3 Minute Theology 1.5: What is the Incarnation?

Summary

The video script discusses the importance of theological boundaries in understanding the Christian belief in the Incarnation, where God became human in Jesus Christ. It highlights four key beliefs about Jesus being fully God and fully human, united in one person. The script explains how heresies have arisen from misunderstandings of these beliefs and how the church has established boundary markers to maintain the true understanding of Jesus' nature, emphasizing the necessity of these boundaries for a healthy relationship with God.

Takeaways

• 🏡 **Clear Boundaries**: The concept of 'good fences making good neighbors' is used metaphorically to emphasize the importance of clear boundaries in relationships and theological understanding.
• 🧘‍♂️ **Emotional Well-being**: Respecting boundaries is crucial for emotional health, as discussed by many therapists.
• 🌟 **The Incarnation**: Christians believe in the Incarnation, where God became human in Jesus Christ.
• 🙏 **Four Key Beliefs**: Traditional Christian beliefs about Jesus include that he was fully God, fully human, and that both natures were united in one person.
• 🚫 **Avoiding Heresies**: The church has established boundaries to avoid heresies that misrepresent the nature of Jesus.
• 🤔 **Understanding Jesus' Nature**: It's easier to define what Jesus was not than to explain what he was, highlighting the complexity of the Incarnation.
• 🚫 **Ebionites' Heresy**: The Ebionites believed Jesus was not God but a great man, which the church rejected.
• 🚫 **Docetism**: The heresy that Jesus only appeared to be human was also rejected by the church.
• 🚫 **Arianism**: The belief that Jesus was a lesser God was also deemed heretical.
• 🚫 **Apollinarianism**: The teaching that Jesus was not fully human was rejected, affirming that he had a human mind.
• 🔗 **Unity in Jesus**: Jesus is believed to be one person with two natures, fully human and fully God.
• 🌳 **Theological Fences**: Theological boundaries are likened to fences, helping to define and protect the true understanding of Jesus' nature.

Q & A

What is the significance of 'good fences' in the context of the script?

In the context of the script, 'good fences' symbolize clear boundaries that are essential for healthy relationships and theological understanding. They help define what is considered orthodox belief within Christianity, particularly concerning the nature of Jesus Christ.

What are the four key beliefs about Jesus in traditional Christian theology?

Traditional Christian theology holds that Jesus was fully God, fully human, and that these two natures were united in one single person.

What is the Incarnation, and why is it important in Christian theology?

The Incarnation refers to the belief that God took on human form in Jesus Christ. It is important because it is central to understanding the nature of Jesus and the relationship between the divine and human.

What is a heresy in the context of Christian theology?

A heresy is a teaching about Jesus that the church has examined and determined does not accurately represent their beliefs about his nature.

What did the Ebionites teach about Jesus, and how did the church respond?

The Ebionites taught that Jesus was not God but a great man who had attained special status with God. The church rejected this view, stating that it overstepped the boundaries of what they experienced in Jesus.

What is Docetism, and how did the church address it?

Docetism is the belief that Jesus was not human but only appeared to be so. The church rejected this heresy, affirming that Jesus was fully human.

Who was Arius, and what did he teach that was considered heretical?

Arius was a teacher who suggested that Jesus was not fully God but a lesser, secondary deity. The church rejected this view, asserting that Jesus is fully God.

What did Apollinarius teach about Jesus, and how did the church respond?

Apollinarius taught that Jesus was not fully human, having a human body but the mind of God. The church rejected this teaching, affirming that Jesus was fully human.

What are some other heresies mentioned in the script regarding Jesus' nature?

Other heresies mentioned include the belief that Jesus was two separate persons (Divine Jesus and human Jesus), or that his nature was neither human nor divine but a new kind of nature, or that he started as a man and became divine.

Why are these theological boundaries important for a growing experience of Jesus?

These theological boundaries are important because they help maintain a consistent and accurate understanding of Jesus' nature, which is vital for a full and growing relationship with God.

How does the script compare theological boundaries to physical fences?

The script compares theological boundaries to physical fences by suggesting that just as physical fences help neighbors maintain their properties and relationships, theological boundaries help maintain clarity and health in the relationship with God.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Theological Boundaries in Christian Faith

The paragraph discusses the importance of clear boundaries in relationships and theology, drawing a parallel between psychological boundaries and theological ones. It explains that Christians believe in the Incarnation, where God became human in Jesus Christ, and that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. The concept of 'good fences' is used metaphorically to describe the need for theological boundary markers to define what Christians believe about Jesus. The paragraph also mentions various heresies that have arisen over the centuries, each suggesting different natures for Jesus that the church has rejected, thus setting boundaries on what they do not believe about the nature of Jesus.

Keywords

💡Boundaries

Boundaries refer to the limits or edges within which something exists or operates. In the context of the video, boundaries are used metaphorically to describe the importance of setting limits in relationships for emotional well-being. The video emphasizes that clear boundaries are essential for healthy relationships, both in psychology and theology.

💡Emotional Well-being

Emotional well-being is a state of being in which an individual experiences positive emotions and psychological health. The video suggests that respecting boundaries is crucial for emotional well-being, as it helps individuals differentiate between their own emotions and those of others, thereby maintaining healthy relationships.

💡Incarnation

Incarnation in Christian theology refers to the belief that God became human in Jesus Christ. The video discusses the Incarnation as a deep truth of the Christian faith, emphasizing the traditional belief that Jesus was both fully God and fully human.

💡Fully God

This term is used to describe one of the key beliefs about Jesus' nature. The video explains that Christians believe Jesus was fully divine, meaning he possessed all the attributes of Godhood. This belief is contrasted with heresies that suggest Jesus was not God at all.

💡Fully Human

Fully human describes the belief that Jesus had a complete human nature, including a human body and a human mind. The video uses this term to counter heresies that claim Jesus only appeared to be human or was not fully human.

💡Heresy

Heresy, in a Christian context, refers to a belief or teaching that deviates from accepted doctrine. The video discusses various heresies regarding the nature of Jesus' incarnation, using the term to describe teachings that the church has rejected as not accurately representing their beliefs about Jesus.

💡Ebionites

The Ebionites were a group that taught Jesus was not God but a great man who attained special status with God. The video uses the Ebionites as an example of a heresy that was rejected by the church because it did not align with their belief that Jesus was fully God.

💡Docetism

Docetism is a heresy that claims Jesus was not human but only appeared to be so. The video mentions Docetism as an example of a belief that fails to recognize Jesus' full humanity, which is a crucial aspect of the Incarnation.

💡Arianism

Arianism is a heresy that suggests Jesus was not fully God but a lesser, secondary divine being. The video uses Arianism to illustrate the importance of maintaining theological boundaries to accurately describe Jesus as fully God.

💡Apollinarianism

Apollinarianism is the belief that Jesus was not fully human, having a human body but the mind of God. The video discusses Apollinarianism as a heresy that fails to acknowledge Jesus' complete humanity.

💡Theological Fences

Theological fences are metaphorical boundaries that define正统的基督教信仰 and separate them from heresies. The video uses the concept of theological fences to explain how the church establishes and maintains the正统的 beliefs about Jesus' nature, ensuring that these beliefs are not confused or misrepresented.

Highlights

Good fences make good neighbors is a metaphor for the importance of clear boundaries in relationships.

Clear boundaries are crucial for emotional well-being and healthy relationships.

Theological boundary markers are important when discussing deep truths of the Christian faith.

Christians believe in the Incarnation, where God came to us in the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

Traditional Christian beliefs about Jesus include that he was fully God, fully human, and the two natures were united in one person.

Explaining Jesus as both God and human is complex, and heresies have arisen regarding the nature of the Incarnation.

Heresies are teachings about Jesus that the church has examined and deemed not to express their beliefs truly.

The Ebionites taught that Jesus was not God, but a great man with special status, which the church rejected.

Docetism is the heresy that Jesus was not human but only appeared to be, which the church also rejected.

Arius suggested Jesus was a lesser, secondary God, which was also rejected by the church.

Apollinarius taught that Jesus was not fully human, which was another heresy rejected by the church.

Some teachings suggest Jesus was two persons or had a new nature, all of which were rejected.

Jesus is believed to be fully human and fully God, with two natures in one person.

Maintaining theological boundaries is essential for a full and growing experience of the Lord Jesus.

Good theological fences help our relationship with God to thrive, just as good physical fences help neighbors to thrive.

Transcripts

they say that good fences make good

neighbors what this means I think is

that having clear boundaries is a vital

part of healthy relationships this is

certainly true in Psychology many

therapists will talk about how important

it is for emotional well-being to be

clear on what is me and what is not me

and how unhealthy relationships can

become when we don't respect each

other's boundaries whether or not good

fences make good neighbors they do make

for good theology at least it's

important to have theological boundary

markers when we try to speak about the

Deep truths of the Christian faith take

for instance the Incarnation that is

what Christians believe happened when

God came to us in the flesh and blood of

Jesus Christ traditionally Christians

have held to four key beliefs about

Jesus that he was fully God that he was

fully human and that these two Natures

human and divine were United together in

one single person this can be hard to

explain what do we actually mean when we

say that Jesus was both God and human

two natures in one person in a way it's

easier to say what we don't mean by it

than to say what we do and this is where

good fences come in handy because over

the last 2,000 years a variety of

heresies have cropped up regarding the

nature of the Incarnation the word

heresy of course tends to conjure up

unsettling images from the Spanish

Inquisition or something but a heresy is

really just a teaching about Jesus that

the church has carefully examined and

decided it doesn't Express their beliefs

truly think about it like a fence that

helps us mark off what we don't mean

mean when we talk about the mysteries of

God there was a group of teachers for

instance called the ebionites they

taught that Jesus was not God at all

rather he was a great man who had

attained special status with God

essentially the church looked at eanm

and said no that's not what we

experienced in Jesus to say that he was

not God goes past one of the boundaries

in a similar way some claim that Jesus

was not human that he was God but only

appeared to be human this heresy is

sometimes called do dotism after a Greek

word that means to seem or to appear and

the church looked at dotism and said no

that's not it either to say that Jesus

was only God goes past another boundary

later a teacher named Aras would suggest

that Jesus was not fully God that he was

divine but a lesser secondary God and

again the church said no that's not it

and so another boundary marker was

placed Jesus is fully God a teacher

named apollinarius taught that Jesus was

not fully human that he had the body of

a human but the mind of God and again

the church said no Jesus is fully human

some taught that Jesus was not one

person but two the Divine Jesus and the

human Jesus some taught that Jesus's

nature was neither human nor Divine but

some brand new sort of nature that had

never existed before or that he started

out as a man and became Divine and

Christians looked at each of these

teachings in turn and said no that's not

it in this way they set out the boundary

markers for what they didn't mean when

they said that in Jesus God had come in

human flesh Jesus was not part god part

human or a human that only seemed like

God or a God who only appeared human he

was fully human and fully God two

Natures together in one person well this

may seem like so much theological Hair S

splitting to some maintaining these

boundaries is vital to a full and

Growing Experience of the Lord Jesus

after all just like good fences help

neighbors to thrive good theological

fences help our relationship with God to

thrive five