# Pastebin KdiXKEoO
WHO IS JESUS? Is he God, the Creator of all things? Or is he more of a divine hero—a human who became God by grace? Was there a time when Jesus did not exist? In the fourth century, many Christians sought answers to questions like these. A young African deacon named Athanasius played an important role in bringing biblical clarity to these questions.

Athanasius was born to Christian parents in Egypt. As a child, he witnessed some of his Christian tutors martyred for their beliefs, but this did not dampen Athanasius's faith. The Scriptures captivated his imagination and as a young man he wrote On the Incarnation, a profound reflection on the ancient teaching that the eternal God became man in the person of Jesus. The bishop of Alexandria soon became aware of Athanasius's gifts and ordained him a deacon.

While Athanasius was a teenager, Emperor Constantine declared an end to the persecution of Christians. But all was not well in the church. A popular priest named Arius began teaching that Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father but was rather a divine creation. As Arius put it,

"There was a time when the Son was not." Arius was a persuasive preacher and spread his ideas through poems and catchy songs. Arius's teaching convinced many, but other Christians were concerned that Arius's teaching conflicted with the faith for which the martyrs had died. Soon the church was embroiled in a controversy that threatened to upset the stability of the Roman Empire. Was the Son the eternal God, or was he a divine creation?

Constantine, concerned about the peace of his empire and wanting answers to this controversy, hosted a council in Nicaea. Church leaders from all over the known world were invited to attend. Deacon Athanasius's bishop had such confidence in his young deacon's grasp of trinitarian theology that he brought Athanasius with him to the council. Hundreds of Christians attended the council and, when the Arian controversy was put to a vote, all but two attendees affirmed the trinitarian faith. The council then drafted an early form of the Nicene Creed, a thorough summary of the apostli trinitarian faith, as defined by Scripture.

In later decades, influential leaders in the Roman Empire and in the church turned against the theology of Nicaea. When Athanasius became bishop of Alexandria, his church was attacked and he was sent into exile five times for his belief in Nicene Christianity. Many told Athanasius that the entire world was against him. Athanasius replied that if the whole world was against the truth, "Then I am against the world."? He became known as Athanasius Contra Mundum (Athanasius Against the World) for his stalwart defense of the faith.

SCRIPTURE
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." (John 1:1-2)

MEDITATION: OF ONE BEING WITH THE FATHER
It's ironic that many seminaries offer courses with titles like Practical Theology, as if there were such a thing as Impractical Theology (Lord have mercy!). All good theology is practical. Of what practicality is the theology of Jesus being God the Son, second person of the Holy Trinity, coeternal with God the Father and God the Spirit?

Consider this: if Jesus were a created being, then a Christian could not enjoy the love, comfort, and compassion of a God who truly understands the human experience. Why? Because if Jesus were created, then he might individually and personally empathize and relate to the particular joys and pains of human existence, but God does not. God remains at a distance.

Jesus came near, but God remained far. Jesus did the dirty work on the cross, but God kept his hands clean. Jesus gets us. God does not.
What kind of faith does this offer? A close, loving relationship with lesus as semidivine teacher, friend, and leader, but a cold and distant relationship with God the eternal creator.

So when you pray, to whom are you praying? If it's to Jesus, then he might really want to help you out, but he lacks the power to do so. If it's to God, then he might have the power to help, but he lacks the love and compassion The practical theology of the incarnation of the Son of God in the person of Jesus is absolutely essential to the integrity of the Christian faith and to a genuine experience of God's love. Because God has become a human being, we receive both the compassionate love and the divine power of God.

God understands and God is mighty to save.
God loves and God reigns.

Recite the Nicene Creed. Read On the Incarnation by Athanasius. Pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. Rejoice in the gloriously practical theologies of the Trinity and the incarnation.

PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Inspired by the example of your servant Athanasius, keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.