Devotion for Advent: The Word Became Flesh

word became flesh“. . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1

An excellent devotion for Advent, is Athanasius On The Incarnation.

C. S. Lewis wrote the Preface for this edition(Link), advising us to not read another new book until we have read an old one. And if we have not time for both, to read the old.

Or

Kindle  0.99, Paperback 4.99

https://amzn.to/2QqHowh
Athanasius

 

The “Jesus’ Wife” Heresy

As an outstanding article in The Atlantic  put it, The Bible Refers to Jesus’ Wife, Too–The Church.

Whether the media-hyped ‘fragment’ turns out to be a fraud [which seems likely]*  or simply, false teaching, Christians, who are grounded in Scripture and the teaching of the Church, know better than to entertain this fantasy.  The Incarnation does not open the door to such a path.  Christ is not a bigamist.

In his commentary on “The Hymn in Honor of Christ” in Colossians, F.F. Bruce notes that “an intelligent appreciation of the doctrine of Christ is the best safeguard against most forms of heretical teaching…”

Many arm-chair Christians need to take up a Bible and read.  Colossians 1 and such passages as the prologue to John, Hebrews 1, Ephesians 1, Philippians 2,  etc. , are a powerful antidote to the godless speculation of our day.

Colossians 1:15-20

 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
*NOTE: Links in text  became broken; paper on fraud was by Francis Watson of Durham University.   If link does not work,  do search.

http://markgoodacre.org/Watson2.pdf

[It is now beyond reasonable doubt that this is a fake. {“There’s an error in the fragment that is reproduced from an online version of the Gospel of Thomas.“}

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godandthemachine/2012/10 /jesuss-wife-textual-fingerprints-of-a-forger/

But, again, the key point is that it does not matter. Fake or simply fourth century false teaching, it is heresy.]