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New
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Year 8

Jesus the incarnation

I can explain Christian beliefs about Jesus as the incarnation of God and how this belief is shown in the Bible.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 8

Jesus the incarnation

I can explain Christian beliefs about Jesus as the incarnation of God and how this belief is shown in the Bible.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Incarnation means to be 'made flesh' and most Christians believe that Jesus is the incarnation of God.
  2. Most Christians believe that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, and a person of the Trinity.
  3. Most Christians interpret Isaiah’s Old Testament prophecy as predicting the arrival of Jesus as the incarnation.
  4. The New Testament shows Jesus as fully human through his humble birth and his ability to feel emotion and pain.
  5. The New Testament shows Jesus as fully divine through his mother, the Virgin Mary, and his miracles and resurrection.

Keywords

  • Divine - of or like God, or a god/goddess

  • Humble - ordinary; not special or very important

  • Incarnation - to be 'made flesh'; God or a god/goddess in human form

  • Miracle - extraordinary acts or events that defy the laws of nature

  • Prophesied - when a prediction about the future has been made

Common misconception

All Christians believe in the incarnation.

There are a small number of Christians who do not believe that Jesus was God. For example, many of Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the incarnation.


To help you plan your year 8 religious education lesson on: Jesus the incarnation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to remind students of the story of Jesus' birth during slide 7.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match these words to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:Messiah,‘anointed one’; chosen by God to bring a new age of peace
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‘anointed one’; chosen by God to bring a new age of peace

Correct Answer:saviour,in Christianity, this refers to Jesus saving humanity from sin
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in Christianity, this refers to Jesus saving humanity from sin

Correct Answer:Gospels,four books in the New Testament that cover the life of Jesus
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four books in the New Testament that cover the life of Jesus

Q2.
What do Matthew and Mark try to show about Jesus?
Correct answer: that he was the prophesied Messiah
that he was the Son of God
that he was just human
Q3.
What do Luke and John try to show about Jesus?
that he was the prophesied Messiah
Correct answer: that he was the Son of God
that he was just human
Q4.
Who do the Gospels say Jesus is the saviour of?
only Christians
lepers and tax collectors
Correct answer: everyone
Q5.
In the Old Testament, what were the Jewish people waiting for to liberate them?
God becoming human
a new religion being founded
Correct answer: the coming of a Messiah
Q6.
What word means an account of what is to come?
Correct answer: a prophecy
a prediction
a Gospel

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:divine,of or like God, or a god/goddess
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of or like God, or a god/goddess

Correct Answer:humble,ordinary; not special or very important
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ordinary; not special or very important

Correct Answer:incarnation,to be 'made flesh'; God or a god/goddess in human form
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to be 'made flesh'; God or a god/goddess in human form

Correct Answer:miracle,extraordinary acts or events that defy the laws of nature
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extraordinary acts or events that defy the laws of nature

Correct Answer:prophesied,when a prediction about the future has been made
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when a prediction about the future has been made

Q2.
Which event in Jesus' life does the incarnation refer to?
Correct answer: his birth
his death
his resurrection
Q3.
What does the incarnation show?
that Jesus is fully God but not human
that Jesus is fully human but not God
Correct answer: that Jesus is fully human and fully God
Q4.
Who believes in the incarnation?
all Christians
Correct answer: most Christians
all humans
Q5.
Which emotions does Jesus show when he turns over the tables of the money changers?
joy
Correct answer: anger
happiness
Correct answer: frustration
Q6.
How did Jesus’ birth show that he was divine?
Correct answer: his mother, Mary, was a virgin
he was born in a manger
Correct answer: he was called Immanuel