How did an unchangeable God become a man?

Question

Trinitarians believe that God became man in Christ. However, God is supposed to be immutable or unchangeable. Thomas Aquinas states that the divine is pure act. How, therefore, did God (the Son) become man in Christ Jesus?

Answer 1

He didn't actually become man his spirit is what entered his son Jesus Christ kinda like when people tell us "you're just like your father or mother" we're not exactly them but their traits are in us,you dig????

Answer 2

First ask yourself what is it that is consistant and cannot not be improved upon once the highest level has been reached? How about "character". Gods character is unchangeable. Remember when Jesus was risen and he had not gone to the Father yet (?). He was in a new body, but His character is what identified Him as the Christ. In the beginning the Word was with God etc. For I am the Lord, I change not therefore you children....... are not consumed. How do you differentiate one identical twin from the other? (character). What is the one thing that you will have that is consistant that will accompany you to heaven? ........the race is given to the one who endureth until the end. That character is the thing that will be fine tuned to be Christ like so that we will make it. By observing Christs character, we know the Father because the characters of the Holy Spirit, God and the Son are one purpose!
I hope this helps! Or someone else can explain it for you. Thanks. Arene

Answer 3

Here are your differences:
This is from Wikipedia:

The difference between this doctrine and that of trinitarianism, believed by the majority of other Christians, has set much of Mormonism apart from the rest of Christianity. See Mormonism and Christianity.


This is what I have to say:

There are THREE different beings (personages); The Father (God) The Son (Jesus) and the Holy Ghost (sometimes called the Holy spirit), however they are ONE in purpose. Our (Heavenly) Father, and Jesus both have bodies of flesh and blood, but the Holy Ghost is a being without a body, otherwise he could not be the spirit messenger and be able to give us messenges from our Heavenly Father.

Jesus followed his Father's way and became the sacrifice for mankind's sins and gave us the redemption that we needed to return to our Heavenly Father. This sacrifice was the meridian of time and also ended the Mosaic Law of animal sacrifice.


Here is what Wikipedia has to say:

The Godhead

The First Vision - God and Jesus Christ appear to the young boy Joseph Smith Jr. in 1820LDS theology maintains that God the Father (Heavenly Father), Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings who together constitute the Godhead. It is different from the traditional doctrine of the Trinity, which maintains that the three are one being. All three members of the Godhead are eternal and equally divine, but play somewhat different roles. While the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body, God and Christ do possess distinct, perfected, physical bodies of flesh and bone. Although Mormon theology sees the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as separate beings, they are considered to be "one God" in purpose. Because they are omniscient and have the same purpose, Jesus Christ speaks often in the scriptures as though knowing perfectly the will and the words of the Father[16]. (In a similar way, many times Biblical prophets speak in the first person as though they are the mouthpiece of the Lord[17]). God the Father is the spirit father in premortal life of the spirits of all people who are or have been born on this earth. He is also both the spirit Father and the Father in the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is thus the Only Begotten Son, inheriting from His Father power over death.

Also from Wikipedia:

Based on some controversial teachings of the faith's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., just before his death in 1844, the most popular (but not exclusive) doctrine of the Godhead in Mormonism is that God the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct personages, both the Father and the Son having physical bodies, while the Holy Ghost has a spirit body.


I hope this helps you as I too once had these questions and I found the answers in this church that put the pieces of the "Big Puzzle" together for me, and I hope you find the answers that will give you peace as well.

This site will give you a plethora of answers
http://www.mormon.org/welcome/0,6929,403-1,00.html

Fabulous Info Site
http://scriptures.lds.org/tg/g/85

Fondly and in Good Spirit,
The Diva, Darling!

Answer 4

He did not. I have thoroughly studied the Bible and cannot find any proof for the Trinitarian doctrine. To me the Bible clearly and repeatedly states that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and therefore separate. And yes God is unchangeable. Malachi 3 says: "I have not changed." God's will and purpose is perfect and cannot and will not change.

To me it is illogical and ignorant to honestly believe in a Tri-une Godhead. Who was Jesus praying to? Himself? Why did he say "the Father is greater than I am?" Who resurrected Jesus after three days? How could God ever die? If he didn't really die, of what benefit is the ransom sacrifice? Especially in view of God's perfect justice? The questions go on and on. Even the Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the Bible at no time refers to a Trinity, but that it has been formulated by past Bible scholars and clergy.

Anyway, that is my personal viewpoint on the question. I do not seek to change the beliefs of others; but I am firmly convinced, by careful study and research, of my beliefs.

Answer 5

It can be explained by the virgin birth, the idea that Jesus was not born with original sin, hence he was not man in the same sense that everyone else is man. The resurrection testifies to that fact. Men die. Gods live on. If you are going to quote from Aquinas then expect people to respond in this manner. Catholics believe that Jesus was born free of sin. God is free of sin. Man is not. God did not change. People learned a little more about the scope of His power.

Answer 6

God never did the changeling act and become a man. Jesus was/is, God's son. God placed his Spirit in Jesus - just as he placed his Spirit in the Ark of the Covenant.

You might say, Jesus IS the Ark of the New Covenant, a house made without human hands.

Everything Jesus said and done was a direct result of God telling him what to say and showing him what to do (Jesus says so a few times in the Gospel of John) - Thus, God spoke to man and shown man His works..., which explains Jesus prophesied name (Emanuel), "God With Us".

That is so awesome - God speaking with man, through the person of Jesus. Simply awesome!

Answer 7

He is God! If he can speak and create everything and make man out of dust and his breath don't you think he has the power to become a man? Thomas Aquinas was a man and his statements are based on man's thinking. The Bible is clear that God's ways are not our ways and God's thoughts are not our thoughts.
God sent Jesus (part of the Godhead). He laid aside his Godship and came to this world, lived a sinless life, died on a cross for all men's sin and rose again ascending back into heaven and His glory was restored.

Answer 8

my friend God has a divine nature and he is able to show himself in many ways-God is Christ on earth. Therefore he did not change the essance of who isor was or he simply chose to show us another side of him if you will.
hence Jesus is God. You can find this in 1st John.chpt 1vs1-4 and the gospel of john chpt 1vs1-12

Answer 9

That is minimizing God, the omnipotent, omnipresent etc. I guess its a man made theory of what God is. Our minds are finite and we can never comprehend the infinite. We might think God is this or that but I think that He is never what we think but what He is. What we think of God is product of our own limited imagination and it will never be even close to what God really is.

Answer 10

What you wrote is Christian dogma...it is not exactly how it works...is just a belief system like all other dogma...want to know truth? Purify yourself and you will know the truth within yourself...that which is God lives within each of us regardless of belief, faith, actions, etc.