The Teachers of the Church: Irenaeus of Lyons (Part 2)

The History of Christianity #46

Our Scripture verse today is John 14:6 which reads: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Our quote today is from Irenaeus of Lyons. He said: "Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."

Today, we are looking at "The Teachers of the Church" (Part 3) from Dr. Justo L. Gonzalez's fine book, The Story of Christianity (Volume 1).

Irenaeus of Lyons (Part 2)

Although the actual course of history is the result of sin, the fact that there is history is not. God always had the purpose that there be history. The situation in paradise, as described in Genesis, was not the goal of creation, but its beginning.

From this perspective, the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is not merely a response to sin. On the contrary, God's initial purpose included being united with humankind. In fact, the future incarnate Word was the model that God followed in making humans after the divine image. Adam and Eve were so created that, after a process of growth and instruction, they could become like the incarnate Word. What has happened because of sin is that the incarnation has taken on the added purpose of offering a remedy for sin, and a means for defeating Satan.

Even before the incarnation, and from the very moment of the first sin, God has been leading humanity toward closer communion with the divine. For this reason, God curses the serpent and the earth, but only punishes the man and the woman. At the very moment of the fall, God is working for human redemption.

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