Jesus as the Son of God
Jesus – the incarnation
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is the incarnationThe belief that God took human form in Jesus Christ. It is also the belief that God in Christ is active in the Church and in the world. of God. He is ‘God made flesh.’
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
The belief is that Jesus is one Person of the Holy Trinity and is God in human form on Earth and that he is both:
- fully human, as he suffered human pain and died a human death
- fully divineTo be god-like, or of God/gods., as he performed miracles and rose from the dead
Jesus as the Word
John’s Gospel starts by describing Jesus as the Word, ie the Living Word of God. Jesus is the Word that was revelationWhen something that was previously hidden becomes known. In religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism it may be the sending down of God’s word in the form of a teaching or a person. in the Old Testament, made flesh and God revealed to humans on Earth. In the Old Testament the Word was revealed through the prophets, whereas in the New Testament the Word is revealed through the Person of Christ.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus as Messiah
The term MessiahThe word means ‘the anointed one’. The Messiah is the one believed to be sent by God to be humanity’s saviour. Many Christians believe this person to be Jesus. is Hebrew and means ‘anointed one’, a title given to the Person believed to be the saviour and the one who will bring salvation to humankind. The term ‘anointed one’ is used in both Christianity and Judaism.
The Catholic Church teaches that throughout the New Testament there is proof of Jesus as the chosen one through his resurrection from the dead and the miracles he performed. The belief is that the Messiah was sent to save humanity spiritually and this salvation was gained through his death and resurrection. In Matthew’s Gospel (16:13-17), Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah, Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Through this statement Jesus is confirmed as the Messiah. In other words, he is confirmed as the chosen one who was sent to do God’s will.
Jesus as Saviour
The belief is that Jesus’ death and resurrection proves to Christians that he is the Saviour that God promised and the path to salvationHaving one’s sins forgiven and being granted eternal life.. The Church teaches that through Christ’s death on the cross, Christians are saved from eternal damnation and are given the hope of salvation. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus atoneTo restore, make amends, reconcile. for the sins of humanity, allowing them to be reconcileTo reinstate friendly or peaceful relations with someone, specifically to regain God's favour through prayer or good deeds. with God. Christianity teaches that Christ is the only way to salvation, and that salvation will be for those who believe, as well as those who do not believe. In John’s Gospel it is stated that without God’s sacrifice of his only Son, there would be no salvation or redemptionBeing saved from sin. for humanity.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
