At a recent small group, I posed a series of questions, and the small group leader asked me one in return - "what is the Incarnation?". Jesus became man (the Word became flesh), but why? For most, Romans 8 would lead to the conclusion that he came to save the world. But if the fall never happened, would the Incarnation have still occurred in some form or another?
The Eastern Orthodox church takes the stance that Jesus would've become man even if there was no sin to absolve. Jurgen Moltmann speaks of the Incarnation as a fulfillment of the love of God, of his desire to be present and living amidst humanity, to "walk in the garden" with us". Moltmann favors the idea that Christ would've come down regardless of sin, for the reason that Christ's life on earth holds a deeper meaning under that interpretation.
A part of me feels strange asking "what if the fall never happened?". Another part of me wonders how the analogies that I've used to understand Christ's coming down fit into this. And yet a third part of me wonders - what changes, if this were true? What would change about the way I see God - and what would change as a result of that?
Thoughts? More to come on this later, I hope.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
If the fall had never happened, Jesus would not have had to "come down" to commune with us because He would never have been estranged from us by our sin.
I have to admit, I see a limited value to "what if" questions for the most part.
I agree with Matt on both counts. I generally see the incarnation as fulfilling two purposes: the God might show Himself to be just and that He might at the same time be the justifier to those who follow Him (Romans 3:26). Neither of those two would be necessary without the fall (of both men and angels).
I guess I can see that. The thing I'm mostly wondering about this viewpoint is whether or not it'd be the view that most people would take upon a first reading of the Bible (i.e. do I feel this way because it's what I'm used to?).
I'm partial to this explanation as well, though I'm curious as to the origin of the "fortuitous incarnation".
But I don't think "what if" questions are useless. In most disciplines of study, used the right way, "what if" questions can deepen understanding far more than not asking such questions. I mean...all research is basically "what if".
I did end up reading a bit of Moltmann's "The Trinity and the kingdom: the doctrine of God". His argument may not come direct from verses in the Bible, but I don't feel as if he's showing any disregard for Scripture in his analysis either, and his asking the "what if's" seems to be his attempt to better understand mysteries presented to him in Scripture.
Post a Comment