SOME SAY that the word “Incarnation” means nothing, that it is a myth, while others, notably Christians, retort that it

On this subject, one person wrote that since the “soul” of man is immortal and only the “flesh” dies, Jesus did not really die—his soul as his essence lived on past the grave.  Therefore, the ultimate conclusion, the writer states, is that human beings do not really die.  Mystery solved.  Here’s how he did it:

Let’s say I’m doing a puppet show for a children’s party.  I’m hiding behind a wall and my two hands are in the puppets.  The kids, with a limited view, see two characters performing.  Although the kids see two identities, there is actually only one person.  Both identities are an extension of me.  They are not all of me, but they are part of me.  Likewise, God can bring an extension of himself down to earth.  This extension would not be all of God, but it would be part of God.  In other words, God would not have to take a "leave of absence" from Heaven in order to have an extension of Himself come to earth.

Take a few moments to think about how God could accomplish this. What would be necessary for God to perform this task?  The first thing he would need to do is provide himself a human body.  This, of course, would not be a big-deal; considering God creates over 200,000 bodies a day.  The next thing he would have to do is put part of himself in the body.  Considering the fact that God is able to create life out of nothing, I don’t think this would be a difficult task for Him.

Now, we have a situation where God is still functioning as "God Almighty" in Heaven, but is also functioning as a human (or God-man) here on earth.  This God-man would have a variety of self-imposed limitations.  He would have a body that will grow old and die (or could be murdered).  There will be many things he doesn’t know.  He would have an inherent knowledge he is part of the Godhead, but otherwise, his knowledge would be very limited.

Although this God-man knows he is part of the Godhead, he is limited in his communicative skills.  He has to communicate in the same primitive way as other humans.  As part of his self-imposed limitations, he is forced to communicate with the Godhead the same way as everyone else.

Apart from experiencing the limited life of mortal man, God also has a specific task he wants to accomplish.  He, therefore, gives himself the ability to perform certain miracles in order to show others this is a mission from God.  Tragically, halfway through his life, a riotorius crowd murders him.

The God-man’s death, however, was not a mistake; it was actually part of his plan.  In order to accomplish His mission, the God-man needed to be murdered.  The rioters didn’t take his life; he gave it up freely.

Does the death of the God-man’s body mean God actually "died?"  No, of course not.  Physical death is the separation of the person’s soul (their true eternal identity) from their temporary physical body. When our physical bodies die, we are not "dead."  Likewise, when the God-man’s body died, he continued on living.[1]

What you have just read is a genuine pipe-dream.  Bronson demonstrates the fertile and bizarre imagination necessary to support the trinitarian idea of the bodily, tangible, and mythical incarnation. His God-man is neither true God nor true man—it only appeared to be a man; a God clothed in puppet-flesh.  The above writer notwithstanding, the orthodox doctrine of a material incarnation of God remains a deep mystery, one that is cloaked in obscurity and ambiguity, yet this mysterious incarnation is said to be the “linchpin” that holds fundamental Christianity together.  A bodily incarnation of an ethereal  substance through a supernatural  descent of a God, as opposed to an incarnation of (Continued...)