Our Union With The Immortal

St. Irenaeus Of Lyons on Why the Word Became Incarnate

“This is the reason why the Word of God was made flesh, and the Son of God became Son of Man: so that we might enter into communion with the Word of God, and by receiving adoption might become Sons of God. Indeed we should not be able to share in immortality without a close union with the Immortal. how could we have united ourselves with Immortality if Immortality had not become what we are, in such a way that we should be absorbed by it, and thus we should be adopted as Sons of God.”

Against Heresies III, 19,1.

Salvation and the crux of the incarnation for St. Irenaeus is not about anything other than our life-giving union with God. We may bring in other extraneous elements and wish to ponder lots of other theological categories but as highlighted in God Saves His People, our need for salvation is to be joined to God. To join the Son, Who was incarnate for our sake, in becoming sons of The Father by the adoption of The Holy Spirit. This is the Trinitarian proclamation of salvation.