Jesus as the incarnation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian beliefs about the incarnation and how this belief influences Christians today.
Key learning points
- Incarnation means “in flesh” and refers to the Christian belief that God became human in the person of Jesus.
- Most Christians believe that the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament, prophesied the coming of Jesus.
- Most Christians believe that the New Testament confirms the incarnation and shows Jesus as fully human and fully divine.
- The belief in the incarnation is significant for Christians today and influences practices such as prayer and Christmas.
Keywords
Divine - of or like God, or a god/goddess
Incarnation - 'in flesh', or 'enfleshed'; belief that God took on human form in the person of Jesus
Jesus - believed by Christians to be the Son of God, he was a first-century Jewish teacher living and travelling in Palestine/Israel
Common misconception
Jesus is entirely distinct and separate from God.
For most Christians, Jesus is God in human form. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Teacher tip
You may wish to give students copies of the Bible passages referenced in learning cycle 1.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who was Jesus’ mother, according to the Gospels?
Q2.Which Gospel includes the story of the wise men visiting Jesus?
Q3.Who was king of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth?
Q4.Who ordered a census that led Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem?
Q5.According to Christian belief, because she was a virgin, Mary’s pregnancy is considered a ...
Q6.Christians celebrate at to remember the birth of Jesus.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The name ‘Immanuel’ means ‘God with .’
Q2.What does the term ‘incarnation’ mean in Christianity?
Q3.Which New Testament passage describes ‘The Word’ becoming flesh?
Q4.How does belief in the incarnation influence Christian worship today?
Q5.Why do many Christians believe Jesus was both fully human and fully divine?
Q6.How might belief in the incarnation provide comfort to Christians?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Jesus as the incarnation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Jesus as the incarnation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Beliefs unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.