Saint Athanasius: Only a Truly Divine Son Could Save Us
What the video says
The video presents an argument for why the Son of God must be truly God and not a created being. If the Son were merely a creature, he could not unite humanity to God, since a creature would itself need to be united to God and could not save the rest of creation. Therefore God sent His own Son, who became the Son of Man by taking created flesh.
Because all humanity was under the sentence of death, the Son, being other than all creatures, offered His own body to death on behalf of all.
Key moments
- If the Son of God were a creature and not truly God, man would have remained mortal, never truly united to God.
- A mere creature could not unite other creatures to God, since it would itself need to be united to Him.
- No part of creation could be the salvation of creation, for it would itself need salvation.
- Therefore God sent His own Son, who became the Son of Man by taking created flesh.
- Since all were under the sentence of death, the Son, being other than them all, offered His own body to death on behalf of all.
This post presents a classic argument from Saint Athanasius the Apostolic on why Christ must be truly God and not a created being. The reasoning is straightforward: if the Son were merely a creature, He could not unite humanity to God, because a creature would itself need to be united to God first and could not save the rest of creation.
No part of creation can be the salvation of creation, since it would itself stand in need of salvation. Had the Son been a creature, mankind would have remained mortal, never truly united to God, and the work of salvation would have been impossible. Therefore, the post explains, God sent His own Son, who became the Son of Man by taking created flesh upon Himself.
Because all humanity lay under the sentence of death, the Son, being other than all creatures, offered His own body to death on behalf of all. The post is framed with hashtags for Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, and Christianity generally, indicating its appeal across confessions that affirm the divinity of Christ. The argument reflects the heart of the fourth-century Arian controversy, in which Saint Athanasius defended the Nicene faith against those who taught that the Son was a created being.
His soteriological logic—only God can deify and save—remains a cornerstone of Orthodox theology and of the Church's understanding of why the Incarnation required a truly divine Savior. The card invites readers to reflect on this patristic reasoning and its enduring relevance for Christian faith today.
Main points
- If the Son were a creature, humanity would remain mortal and never united to God.
- A creature cannot save other creatures, since it would itself need salvation.
- God therefore sent His own Son, who became the Son of Man by taking created flesh.
- Under the sentence of death, the Son offered His own body to death on behalf of all.
- The argument reflects Saint Athanasius's defense of the Nicene faith against Arianism.