Scriptural Evidence for the Incarnation

In posting on Christianforums.com I've run into some interesting perspectives on the Incarnation of Christ.  When I taught church history, I liked to tell my students that there was "no new heresy."  That isn't entirely true, but it IS true that many of the non-Orthodox teachings floating about in our society today are complete re-hashings of old heresies.  In particular, ebionism (the idea that Christ was a mere man) and arianism (that the Son of God is a created being, less than God the Father) have stormed back.  They've become so ubiquitous that I've begun seeing them appear casually even among traditional Christians who just don't know any better.

For the secular humanist who likes Christ's teachings, ebionism is an attractive option.  Asserting Christ's pure humanity, and denying His divinity, leaves one able to affirm His ethical teachings without all that messy supernatural stuff.  Most people of this sort that I know really like the Gospel of Matthew.  Aside from the fact that it contains the Sermon on the Mount (perhaps the single best summary of Christ's ethical teahcings), it also has a reputation for focusing heavily on Christ's fulfillment of the role of Messiah - that is, on Christ's humanity (this in contrast to the Gospel of John, which focuses more on His divinity).

I don't think that's accurate, though.  Matthew may not be as direct (to us) about the divinity of Christ, but there is plenty of evidence throughout Matthew which implies that Matthew intended his reader to see Christ as above and beyond all the prophets - indeed, as God Himself.

A bulleted list of references after the jump!  Yay!