• Belief that Jesus was God in human form validates their whole faith
• the belief that Jesus was God in human form makes it possible to believe in his teachings and follow his example
• justifies the way they live their lives
• shows the power of God
• highlights the importance of the Trinity
• assures Christians that God’s love is so great that he showed himself as a human being on earth
• the incarnation influences Christian worship at Christmas and Epiphany, etc.

Allow a definition of incarnation as a simple explanation of one of the ways incarnation influences Christians

2018

• The incarnation of Jesus is the teaching that Jesus is God made flesh / God in human form: John 1:14.
• Jesus was fully God and fully human / He was God the Son, and part of the Trinity.
• God was incarnated as Jesus / for around 30 years.
• Two of the Gospels explain that the incarnation was brought about by God’s power /rather than by the normal means of sexual reproduction.
• The fact that Jesus was fully human / means that he was able to suffer / and these two ideas are together in the (Nicene) Creed: Jesus became incarnate from the Virgin Mary / and for our sake he suffered and was buried.
• Textual references: eg the appearance of the angel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) / and to Joseph in Matthew (1:20-21).
• Jesus’ incarnation means that he was able to understand what it is like to be fully human / eg the misery of human suffering.
• The incarnation shows how much God loved the world and human beings, etc.

2021

• Accept historical beliefs, eg Jesus was sentenced to death by Pilate / took place on ‘Good Friday’ / was engineered by the chief priests and elders / scarlet robe and crown of thorns / mockery / location at Golgotha, etc.
• Details of the two men crucified on either side of him / eg the promise to one that he would be with God in paradise.
• Being fully human / Jesus experienced all the pain of crucifixion / ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ / the bystander who offered Jesus vinegar / tearing of the Temple curtain / Jesus’ last words, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ / the centurion’s verdict that ‘Surely this man was the Son of God.’
• Christian understanding that Jesus was crucified to atone for the sins of humanity / the crucifixion was vindicated by Jesus’ resurrection, etc.
• Credit the influence of the crucifixion for Christians today, eg because of the crucifixion sin loses its power to destroy lives / God forgives those who ask for forgiveness / God understands the pain of those who suffer / some use the crucifix as a symbol of their faith, etc.

2018

 Students may include some of the following points, but all other relevant points must be credited:

• Jesus’ crucifixion was predicted by scripture / Christians believe that the crucifixion fulfilled scripture / which influences them to rely on scripture and to obey its commands.
• Jesus forgave the guards who crucified him / so Christians can look forward to forgiveness for their own sins.
• Jesus promised the repentant sinner that the man would be with him in Paradise / so Christians are encouraged to believe in and look forward to life after death.
• The Roman centurion said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God’ / so Christians can believe that Jesus was the Son of God.
• Jesus experienced great suffering, spiritual and emotional / together with a feeling of absolute desolation and isolation / Knowing this, those who suffer in these kinds of ways will be better able to bear their suffering.
• Christians may be led to a deeper commitment / e.g. to worship.
• Some might be influenced to follow Christian teachings, etc.

2022

•  Jesus was crucified as part of God’s plan / to redeem humanity from sin.
• Jesus himself taught his disciples that he would be delivered into human hands / he would be killed and rise after three days. (Mark 9:30-32; also Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
• Christians believe that Jesus’ crucifixion was a fulfilment of scripture / eg John 19:31-37 records that Jesus’ legs were not broken, to fulfil the scripture that ‘Not a bone of him shall be broken’.
• Jesus’ death teaches forgiveness / Jesus forgave those who crucified him because they did not understand the significance of what they were doing / forgiveness of others can accompany the worst pains.
• The crucifixion shows that Jesus’ crucifixion was a very painful death / so Christians are taught that God understands human pain.
• One of the criminals crucified with Jesus mocked him angrily, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ / Christians are taught that Jesus did not use his power to save himself / he endured suffering / he was able to ignore mockery.
• The crucifixion shows that suffering is a part of life / so Christians can deal with whatever suffering they encounter.
• Jesus told one of the two men crucified with him that he would be with God in paradise / so Christians are taught that the pain of crucifixion can lead to the blessings of an afterlife.
• The centurion in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion said, ‘Surely this man was a/the son of God’ (Mark 15:39) / which teaches that even the most righteous Christians can suffer unjustly.
• Christians are taught that by accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross / sin cannot destroy their lives / suffering is part of life.
• Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross through execution (by means of crucifixion) / in order for the forgiveness of sins to be possible, etc

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him … and after three days he will rise.’ (Mark 9:31)
• ‘For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.’ (1 Corinthians 15:3)
• ‘And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” ’ (Luke 23:34)
• ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the chosen of God.’ (Luke 23:35)
• ‘One of the criminals railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ’ (Luke 23:39)
• ‘And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” ’ (Luke 23:43)
• ‘Surely this man was a/the son of God.’ (Mark 15:39)
• ‘For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.’ (Nicaean Creed)