The Law of Faith – Through Which Everything Was Created
The lecture offers a profound explanation of the Nicene Creed, focusing on the divinity of Christ, His incarnation, and His redemptive work, clarifying that all He did was for human salvation and not for Himself.
The Divinity of Christ
His Holiness explains that the phrase “All things were made by Him” (John 1:3) confirms that Christ is the eternal Creator, through whom all things in heaven and on earth were made, in full unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Father created through His rational Word, that is, the Son, who is the Word of God.
Incarnation and Redemption
He clarifies that the Incarnation was not incidental but had redemption as its primary purpose. Christ came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary to become fully human—body, soul, and spirit—to redeem fallen humanity.
He emphasizes that since sin was directed against the infinite God, the atonement had to be infinite as well—something only the incarnate God could accomplish.
The Holiness of Christ’s Birth
The Holy Spirit worked within the Virgin Mary’s womb in a personal, hypostatic act, sanctifying her so that the Child born of her would not inherit corrupted human nature. Thus, Christ was born holy and sinless, both Son of God and Son of Man.
Unity of Divinity and Humanity
Pope Shenouda refutes the Nestorian claim that the divinity merely accompanied the humanity, affirming that Christ is truly God incarnate—His divine nature being original, united with His humanity without separation or mixture.
The Sufferings of Christ
He stresses that the union of divinity and humanity did not spare Christ from suffering. He willingly refused to use His divinity for His own comfort, thus experiencing hunger, thirst, and pain, and bearing our sins through His Passion and Cross.
Substitution for Humanity
Everything Christ did was on behalf of humanity: He fasted, was baptized, obeyed the Father, and offered Himself as a spotless sacrifice—a pleasing aroma to the Father—presenting the perfect image of humanity.
Resurrection and Ascension
Christ rose on the third day as foretold, and ascended into heaven in His glorified body—not defying gravity but as one possessing a spiritual, glorified nature. His sitting at the right hand of the Father signifies resting in the Father’s power, not a physical position.
The Second Coming
Christ will come again in the glory of His Father to judge the living and the dead—not to reign on earth as some suppose—for His kingdom is eternal and shall never pass away, as prophesied in Daniel: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed.”
