Mystery of Incarnation

Mystery of Incarnation means the mystery of the descending of God the Son who is one of the Trinity from heaven and taking up flesh and soul from Our Holy Mother Virgin Maryam. This is the mystery of God becoming man and man becoming God. “The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn. 1:14). Therefore the word “Tewahedo” affirms that Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Kristos is not two natures, but one incarnate nature of God the Word.

The Reason for the Incarnation: The Son of God created Adam and Eve without sin and death. “God did not make death”. But, man, through his transgression brought on himself misery and suffering as well as sin and evil, and was condemned to death-death of body and soul, grave and hell (Gen.3:19-24). “For God did not make death, He takes no pleasure in destroying the living. Do not court death by the errors of your ways, nor invite destruction through the work of your hands. To exist for this he created all things the creatures of the world have health in them, in them is no fatal poison, and Hades has no power over the world. But the godless call for death with deed and word, counting him friend, they were themselves out for him; with him they make a pact, working as they are to belong to him” (Wis. 1:12-16; Rom. 6:23). “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by Our Lord and savior Eyesus Christos” (1Thes. 5:9). Adam and Eve disgraced and impoverished themselves. They were expelled from the Garden of Eden. They brought suffering and misery and were subject to the dominion of the devil. Death reigned from Adam to Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Christos, even to them that had not sinned. (Rom. 5:12-14). They knew that, all that happened due to their transgression and violation of the commandment of God. They regretted and repented. They cried to their Creator seeking mercy. God in his forgiveness along with his judgment, hearing their cry, observing their tears and accepting their repentance, was pleased to redeem them, and gave them promise. (Isa. 63:8; Heb. 2:14-16). When the appointed time had come forth, God sent His only Begotten Son, according to the promise. God the Son, descended from heaven and was born from Our Holy Mother Virgin Maryam. He was born so that all who believe in Him would be saved. When it is said, that He became man, it is said to mean that He united to himself the body and soul of man. Then all the words of the prophets were fulfilled. (Isa. 7:14, 9:6; Mich. 5:2; Gal. 4:4). Without separation of His Divinity from His humanity and His humanity from His Divinity, He became one person, one nature without change, without confusion, without separation and without division. “He is one Son and Christos before and after His Incarnation” (Cyril. Faith of the Fathers Ch. 78 Part 48 Verse 9-18). St. Gregory of Nazianzium said “He is the only God the Son who became man and the only man who became God in unity” (Faith of the Fathers Ch. 61 part 4 Verse 23). John Chrysostom has written that the human body was honored by the union of the Divine Word. The poverty in the nature of the flesh was abolished by the Unity of the Word of God with the flesh, and the flesh retained the glory of the word of God to itself by the unity. (Jn. Chrysostom, Faith of the Fathers Ch. 66 part 9 Verse 18-19).

After birth He grew like men, doing all human works except sin. He taught 33 years and 3 months in the world. For us men he died on the Cross, destroyed death by his death and saved the world. He was laid in the tomb for three days and three nights; rose from the dead on the third day; appeared to His disciples, stayed on earth for forty days, gathering His disciples and teaching them the Book of the Covenant. On the fortieth day, while the disciples beheld, He ascended unto heaven to the Father in glory praised by angels, sat at the right hand of His Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead, when everyone will be recompensed according to his work. (Jn. 3:13; 1 Pet. 3:22; Mt. 25:31; Eph. 4:8-10; Acts 2:30; 2 Cor. 5:14). Therefore, the teaching highlighted in the mystery of Incarnation is to believe that Our Lord and Savior Eyesus Christos is the Word of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, thus Our Holy Mother Virgin Mariam is the true Mother of God; the Mother of the Word. (Cyril Hai. Ab.). This mystery also teaches us the two births of the son, His birth before the world from the Father without a mother, and his birth from the Virgin Mariam without a father.