Excerpt From "The Incarnation" By Athanasius Read By Pastor Joe Morecraft

Joe Morecraft is a preacher of the gospel (https://heritagepresbyterianchurch.com/) and a noted lecturer on contemporary political and historical trends in the United States. Joe was born in 1944 and is a native of Madison, West Virginia. Joe Morecraft earned a Bachelor degree in history from King College in Bristol, Tennessee. In 1969, he earned a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. In 1982, he earned a Doctor of Theology degree from Whitefield Theological Seminary in Lakeland, Florida.

On the Incarnation
Athanasius of Alexandria (A. D. 297 - 373)

Athanasius, 300-373 AD, was small in stature but a theological giant. He recognized that Jesus Christ is truly God in the flesh, and stood against the Arian movement that diminished Jesus’s deity. Though he would face trial and banishment throughout his life, he never wavered in his doctrinal beliefs, beliefs which would mark the orthodox understanding of who Jesus is and what he accomplished in salvation. A phrase represented the thrust of his life and ministry: Athanasius contra mundum (“Athanasius against the world”).

Arianism, the belief that the Son is a lesser being than the Father and created like the rest of mankind, was condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325. However, in the years following, Emperor Constantine and others softened their stance toward Arianism, and the heretical position gained steam. Athanasius, who was present at the Council of Nicaea, is remembered for his efforts in standing against Arianism in the years following 325. He knew this heresy totally undermined the sacrifice of Christ and the gospel itself.

He begins by a review of the doctrine of creation and of man's place