Lesson video

Hi, my name is Miss Minton, and welcome to this "Christianity Beliefs" lesson on Jesus the incarnation.

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain Christian beliefs about the incarnation and how these beliefs influence Christians today.

Now we'll be drawing on knowledge of the nativity and Jesus as the Son of God, but there'll also be new knowledge today.

But please don't worry because I'm here to guide you through each step of this lesson, and I'm confident that by the end, you will have achieved this outcome.

Let's get started by taking a look at our keywords for today's lesson.

We have divine, incarnation, and Jesus.

The word divine means to be of or like God, or a god or goddess.

Incarnation means in flesh, and it's the belief that God took on human form in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is believed by Christians to be the Son of God, and He was a first-century Jewish teacher living and travelling in first-century Palestine and Israel.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Christian beliefs about the incarnation, and we'll then move on to look at the importance and influence of the incarnation.

So let's get started with Christian beliefs about the incarnation.

So on the screen we have two images, and both of these images show the birth of Jesus.

Now, I'd like you to talk to a partner or have a think to yourself about what title is often used for Jesus that reflects the story of His birth.

Off you go.

So many Christians use the title Son of God to reflect the story of Jesus' birth, and this reflects Jesus' mother, Mary, becoming pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Now, for many Christians, referring to Jesus as the Son of God actually reflects the belief that Jesus is God and that Jesus is God in human form, which is known as incarnation.

Now the word incarnation comes from the Latin word carn, which means flesh.

And for many Christians, they believe that God took on human form in the person of Jesus.

And Jesus' birth, the nativity, is when God entered the world as a human being.

So let's check your understanding.

"Which key word refers to God becoming human in the person of Jesus, a, incarnation, b, resurrection, c, ascension, or d, crucifixion?" Fantastic.

The correct answer is a.

Incarnation is the word that refers to God becoming human in the person of Jesus.

Well done.

Now, for most Christians, the belief in Jesus as the incarnation of God comes from the Bible, and this originates from the Old Testament where the prophet Isaiah predicted the arrival of Jesus.

And in Isaiah 7:14, it says this, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Now the name Immanuel means "God is with us." Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner or have a think to yourself.

How is the name Immanuel and its meaning relevant to the incarnation? Off you go.

So this name Immanuel is relevant to the incarnation because Jesus as the incarnation of God would mean that God lived among humans and was with them, which is what the name Immanuel means.

Now, although Jesus' actual name is not Immanuel, the name is reflected in Jesus' nature as God, because Jesus is with people and the name Immanuel means God is with us.

Now, this prophecy from Isaiah is confirmed in the New Testament, specifically in the Gospel of John.

And in John 1:1-18, it describes God as becoming human in the person of Jesus.

And John 1:14 says this, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.

We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

What is the Word? Off you go.

So the Word is a title used for Jesus, and sometimes Christians might also refer to Jesus as the Divine Word.

Now I'd like you to pause the video again and I'd like you to discuss how Christians might interpret this passage from John 1:14 to support their belief in the incarnation.

Off you go.

So this passage can be used to support the belief in the incarnation because it suggests that Jesus, so God in human form, became human and made His dwelling among people, so lived amongst ordinary people.

So let's now check your understanding.

Fill in the blank.

"The Gospel of John says that the Word became blank and made His dwelling among us." Fantastic.

The missing word is flesh.

So the Gospel of John says that "The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us," well done.

Many Christians believe that because Jesus is the incarnation of God, this means that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

And what that means for many Christians is that Jesus possesses the nature of an ordinary person at the same time as being fully God.

Throughout the New Testament, there are many examples of where Jesus is seen to have a fully human nature.

These include Jesus' birth in the Gospel of Luke, which describes Jesus being born into a humble and simple life.

It includes times when Jesus felt emotion, like joy in the Gospel of Luke 10:21, and when Jesus felt emotions such as anger and frustration in the Gospel of Matthew 21:12.

It also includes the Gospel of Mark, where it says that Jesus cried out when He died on the cross, which many Christians interpret as showing that Jesus felt physical pain, as well as emotional pain.

And also, we see Jesus as fully human when He lived amongst and socialised with ordinary people.

Now as well as the New Testament showing that Jesus is fully human, it also shows that Jesus is fully divine.

For example, if we look at the story of Jesus' birth again, if we look at the detail that Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born to the Virgin Mary, that shows that Jesus is God because that's a miracle.

We also see Jesus as fully God when He has the authority to forgive sins and perform miracles, things that ordinary people can't do.

We also see in the New Testament that Jesus was worshipped by His followers, which again indicates that Jesus is fully God.

And we see that Jesus came back to life after he died, so He resurrected after His death.

And again, that's something that an ordinary person can't do, and it's only possible for Jesus because Jesus was fully divine.

Now, many Christians consider Jesus' death to be the ultimate proof that Jesus is fully God.

And this isn't just because He resurrected after He died, but it's also because for many Christians, Jesus' death saved humanity from the consequences of sin.

And we see this in 1 Timothy 1:16, which says this, "But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life." This passage says that those who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life.

So people who believe in Jesus will go to heaven.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

How does this passage link to Jesus' death and resurrection? Off you go.

So this passage links to Jesus' death and resurrection because it was Jesus' death and resurrection that made eternal life possible.

And when Jesus died on the cross, He allowed for the sins of humanity to be forgiven, which can lead to life in heaven with God.

I'd now like you to pause the video again, but this time I'd like you to either talk to a partner or have a think to yourself about how this shows Jesus as fully divine.

So how does this show Jesus as being fully God? Off you go.

So this passage shows Jesus as fully divine, because if Jesus was just an ordinary person, His death wouldn't lead to the possibility of eternal life.

But we can see that Jesus is fully divine because His death is a victory over sin and evil.

So let's check your understanding.

"Which of the following is not an example of Jesus as fully divine, a, He resurrected after death, b, He performed miracles.

c, His mother was a virgin or d, He felt emotion and pain?" Well done.

The correct answer is d.

Jesus feeling emotion and pain is not an example of Jesus as fully divine.

That's actually an example of Jesus as being fully human.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to complete the table to explain Christian beliefs about the incarnation.

To complete the table, you should do the following things.

Support each point with a source of authority and then develop each source by explaining how it supports the point given.

So the points are, "Many Christians believe that Jesus is God in human form," and "Many Christians believe that the incarnation reflects Jesus as both fully human and fully divine." So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to explain Christian beliefs about the incarnation by completing the table and doing the following, supporting each point with a source of authority and then developing that source by explaining how it links to the point given.

Your response might look something like this.

For the point that many Christians believe that Jesus is God in human form, you may have said that John 1:14 states that "the Word became flesh," and this shows that God became human in the person of Jesus and entered the world when Jesus was born.

For the point that many Christians believe that the incarnation reflects that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, you may have said that Luke 1:28-33 highlights that Jesus was born to a virgin who conceived through the Holy Spirit and that this shows that although Jesus was an ordinary human, he was also fully divine because His birth was a miracle.

So well done for your work explaining Christian beliefs about the incarnation by completing the table.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the importance and influence of the incarnation.

Now, to start us off, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me, or have a think to yourself.

Why do you think the incarnation would be significant for Christians today? Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that the incarnation is significant because it provides comfort that God was once an ordinary human.

It also allows Christians to relate to God through Jesus as being fully human.

And linking to this, it allows Christians to have a better understanding of God and God's nature.

It also confirms the belief in the Trinity, and it does this by confirming that God as Jesus is the second person of the Trinity.

So let's check your understanding.

"The incarnation is no longer important for Christians because it took place such a long time ago." Fantastic.

That statement is false.

But why is that statement false? Well, it's because for many Christians, the incarnation is still significant today, and the incarnation provides comfort and allows Christians to relate and understand God through the person of Jesus.

And as well as this, it also confirms the belief in the Trinity.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying why.

Now, Laura is considering how the belief in Jesus as the incarnation of God might influence Christians today.

And she says, "I think the belief in the incarnation might influence Christians to have a strong faith in God.

This is because the incarnation is a sign of God's love for humanity." Now, I'd also like you to consider how the belief in the incarnation might influence Christians today.

So pause the video, and either have a think to yourself, talk to me, or talk to a partner.

Off you go.

We're now going to hear from some Christians and they're going to talk to you about how their belief in the incarnation influences them.

As you listen, you can consider whether you thought of any of these ideas as part of your discussion or thinking time.

So let's start with Fergus, who is a liberal Anglican.

He says, "My belief that Jesus is the incarnation of God influences my moral decisions.

I believe that Jesus is God, therefore, I believe that Jesus' teachings and actions are God's teachings and actions.

This influences me to follow the example set by Jesus because I know I'm following God.

For example, Jesus taught forgiveness, so I try to seek forgiveness rather than seeking revenge when someone hurts me." We're now going to hear from Grace, who is a Roman Catholic Christian.

She says, "My belief that Jesus is the incarnation of God provides me with comfort during difficult times.

When I feel sad or angry, I take comfort in knowing that God understands how I feel because He experienced emotions as Jesus.

I also feel comforted when I experience physical pain because I know that God endured the most severe physical pain when Jesus died so that I could have the hope of eternal life." We're now going to hear from Fiona who is an Anglican Christian.

She says, "My belief that Jesus is the incarnation of God strengthens prayer and devotion in my daily life.

I regularly say prayers of thanksgiving to show my gratitude for God becoming human so that I could have the possibility of eternal life." Finally, we're going to hear from James, who, like Grace, is also a Roman Catholic Christian.

So this will be interesting to see how James' and Grace's responses compare and whether they're influenced in the same way or a different way.

James says this, "My belief in the incarnation influences me to celebrate Jesus' birth.

I celebrate the period of Advent and believe that this is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus.

At the end of the period of Advent, I celebrate Christmas day, which is a celebration of God entering the world as human in the person of Jesus." Now, Fergus Grace, Fiona and James have all shown that there are many different ways in which the belief in the incarnation can influence Christians.

So let's imagine that I've been asked to give one way that the belief in the incarnation might influence a Christian.

I might say that it might influence them to say prayers of thanks.

Now I'm going to ask you the same question.

I would like you to give one way that the belief in the incarnation might influence a Christian.

Pause the video and have a go.

Okay, so you may have said that one way the belief in the incarnation might influence a Christian is to celebrate Christmas.

But you might also have said that it could influence Christians to feel comforted during times of suffering, that it can influence them to have faith in God, or that it can influence them to have a stronger relationship with God.

So well done if you have one of those answers.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Andeep has written the first developed point to complete the following task, "Explain two ways the belief in the incarnation influences Christians today." Andeep has said this.

"Belief in the incarnation may influence Christians to feel comforted during difficult times.

And this is because the incarnation refers to the belief that Jesus is God in human form, which means that God knows and understands what it's like to be human, including what it's like to feel emotion and pain." Now, I would like you to complete Andeep's answer by writing a second paragraph explaining how the belief in the incarnation influences Christians today.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to complete Andeep's answer by writing a second paragraph explaining how the belief in the incarnation influences Christians today.

And your response might be similar to this.

"The belief in the incarnation may also influence Christians to celebrate Christmas and Advent.

This is because Christmas is a time to celebrate and remember God entering the world as human in the person of Jesus.

And Advent is a time of preparation and waiting leading up to this special event." So well done, again, for your work during that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson on Jesus as the incarnation.

But before we finish up, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that the word incarnation means in flesh, and many Christians believe that God became human in the person of Jesus.

We've also learned that most Christians agree that the incarnation was prophesied in the Old Testament and confirmed in the New Testament, and that for most Christians, the belief that Jesus is God means that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

We've also looked at how the belief in the incarnation is still significant today because it allows Christians to understand and relate to God.

And finally, we've looked at how the belief in the incarnation can influence Christian worship, their understanding of God, and even influence Christmas celebrations.

So a huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.