The Purpose of the Incarnation
“For we were the purpose of his (Jesus) embodiment, and for our salvation he so loved human beings as to come and be and appear in a human body.”
– Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius’ On the Incarnation is a foundational Christian text in which he explores why God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. Athanasius was present at the pivotal Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, but most of his life was spent serving the church of Alexandria, Egypt, through the mid-300s. As believers today, we are in debt to pastors and theologians like Athanasius, who not only guarded against early heretical teachings but gave us rich and sound theological writings that endure in our present age. Over the next four weeks, we will take a look at his work and how it helps us to understand the mystery and joy of Easter.
Central to Athanasius’ argument is the understanding that the incarnation was not a random or arbitrary act but a profound and necessary response to humanity’s fall into sin. In his view, the purpose of the incarnation was to restore the broken relationship between humanity and God, which was fractured through sin and its consequences. Genesis tells us that human beings were created in the image of God and enjoyed a harmonious relationship with their Creator. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world, bringing corruption and death. This fall from grace distorted the divine image within humanity, resulting in a separation from God. Athanasius emphasizes that this separation was not merely physical death but a deeper spiritual death—alienation from the source of life itself.
Faced with humanity’s plight, God, in His goodness and mercy, could not simply abandon His creation to decay and death. Athanasius argues that allowing the image of God to be lost would contradict God’s nature and purpose in creation. Therefore, the incarnation was God’s way of restoring what was broken. By taking on human flesh, Jesus, being fully God (i.e., equal in majesty and glory), entered into the human condition, sharing in its weakness and mortality, yet living a sinless life so as to redeem it from within.
One of the profound aspects of Athanasius’ theology is his insistence that only God Himself could restore the divine image in humanity. If Christ had been merely a created being, His sacrifice would lack the infinite value needed to conquer death and sin. Therefore, the Word (Jesus – Jn. 1:1), being fully God, had to become fully human. In doing so, Christ was able to re-establish the divine image through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
The incarnation is not merely about addressing human sin but about recreating and restoring human nature and purpose. Athanasius uses the metaphor of a portrait that has been ruined. An artist does not throw away the canvas but restores the image by reapplying the original image. Similarly, Christ, as the perfect image of the Father, restores humanity by imprinting His divine nature onto human life.
Athanasius highlights that the incarnation is also revelatory. Through the person of Christ, humans come to know God more fully. Jesus, the incarnate Word, makes visible the invisible God, allowing humanity to experience divine love and truth in a tangible way. This revelation is not merely intellectual but transformative, as encountering Christ leads to spiritual renewal.
The incarnation serves a dual purpose: it restores the broken relationship between humanity and God and renews the divine image within human beings. Athanasius presents this as the central mystery and beauty of the Christian faith—a divine act of love that redeems, restores and renews fallen humanity.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
– The Gospel of John 1:14-18