God can (and did, in Old Testament times) speak through prophets. In Jesus Christ, it is God who speaks of himself. The "incarnation" (The Son of God taking on a human nature, and living among us) is the central teaching of Christianity. It sets Christianity apart from other religions.
The incarnation restores humanity to holiness. As the early teachers of the Church, the "Church Fathers" taught, God became human so that humans might become God (i.e. share in his divine life).
The incarnation is not just one isolated historical event. It is connected to Jesus' whole life of preaching and ministry on earth, his dying on the cross, his resurrection, his sending of the Holy Spirit, the continuation of his work through the church, and the resurrection of our bodies at the end of time when there will be a "new heaven and a new earth." All of these are aspects of God coming to save humanity.
The coming of God to save us is a generous gift. The letters of St. Paul in the New Testament often stress this. We don't have to do anything to earn it. We just need to accept the gift personally and accept its implications for the way we live. On this Catholics and Protestants are in agreement, but historically, Protestants have emphasised this teaching more.
God's generosity (philanthropia), as shown in the incarnation and in what Jesus did during his life, reveals that our mighty God is by nature tender, kind, patient, merciful, and generous. As the New Testament sums it up, God is love(Agape).
The Son of God's taking on a human nature is significant (God could have assumed any form). It shows us the truth of what the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament tells us: Humans are made in the image and likeness of God. In other words, from the beginning, there already was a capacity for holiness and goodness in humans. On this Catholics and Protestants are in agreement, but historically, Catholics have emphasised this teaching more.
The Son of God's humble endurance of suffering and dying on the cross is significant (God could have saved us in another way). The whole of human history is replayed in the life of Christ, who "assumed the condition of a slave," and was "obedient even unto death." The gift of God's grace lost by Adam and Eve's disobedience is restored by the obedience of Christ. No other religion preaches a suffering God. Indeed, as St. Paul says, this teaching was a scandal to the Jews and a stumbling block for the Greek philosophers of his time.
What does this mean for us? Through salvation in Jesus Christ, we have become the adopted children of God. Our destiny is to share forever the life of God, who alone is the fulfilment of our deepest desire to be loved and to belong! But we need to accept this reality personally. We do this normally through baptism and the other sacraments (e.g. whenever we participate in the eucharist) and whenever we dedicate ourselves to God in prayer.
We can show our gratefulness to God for the gift of salvation by imitating the generosity and mercy of God in our relationships with others.
We can follow the example of Christ who, by enduring suffering patiently, overcame evil and death. God does not spare us suffering and death. But he gives us the assurance, through Christ, that suffering and death are temporary. We need no longer fear them.
Now that we belong to God, his work becomes our own. In our particular situation, we can help to complete the saving work begun by Christ by bringing love and healing to others.
Back to the RCIA index page.
Back to the Friendship page.