Key Takeaways

---

The Heathen’s dilemma

The Incarnation is one of the most questioned teachings of sacred theology by heathen and Christians alike. Although skepticism arises from both groups, they stem from different places. Denying the compatibility of divinity and humanity, the heathen questions whether God could not and would not assume humanity. On the other hand, the faithful inquire about the efficiency of this approach and its importance in resolving Adam’s initial disobedience.  

To the heathen, he is answered in the Third Part (Tertia Pars) of the Summa, wherein Aquinas states that it is characteristic of goodness to communicate itself to others. This is true because “To each thing, that is befitting which belongs to it by reason of its very nature.”^[1] Reason is compatible with the human because he has a rational nature, as is the fish having fins to swim in the water, or a static water bottle to stay that way. God taking on humanity is fitting because His very nature is goodness, and it is a property of goodness to share itself. 

Here is what this would look like as a syllogism:

P1. The proper attributes or actions of a thing flow from what it essentially is.

                         P2. It is a property of goodness to communicate itself

                         P3. God’s nature is goodness

Conclusion: It was fitting that Lord assumed humanity in order to share the goodness that is within Himself

However, this still leaves the question of whether the Lord could assume humanity. It is impossible for something eternal to pass to something finite, as this is uncharacteristic of eternalness and would contradict our first premise. This is a faulty premise because “the mystery of the Incarnation was not completed through God being changed in any way from the state in which He had been.”^[2]  As the Fathers state, “what He was He remained, what He was not He assumed.”^[3]  Moreover, this does not violate the human nature because mutability is an attribute of humanity. This is proven by the fact that we went from not existing to existing; likewise, the human nature went from not being united to Christ to being united with Him.

The Curiosity of the Faithful 

Nonetheless, as the hand of the pagan lowers, the inquisitive hand of the faithful remains. Humble servants of the Lord would like to know if Adam’s sin demanded the Son coming in the flesh. Was there another way of restoring the human race? Before answering these questions, it is essential to explain how one should understand “necessary.” According to Aquinas, “a thing is said to be necessary for a certain end in two ways. First, when the end cannot be without it; as food is necessary for the preservation of human life. Second, when the end is attained better and more conveniently, as a horse is necessary for a journey.”^[4] If we understand necessary to be in the first sense, then our response would be no. In the Lord’s omnipotence, He has many options at his disposal for achieving man’s salvation. 

However, it was necessary in the second sense for the following reasons: 

1. Chiefly, to resolve the death penalty associated with the covenant of works (Adam’s disobedience)

2. Strengthen our hope in the Lord’s love for us

3. Layout a safe, certain path for our faith

4. Be an example

5. To show charity

6. Grant us an imperishable inheritance 

Christ took residence in flesh for a reason: to heal the sick. If Adam had not sinned, the Word would not have assumed humanity. The Lord exposed Himself to that passion on the cross because it was the most fitting way to bring man’s relationship with God full circle: by a tree we were cursed, and by a tree we have been healed. It was an appropriate end to the story of man’s salvation, yet it wasn’t the sole possible outcome, as that would undermine the Lord’s omnipotence.

 Consensus 

Truly, this matter is resolved, but it is still important to consider other opinions.  In response to whether the incarnation would occur without Adam’s sin man,  the orthodox deny, but the heretic affirms. Among those who answer in the affirmative are Socinians, scholastics like Alexander of Hales, Ockham, Bonaventure, and Andreas Osiander (Lutheran). “The Socinians hold this view that they might detract from satisfaction {Christ’s satisfaction on the cross} as the chief end of the incarnation.”^[5] For the few scholastics who purported this opinion, the incarnation is still necessary “that he might merit glory for himself.”^[6] While Osiander is led to support this view because he believes Christ is the needed model to produce humans. 

The Socinians and particular scholastics are answered according to the Passive and Active Obedience of Christ^[7]. First, He merited this glory by his obedience, which presupposes sin. Furthermore, He accomplished perfect obedience as a creature, which brings Him no more glory than what He already had along with the Father and Holy Spirit. Lastly, Osiander is shown to be false because man is said to be made after the “essential image of God, which consists in wisdom and holiness (as Paul teaches, Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10).”^[8] Also, Christ is called “the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1:15),” in respect of eternal generation and in respect of dominion,” not as the blueprint for humans.””^[9]

---

NOTES

^[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province, 2nd rev. ed. (New Advent, 2017), III, Q. 1, Art. 1,https://www.newadvent.org/summa/.

^[2] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, Q. 1, Art. 1.

^[3] A statement made by St Gregory of Nazianzus that summarizes the teachings of the fathers regarding the hypostatic union. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius, trans. Lionel Wickham and Frederick Williams (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002), 104, e-book.

^[4] Thomas Aquinas, ST, III, Q. 1, Art. 2. Andrew Willet divides it by a necessity of coaction, necessity of nature, absolute necessity, and hypothetical necessity. See Andrew Willet, Hexapla, That Is, A Six-Fold Commentarie vpon the Most Diuine Epistle of the Holy Apostle S. Paul to the Romanes: Wherein According to the Authors Former Method, Sixe Things Are Obserued in Euery Chapter (Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership), https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A15414.0001.001/1:4.7.3.14?rgn=div4;view=fulltext.

^[5] Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology: Redemption in Christ, ed. Joel R. Beeke, trans. Todd M. Rester, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2023), Book V, chap. 4, XVII.

^[6] Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology, Book V, chap. 4, QXVII.

^[7] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Monergism Books, 2018), https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/berkhof/IntrotoSystematicLouisBerkhof.pdf. Berkhof discusses the Lord’s active obedience as His blameless life on earth, perfectly obeying the law, and His passive obedience as demonstrated through His death and suffering on the cross.

^[8]  Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, ed. James T. Dennison, trans. George Musgrave Giger, vol. 2 (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1997), Topic XIII, Q. III, VIII.

^[9]  Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Topic XIII, Q. III, VIII.

Bibliography

Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologiae. Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. 2nd rev. ed. New Advent, 2017. https://www.newadvent.org/summa/. Originally published in 1920 by Burns Oates & Washbourne.

Bucanus, William. Institutions of Christian Religion Framed out of Gods Word, and the Writings of the Best Diuines, Methodically Handled by Questions and Answers, Fit for All Such as Desire to Know, or Practise the Will of God. Translated by Robert Hill. London: George Snowdon, Leonell Snowdon, and R. Field, 1606. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo2/A69010.0001.001/1:7.10.3?rgn=div3;view=fulltext.

English Standard Version Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/. Originally published in 2001.

Mastricht, Petrus van. Theoretical-Practical Theology: Redemption in Christ. Edited by Joel R. Beeke. Translated by Todd M. Rester. Vol. 4. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2023.

Nazianzus, St Gregory . On God and Christ : The Five Theological Orations and Two Letters to Cledonius. Translated by Lionel Wickham and Frederick Williams . Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002, 104, e-book.

Turretin, Francis. Institutes of Elenctic Theology. Edited by James T. Dennison. Translated by George Musgrave Giger. Vol. 2. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1997. Originally published in 1679.

Willet, Andrew. Hexapla, That Is, A Six-Fold Commentarie vpon the Most Diuine Epistle of the Holy Apostle S. Paul to the Romanes: Wherein According to the Authors Former Method, Sixe Things Are Obserued in Euery Chapter. Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership, n.d. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A15414.0001.001/1:4.7.3.14?rgn=div4;view=fulltext. Originally published in 1611 by Cantrell Legge.

Wuellner, Bernard. “Absolute necessity; Conditional necessity; Metaphysical necessity; Intrinsic necessity; Extrinsic necessity.” In Dictionary of Scholastic Philosophy. 2nd ed. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1966.