Please Read Before You Start, Just Remember To Analyze

Please Read Before You Start On Thisjust Remember To Analyze The

Please read before you start on this!!!!!! just remember to analyze the critiques. Copy an important quote and comment on it. Ask questions. Evaluate the critiques. As you evaluate the critiques of your classmates, you should consistently be looking for ways to (politely and gently) suggest areas where your classmates should look for additional consideration in their posts. ("Have you considered...?" or "Did you think about...?)

In our latest assignment we read an article by Lehman Strauss entitled, “Why God became manâ€. The basic premise of the article is to explain the incarnation and its importance on the history of the church as well as mankind in general. Strauss’ introduction of the incarnation of Jesus and the virgin birth of Jesus is key. Jesus could not have remained fully God if He were beget by a fallen, earthly man. He would have then shared in the same sin that Adam did.

This is not the case. You cannot have one without the other. The virgin birth and the incarnation are inseparable. One aspect of this article that I am not sure about is when Strauss was explaining that Jesus was God being revealed to the world. I am in total agreement with this but Strauss goes a little further.

While scripture is clear that all of mankind is born with an innate sense that there is a higher power, and that nature itself depicts the story of a divine creator, it is not clear of the fate of those who never hear the Gospel. He even lumps Job into this category of people that have an innate sense of who God is. I am not sure that Job, being as early in history as he was, would have had to solely rely on that. Strauss may not believe that either but in his article he is not clear on the subject. Jesus did come to restore Israel.

However not only Israel, He came to restore the entire creation back to God. His actions did not automatically do this for everyone by default rather it opened the pathway for the creation to be reconciled back to God. 778 It is extremely clear, as evidenced by the article “Why God Became Man†by Lehman Strauss, that Mr. Strauss is very well versed in the subject matter. To the side of the article is a brief biography that details just how well Strauss knows the material.

He served as an Old Testament history teacher and also pastored Calvary Baptist Church and Highland Park Baptist Church from 1939 to 1963. Afterwards he committed himself to holding Bible conferences and an evangelistic ministry both in the states and overseas. The man has a very deep understanding of the subject. This article is a representation of his knowledge and is quite well constructed. The bullet point format serves to take the reader on a step by step explanation that is good for actually comprehending how the material relates to other material within the article.

Every bullet point he uses to explain how and why Jesus became a man is straight from Scripture and is supported by other scripture. He really only mentions one view in opposition to his own view, that being the view held by Cerinthus, a representative of a system known as Docetism. They claim that Jesus had only an “apparent†human body. He uses scripture to successfully debunk the idea but the ideas of Monophysitism or Eutychianism are not addressed. Despite the lack of introduction to the counter-arguments, the topic is balanced extremely well.

He covered the necessary bits of information vital to understanding the unique nature of Jesus and His purpose in becoming a complete man, while remaining the complete God. The article does waver a bit as the first half of the article is pretty much devoted to Jesus’ position within the Godhead. Strauss obviously felt that this subject must be explained to the fullest in order to truly explain the purpose of His coming. The bullet point conclusion that Strauss comes to is that God became human to reign, rescue the whole creation, restrain satan, redeem man, reveal man to himself, and reveal God to man. The much more simplistic and the underlying cause of why God became man is as Strauss says in his conclusion.

God became man to glorify God. His argument is sound, based in biblical fact, and is untainted by any presupposition. The amount of evidence he amassed to support this conclusion is quite extraordinary. This is why I believe the article is extremely convincing. I thought that this article was a very well written article.

The one thing that puzzles me about this article is that I can’t tell who the target audience is. The syntax that Strauss uses is such that one would believe the article is directed towards Christians. However in various sections of the article, he uses words and phrases that one would use to introduce this subject to non-believers. I don’t see this as an issue considering the subject matter, but it is an issue considering the reader. I would have liked to see more information regarding the counter arguments and ideas concerning Jesus’ position within the Godhead.

He referenced one idea from history but there have been a lot of other movements and ideas throughout history that he did not address. I think that by addressing a plethora of these ideas one could further set up the foundation for explaining why God became man. Without effectively addressing and debunking these ideas, the entirety of the correct assumption as set forth by the Bible is in jeopardy. There is a reason that most of the leaders of these various schools of thought were branded heretics and excommunicated from the church. All in all, I think that Mr.

Strauss did a phenomenal job and is obviously a fantastic writer and very knowledgeable about the subject. 779 Lehman Strauss, the author of the article “Why God Became Manâ€, was a devote Christian who spent over the span of three decades either teaching, preaching, evangelizing, or writing about the Bible. This article focuses on the incarnation and explaining the importance of this event and its purpose in God’s overall plan for humanity. Strauss’s approach to explaining the incarnation and his understanding of the topic is seen clearly in his interpretation of the Scriptures. He set up his arguments by evaluating what took place during the incarnation (Jesus becoming both fully God and fully man), how it took place (through the virgin Mary), and why this event was necessary for the redemption of humanity.

By providing multiple Scriptural evidences in both the Old and the New Testament for each of his viewpoints, he creates a strong case for the belief in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Although Strauss candidly admits the word “incarnation†is not found anywhere in the Bible, this word is merely used to describe the event of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, willingly coming to earth and becoming flesh while still remaining divine. This God-man nature is also known as the hypostatic union. Strauss’s treatment of the topic of the incarnation is very heavily based upon Biblical passages such as John 1:14, Galatians 4:4,5, and Isaiah 9:6. Although logically coherent in his theories and Scriptural evidences as to why God became man and His purpose here on this earth, Strauss only discusses one counter viewpoint, Docetism in which he quickly refutes.

He, however, does not discuss any other opposing views such as that of the gnostic teachings and dualism in which case would result in the reader’s greater understanding of other perspectives in regards to difficult topics such as the incarnation and how these counter viewpoints compare with Strauss’ view and focus of proper hermeneutics in the translation of these biblical references. However, based upon the overwhelming Scriptural evidences presented in the article, Strauss’s arguments of the topic of the incarnation are very well grounded in Scriptural truth. The proper understanding of the incarnation is the foundation to which all other Scriptural truths are based upon and without a pure and coherent understanding of such a foundational truth is detrimental to the argument for the incarnation of Christ and for the Christian faith.

Paper For Above instruction

The article “Why God Became Man” by Lehman Strauss offers a comprehensive theological examination of the doctrine of the incarnation, highlighting its significance in Christian theology and its implications for humanity. Strauss’s exposition is rooted in biblical scripture, emphasizing the dual nature of Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man, and exploring the theological necessity of this union for salvation and divine revelation.

Theological Foundations and Biblical Support

One of the core strengths of Strauss’s article is his detailed biblically supported argument regarding the incarnation. Strauss underscores the importance of the hypostatic union—the union of divine and human natures within Christ—as essential for understanding Christ’s role in salvation. He cites key scriptures such as John 1:14, which states, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” to affirm Jesus’s divine incarnation. Similarly, Galatians 4:4-5 emphasizes that Jesus’s earthly arrival was set in God's divine timing, underscoring the purpose of incarnation for salvation. Isaiah 9:6, foretelling the coming Messiah, further solidifies the divine nature of Jesus and his role as the divine child, emphasizing the importance of Christ’s divine-human natures.

The Necessity of the Incarnation

Strauss convincingly argues that the incarnation was indispensable for the redemption of humanity. Only through Jesus’s complete identification with human nature could salvation be achieved, providing believers with a perfect example of divine love and obedience. The article also highlights that Jesus, as fully God, held the authority to redeem mankind, while his human nature made this salvation accessible and relatable to humanity. Strauss emphasizes that this union was essential for bridging the gap between a holy God and sinful mankind, and that it was initiated through the virgin birth, which preserved Christ’s sinless nature.

Debunking Heretical Views

In defending the doctrine, Strauss clarifies misconceptions propagated by heretical groups such as Docetism, which claimed that Christ only appeared to have a physical body, denying his true humanity. He refutes this with biblical evidence, emphasizing that Jesus’s incarnation was real, and his human experience was genuine. Although Strauss acknowledges this as a significant heresy, he notably does not extensively address other theological positions such as Gnosticism or dualism, which interpret Jesus’s nature differently. This lack of discussion limits the scope of his critique but does not diminish the strength of his biblical foundation.

Implications of the Doctrine of Incarnation

The doctrine's importance extends beyond theological correctness; it influences the Christian understanding of Jesus’s role as mediator and savior. Strauss asserts that the incarnation reveals God's desire for proximity and fellowship with mankind. It underscores that salvation involves God’s active participation in human history through Jesus. Furthermore, Christ’s dual nature provides the basis for the Christian faith’s hope for resurrection and eternal life, as his humanity signifies the promise of believers' future resurrection.

Evaluation of the Article’s Impact

Overall, Strauss’s article is a well-structured, biblically grounded defense of the incarnation doctrine. His use of Scripture to substantiate his claims is thorough, and his theological insights contribute meaningfully to the understanding of Christ’s dual nature. Nevertheless, the article could benefit from engaging with a broader spectrum of historical and theological objections, to enhance its comprehensiveness and address potential doubts skeptics or other denominations may have. Despite this, Strauss’s work remains a robust affirmation of the biblical truth concerning Christ’s incarnation.

Conclusion

The article “Why God Became Man” underscores the centrality of the incarnation to Christian salvation. Strauss systematically explains this doctrine, emphasizing the importance of the hypostatic union rooted in Scripture and its vital role in theology. While limited in scope regarding other heretical views, the article convincingly affirms that Jesus's dual nature is the foundation for understanding his role as the Savior. Recognizing the incarnation’s significance not only helps deepen faith but also reinforces the biblical narrative of God's active engagement with creation.

References

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