An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

Question 90: Why did Jesus become human?

Question 90: Why did Jesus become human?

Jesus became human to save us from sin and death. Taking on our full humanity, He lived a sinless life, died in our place, rose again, and now intercedes for us. He became like us so that we might become like Him—restored to fellowship with God, adopted as His children, and made heirs of eternal life. (John 1:14, Hebrews 2:14–17, Romans 5:18–19, Galatians 4:4–5, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Full Scripture References​

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14 (BSB)

“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” — Hebrews 2:14–15 (BSB)

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One man the many will be made righteous.” — Romans 5:19 (BSB)

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.” — Galatians 4:4–5 (BSB)

“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

Jesus became human for one great purpose: our salvation. As the eternal Son of God, He could not suffer or die. But by taking on our humanity, He became able to stand in our place, live in perfect obedience, and offer Himself as a true and sufficient sacrifice for sin. The Incarnation is the foundation of the Gospel: God with us to redeem us.

The Nicene Creed confesses: “For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven… and was made man.”

In Jesus, God stooped low to lift us up. He identified fully with our condition, becoming like us in every way except sin, so that He might heal our nature, defeat the devil, and restore our fellowship with the Father. This is the fulfillment of the Father’s eternal plan and the heart of the covenant promise made throughout the Old Testament.

Article II of the Thirty-Nine Articles declares: “The Son… took Man’s nature… so that two whole and perfect Natures… were joined together in one Person… to reconcile His Father to us, and to be a sacrifice.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote: “The Incarnation was not an afterthought. It was the centerpiece of God’s eternal plan to redeem His people and bring them home.”

Contemporary Anglican theologian Dr. Stephen Noll adds: “The Incarnation is the great bridge between heaven and earth. In Christ, God became what we are, so that we might become what He is—holy, beloved, and free.”

Jesus became man to: Obey the law perfectly on our behalf (Romans 5:19), Suffer and die as our substitute (Isaiah 53:5), Destroy the power of death and the devil (Hebrews 2:14), Show us the character of God in flesh and blood (John 14:9), And open the way back to the Father (John 14:6).

The Word did not merely appear human—He became flesh (John 1:14). He lived with sweat, tears, hunger, and joy. This is why He can sympathize with our weaknesses and why His sacrifice has infinite value. Christ’s humanity is not a temporary costume—it is the means of our reconciliation and resurrection.

Early Church Fathers On Catechism Question

St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD): “He became what we are so that He might make us what He is. By assuming our nature, He healed it and brought it back to God.” — On the Incarnation, 54

Athanasius emphasized the transforming purpose of the Incarnation.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD): “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, through His boundless love, became what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself.” — Against Heresies, V. Preface

Irenaeus taught that salvation involves participation in the divine life.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD): “God became man, so that man might be made like God. This is the wonder of grace—that the Creator joined His creation to raise it up.” — Sermon 192

Augustine saw the Incarnation as both humbling and exalting.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD): “He came down not to teach only, but to heal; not to reveal only, but to redeem; not to dwell only, but to die and rise again.” — Catechetical Lectures, 12

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

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