Athanasius: An Image Of God

Athanasius was the chief deacon assistant to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. A man called Arius denied that Christ was fully God. He claimed that Christ was father’s creation and thus Christ wasn’t supposed to be considered as God, arguing on a fact that Christ could not offer salvation (Dennison, Jr.). Athanasius challenged this view by giving examples of his own. The incarnation of the Word is his most famous writing (Galli). He also describes how Christ can give salvation. According to him, Jesus died as a perfect prototype of human (in order to save mankind from sin) and this death is effective because of our unity with Christ. Anselm, an Archbishop of Canterbury, claimed that the idea that Christ died as a payment to the Devil is outrageous. …show more content…
He also believed that humans were spiraling into demonic behavior and barbaric speeches. This was due to the influence of the Devil. In order to save these humans from the Devil, it required a sacrifice. This sacrifice had to be made by God alone as He alone is the end of the Human race (Scrivener). He alone has the power to create and destroy. Man has no power over the actions that he commits. Man finds it easy to follow the Devil. But it is the duty of God to save him from that death spiral.
It is very clear that Athanasius has the better argument in this. He quotes reasons for Men behaving the way they do, how God is bound to protect those of His Flock. It is also clear that God is eternally and truly compassionate and cannot bear to see the destruction of the World and the beings that He so lovingly created for He is the One. Thus, we can see that Athanasius gives a background to what he has said, how it affected mankind, what it meant to God, what steps God took to resolve it, how exactly it was done and in conclusion, why we owe everything to …show more content…
Though we are an image of God, we do not have the power or the will to save ourselves from the Devil. It is human nature to succumb to sin and again, from a Christian perspective, Christ alone can save us then. It is not right or Christian for people to think that they can somehow provide satisfaction for their sins without the Hands of God to guide them toward the light. Though they might imagine that they have the power to save themselves and that they have self-control, they need to understand that the ultimate power to save anyone lies with God. He who created us in His image alone has the power to save us from straying away from the path He has laid down for