The Very Center of Our Faith

Book Club | On the Incarnation: Chapter 4

Book Club Week 4; and also the halfway point for our advent devotion through On the Incarnation! Let’s begin.

Peter tells his readers, “I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have… to stir you up by way of reminder”.¹

And Paul writes to the Philippian church, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.”²

Following their example, Athanasius says, “You must not be surprised if we repeat ourselves in dealing with this subject. We are speaking of the good pleasure of God and of the things which He in His loving wisdom thought fit to do, and it is better to put the same thing in several ways than to run the risk of leaving something out.” (p. 75)

You may have already noticed this about his writing, but Athanasius likes to reiterate his points in many and various ways. He circles around the same ideas again and again, unfolding a new detail or perspective, but remaining grounded in the established truths we have received in Scripture. You may have also noticed this quality about the Bible itself, reminding us again and again and again and again of the same foundational truths.

This is “safe for you” because it isn’t in your nature to hear a truth once, understand it, and let it transform you as it ought. We humans must be reminded over and over, and even then sometimes the truth doesn’t sink to the depths of us. But thanks be to God, He is sanctifying us and will conform us totally to the Image of Christ—then we shall not struggle against the flesh and sin; our bodies and spirits will be in agreement that Good is what we will always do.

But not only is this “safe” for you, it works to “stir you up.” As we behold the same glorious truths about our Lord through the Spirit, we are transformed by His Spirit into His Image. We are stirred up to love and good works, inspired by the love and good works of our Savior. We are stirred up to worship, awe-struck by the glorious grace which He has lavished upon us.

So never get tired of hearing the same truths reiterated again and again. Don’t grow weary of the reminders. Humbly receive them; and allow them to stir you up to worship and faith-filled obedience, friend.

“The supreme object of His coming was to bring about the resurrection of the body. This was to be the monument to His victory over death…” (p. 79)

Jesus came to renew and restore Humanity to the Garden through a share in His own resurrection. And though this was the “supreme object of His coming,” before we unpack the glories of the resurrection in Chapter 5, Athanasius says, “We must next consider the end of His earthly life and the nature of His bodily death. This is, indeed, the very center of our faith,” (p. 74)

The Cross is the center of our faith.

The Cross is where Death is defeated, and where the seed of Resurrection is planted.

And so, together we gaze upon the glory of God in the Cross—the death of the Most High to bring about the Life of the lowly.

“there was a debt owing which must needs be paid; for, as I said before, all men were due to die. Here, then, is the second reason why the Word dwelt among us, namely that having proved His Godhead by His works, He might offer the sacrifice on behalf of all, surrendering His own temple to death in place of all, to settle man’s account with death and free him from the primal transgression.” (p. 74, 75)

The language of financial and legal obligation in regard to our sin, and it’s subsequent forgiveness through faith in Christ, is not unfamiliar to God’s Word.

Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, speaks about our salvation in this way, “you, who were dead… God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”³

Our sin, and the debt it had incurred, were nailed to the cross with Christ.

Peter puts it this way, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”⁴

He takes our sin upon Himself. He stands in our place upon the cross, enduring the penalty due for the sins that we have committed—the just wrath of God. His chastisement brought us peace.

Athanasius describes many reasons for the “nature of His bodily death.”

It had to be public, lest any have reason for suspicion and disbelief on account of the privacy of His death.

It had to be inflicted by others, lest any think He chose a death for Himself that He could endure—that maybe there was some other death which He could not overcome.

Those are the ones that stand out to me, but I’m interested to hear which ones are most compelling to everyone else!

And reminding us again of the “Supreme object of His coming,” Athanasius ends the earlier quoted passage on page 75, by saying:

“In the same act, also, He showed Himself mightier than death, displaying His own body incorruptible as the firstfruits of the resurrection.”

Christ died that He might rise; and this, that we might rise with Him.

All glory be to Him forever and ever! Amen!

We will look look more closely at the resurrection next week; but for now, share your thoughts with us on this chapter!

• Were there any aspects of Christ’s death you hadn’t considered before?

• Did you agree with the claims he made about the reasons/effects of Christ’s death?

• Did this chapter stir you to worship?

• What questions arose in you as you read?

---

Next week’s reading will be Chapter 5!

---

1. 2 Peter 1:12-13

2. Philippians 3:1b

3. Colossians 2:13-14

4. 1 Peter 2:24