3 Minute Theology 1.5: What is the Incarnation?
Summary
TLDRThe 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
- π‘ **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.
- π§ββοΈ **Emotional Well-being**: Respecting boundaries is crucial for emotional health, as discussed by many therapists.
- π **The Incarnation**: Christians believe in the Incarnation, where God became human in Jesus Christ.
- π **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.
- π« **Avoiding Heresies**: The church has established boundaries to avoid heresies that misrepresent the nature of Jesus.
- π€ **Understanding Jesus' Nature**: It's easier to define what Jesus was not than to explain what he was, highlighting the complexity of the Incarnation.
- π« **Ebionites' Heresy**: The Ebionites believed Jesus was not God but a great man, which the church rejected.
- π« **Docetism**: The heresy that Jesus only appeared to be human was also rejected by the church.
- π« **Arianism**: The belief that Jesus was a lesser God was also deemed heretical.
- π« **Apollinarianism**: The teaching that Jesus was not fully human was rejected, affirming that he had a human mind.
- π **Unity in Jesus**: Jesus is believed to be one person with two natures, fully human and fully God.
- π³ **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
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Boundaries
π‘Emotional Well-being
π‘Incarnation
π‘Fully God
π‘Fully Human
π‘Heresy
π‘Ebionites
π‘Docetism
π‘Arianism
π‘Apollinarianism
π‘Theological Fences
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
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