Question 22: The Incarnation

Question 22: How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

Answer: Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.

Having introduced the doctrine of Christ, the catechism now focuses in on a particular issue. How is it possible that this one person Jesus has two natures? How did the eternal Son of God become man? This carefully crafted answer is any many ways a response to various false teachings about Jesus that had appeared previously in the church.

Docetism taught that Christ was not really a man, but only appeared to be a man. In response, the catechism reminds us that Jesus had a "true body." Indeed, the word "became" is sufficient to refute this heresy, and the catechism uses this word appropriately because it is also used in John 1:14, "The Word became flesh."

Apollinarianism taught that Jesus did not have a human mind, but was a human body implanted by the eternal Word. Similarly, Monothelitism taught that Jesus had only one will rather than two wills (one belonging to his divine nature and the other to his human nature.) In response to these challenges about the invisible part of Jesus' humanity, the catechism affirms that Jesus had a reasonable (rational) soul. That Jesus' humanity included the invisible part of humanity, the soul, can be seen in the fact that Jesus could honestly state in Mark 13:32, "Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." With respect to his divinity Jesus is all-knowing, but with respect to his humanity there are things that he does not know. Similarly he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

Finally, the catechism responds to Adoptionism, the idea that a human body existed and was somehow taken over by the Son of God. In Luke 1:35 the angel Gabriel tells Mary that her conception of Jesus will happen in this way: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God." The catechism affirms that Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb and born of her, and holy - which in this special case reminds us of the sinlessness of Christ.

The true humanity of Christ, even from conception, is essential for our doctrine of salvation. If he were not fully human, then he could not fully identify with us and save us. Praise God that Christ, being the Son of God, became man!