The Incarnation

The Incarnation. This is the act of being “clothed” with a human body - God took on flesh and became man as the Son, truly lived and died and rose again in the flesh as a true human being while remaining fully God. As we hear in the Symbol of Faith (Nicene Creed), “... He was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.” Orthodoxy teaches that the incarnation itself is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, and the completion of the Law of Moses and the fulfillment of the Prophets. Christ then is the final Prophet, Teacher, King, and Great High Priest of our Salvation. The teachings of several Orthodox Fathers such as St. Isaac the Syrian and St. Maximus the Confessor is that the Incarnation was the greatest act of love toward mankind - even if we had never suffered the Fall, God in His great love for humanity would have become man. But because we fell, it’s not only an act of love but also one of salvation. By uniting man and God in His own person, Christ opened the path for all people to enjoy union with God through His Church and through participation in the Holy Mysteries