianism) and "co-essential with us" (i.e. against Apollinarism).
  2. Each nature is full and complete—He is fully God and fully man, "two natures unconfusedly, unchangeably." Directed against Eutychianism. Or, in other words, Jesus didn't become a little less than God and he didn't become a superhuman half-breed.
  3. Each nature remains distinct, "indivisibly, inseparably." Two natures, one person. referred to as a hypostatic union.
  4. Born of Mary the Virgin Theotokos ("Mother of God"). Directed against Nestorianism.

Hypostatic union. The trinitarian theological term used for the union of Christ's humanity and divinity is one hypostasis—i.e. one substance or concrete existence, as opposed to an abstract or bifurcated existence. This Greek term hypostasis came into use in the late fourth and fifth centuries. The concept of homoousios (same substance) was originally rejected in the third century (i.e. Synods of Antioch against Paul of Samosata), but then adopted into trinitarian thought at the Council of Nicaea.

Fully God. This doctrine essentially teaches that Christ did not give up any divine attributes in the incarnation. As one theologian put it, "Remaining what he was, he became what he was not." For if he had given up any of his divine attributes, he would cease being God. This is a requirement, since the Son shares the same substance or essence (Greek: homoousios ) with the Father and the Spirit. The three divine entities can never be separated from each other, because they are made up of one indivisible substance (i.e. consubstantiality) making up the "one God". It is, therefore, a trinitarian impossibility for the Son of God to have given up or restrict his divine attributes when he became man.

Fully man, yet sinless. Jesus was fully human in that he manifested all the experiences that we experience as humans. He lived on earth just as we do. However, unlike man, who has a sinful nature, the trinitarian view is that Christ was sinless—Christ could not sin because, as God, no temptation would have tempted him (James 1:13, "God cannot be tempted with evil"). Christ's perfect obedience was then, a given. Christ obeyed because he could not disobey. Some say that it was Christ's human side that could have sinned, not his divine side. But if Christ has an "indivisible, inseparable" union of both the divine and the human (i.e. a hypostatic union), then if Jesus had sinned, he would have died and perished, like all sinners, with both his divinity and humanity going down together. But that is impossible, because divinity cannot die.

The last Adam or first God-man. In his writings (Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15), Paul refers to Jesus as the second Adam. But, the trinitarian view destroys this parallel, because Adam is in no way comparable to an eternal, pre-existent divine being. Adam is a created being, not a being that is 100% God and 100% man. Adam was not coequal with the Father and of the same substance as the Father. Adam could have sinned (and did), but Christ was sinless and could not sin, because he was God.

Gethsemane. In Gethsemane, Jesus struggled to do the will of the Father and prayed three times for the Father to "remove this cup" from him (Luke 22:42). Buf if Jesus was God, then his Father's will was the same as his own will. This prayer was then virtually meaningless, since Jesus' divine will was already in agreement with his Father's will. Some trinitarians argue that it was his "human side" that struggled not his "divine side." If so, then Jesus' struggle was with himself, his human side battling with his divine side—a kind of schizophrenic struggle of two personalities within the same person. Why then was he invoking the Father in his prayer when the struggle was within himself? It makes no sense.

A non-hero. If Jesus was God, he could hardly deny himself (i.e. empty himself and submit to God's will) when it was his own will to begin with since he was God. Jesus, as God, could not disobey his own directive. Endowed with a divine perspective of human events, Jesus was simply going through the motions of a prearranged "play." And, since there are no merits to his submission and obedience (as in Philippians 2:8-11), then equally his exaltation is without merit.

Lordship. If Jesus was God, the title of both Lord and Christ given to him by the Father in Acts 2:36 is not particularly notable, since he was already acting as Lord prior to the incarnation by virtue of being God.

God-man paradox. According to Kierkegaard (in Philosophical Fragments), this dual nature is "the ultimate paradox" and can only be resolved by a leap of faith. The paradox is how could God, being eternal, all powerful, holy, all wise, fully become a human: burdened by sin, subject to death, limited in goodness, knowledge, and understanding. The precise nature of this God-man union, of Jesus being 100% God and 100% man in one person, defies human comprehension and can only be presented as a "mystical union" to be received by a leap of faith. It is inexplicable and incomprehensible, outside the realm of reason, and prone to be categorized in the realm of Greek mythology (a kind of demigod) or Hinduism (a kind of avatara).

Christs' death. If Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, then who died on the cross? Obviously, it could not be Jesus' divine person, since God cannot die. But if it was only his human side that died, then what happened to his divine personality when Jesus died and was placed in the tomb? Did his divinity rest in a dead body or did it wing back to heaven and wait there for the resurrection?

Trinitarians claim that Jesus' death was only a human death. The atonement for sin was then a human sacrifice and no more. His divinity did not experience death, because divinity cannot die. Moreover, trinitarians believe that Jesus was one person (hypostatic union), not two persons in one body. Thus, it was not the human "person" who died on the cross, but his human "nature." The human person could not die because it contained divinity, and divinity cannot die.

Conclusion. The standard orthodox view of the incarnation, as declared by the Chalcedonian Doctrine (AD 451), is built on a foundation of trinitarian sand. It destroys the plan of salvation by misinterpreting Christ's mission on earth.

  • Not our perfect Example. Rather than Jesus being our perfect Example, his example is beyond our reach because his sinless nature is not ours. We sin because of our sinful nature; however, Jesus had a sinless nature which does not sin and could not sin because he is God. Jesus as God could not sin because "God cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1:13).
  • Not a perfect Sacrifice. Rather than Jesus being the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus did not really die, only his sinful "nature" died, since his hypostatic union did not allow his "person" to die. Jesus' death on the cross was not the death of a divine being, because divinity cannot die. Moreover, it was not the death of his humanity either, because the nature of his hypostatic union meant that his divine and human substance (or essence) were inseparably fused into one person and his physical death would have also meant the death of his divinity which, by definition, cannot die. Only his sinful "nature" died, not his person. His sacrifice is then a diminished sacrifice.

This trinitarian view also perverts or nullifies several other important Biblical teachings, such as:

  • Jesus as the second Adam. The parallels between Adam and Jesus are simply not there given that Jesus was the God-man and Adam was created. Adam faced temptation like a human being which can sin and Jesus faced temptation with a sinless nature that cannot sin. Adam could have failed (and did); Jesus could not have failed (and didn't). It's simply not a fair comparison.
  • Jesus as God's Servant. As God's Servant, Jesus only play acted since, as God, he was equal with God and all creation served him—he had command over the angels; he had command over all Creation. Jesus may have served mankind when on earth but it was from a position of power and authority, not from a position of weakness and humility. His prayer and struggle in Gethsemane was not with God but with himself (a kind of schizophrenic struggle of two distinct personalities in the one man).
  • Jesus as Lord. The title of "Lord" given to him by the Father in heaven (Acts 2:36) is not particularly significant or important given that Jesus had this title before his incarnation as God. In the resurrection and ascension, Jesus simply continued where he left off.
  • Jesus as the Son of Man. Not really like a son of Man, given his superior innate qualities. Jesus could more accurately be described as the God-man, a fusion of two entities not unlike a demigod or avatara.

Related issues to the incarnation

Christ's omnipresence. One of the attributes of God is omnipresence. For Jesus to be divine, he had to have omnipresence. The Bible, however, does not tell us this. On the contrary, even in heaven, Jesus will not exercise omnipresence on his own but through the Holy Spirit which he will send to us.

  • John 15:26: But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
  • John 16:7: Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus is then omnipresent through his representative, the Holy Spirit. If Jesus is omnipresent through his own spirit, then there would be three spirits that abide in us: The Father's spirit (Romans 8:11), Jesus' own spirit (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:17) and the Holy Spirit. If so, then why is there a need for the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, when we already have the Father's spirit and Jesus' spirit?

Kenosis doctrine. The kenosis theory is that Jesus divested himself of some or all of his divine attributes while on earth. Again, not an explicit teaching taught in the Bible.

Son of man. Jesus referred to himself as the "Son of man" almost exclusively in the gospels, giving importance to the fact that he was human. Biblical support for Jesus' humanity is extensive. Jesus slept, ate, perspired, had emotions, bled and ultimately died on a cross. Even after the resurrection, Jesus was recognized as a human by his disciples.

Jesus as God metaphorically. The thought here is that if Jesus on earth simply did or said nothing but what the Father did through him (because Jesus' will was to only do what the Father had shown him to do), a person could say that Jesus was God because Christ acted exactly as God. Yet, Jesus was not actually God because he had a will of his own. Jesus merely made the decision (with his own will) to do nothing lest than the Father's will. So Christ represented God perfectly in words and behaviors but Jesus also waited to see what the Father did first, making Jesus separate from God. Jesus is God means Jesus showed us how God would be if he was a part of the world.

An alternate approach

As noted earlier, the trinitarian view of the incarnation (i.e. the Chalcedonian Definition) fails miserably because it does not affirm Jesus as our perfect Example and as the perfect Sacrifice. These are key teachings in the plan of salvation. One deals with Christ's life on earth that we can live (i.e. our perfect Example) and the other deals with his atoning death that reconciles us to God (i.e. the perfect Sacrifice). A valid view of the incarnation should at minimum support the following:

  • A truly human life. That Jesus was truly a man and lived a life identical to ours with the same trials and tribulations that we go through. If he is to be our example, he should have experienced what we experience.
  • A truly servant life. That Jesus served mankind from an attitude of humility and self-denial, not from an attitude of pride or as one privileged.
  • A truly dependent life. That Jesus did not rely on his own divine power, but depended entirely on the Father for all his needs.
  • A truly unblemished life. That Jesus was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus could have sinned, as the second Adam, but choose not to. In other words, the temptations Jesus experienced were real and he could have sinned, but didn't.

Christ's divinity a moot point. The question of Jesus possessing divinity is really a moot point (having little or no practical relevance) when one realizes that, even if he had divine powers, he could not use them, or else he would not have been our perfect Example. Think of Superman having the power to fly and never flying, or the power to see through walls and never using it. Jesus had the power to do many things as a divine being, but he never used them because, if he did, he would fail to represent us and be our perfect Example. Yes, Jesus performed miracles, but they were by the authority given him by the Father, just as we can perform miracles by the authority given to us.

Irrespective of his divine attributes (which he did not use), Jesus came as a man and lived a human life.

  • He was born of a woman, just as we are born of a woman.
  • He lived a simple, humble life, just as most of us live simple and humble lives.
  • He was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin.
  • He experienced the trials and tribulation that we go through.
  • He depended on the Father, just as we can depend on the Father.

The need to acknowledge Christ's pre-existence and his divine nature may have theological importance and ontological meaning, but it has little practical value because whatever Jesus was in his pre-incarnate life and whatever powers he possessed in his incarnation, they had no bearing on the life he lived since they were never exercised. He lived a life that we can live and depended on God just as we can depend on. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law, so that we can live by Grace. Jesus had divinity yet lived a human life so that we as humans can access divinity through his life.

What his divinity entailed as the man Jesus is not really detailed in the Bible. God chose not to give us the specifics. We don't know and, practically speaking, don't need to know the inner workings of Jesus' divine nature. Why posit theories that are at best speculative and at worse damaging to established Biblical truths? Just leave mystery as is, and move on to practical Christian living.

Ellen G. White on the incarnation

See Ellen G. White on the Incarnation.

References

The following references include many competing ideas regarding this topic.