The Devil's Envy and the Nature of God

[jmjpensacola]

I have been listening to Fr. John Riccardo, Robert Barron and Fleming Rutledge talk about sin, the devil and the crucifixion of our beloved Jesus.

Essentially what I have heard is:

1. The devil rebelled because of pride and envy. He was envious of mankind, and therefore wants to destroy it [man].
2. Man fell, through free will, influenced by the devil (who wants to destroy us)
3. God had to enter humanity and thereby defeat death “from the inside” (inside of humanity) as it were, to undo the “works of the devil”.

So my question is this…it may take me a bit to get there but;

Aquinas seems to indicate that the devil knew it would be impossible to change his nature and in that way become like God. But is that because he was a creature less than God? I know that the devil can appear to have changed his nature, i.e., appear in the form of a man for instance, but he would not have actually changed his nature. But didn’t God actually change his nature when he came to us as Jesus Christ?

If my question doesn’t make good sense, let me know and I’ll try to refine it.

 

[Wesrock]

God didn’t change his nature in the Incarnation. He united a human nature to his own nature in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not a person with a hybrid nature, but a person with two natures: the natures of God and man.

 

[jmjpensacola]

I see. That’s interesting.

 

[Dan_Defender]

But didn’t God actually change his nature when he came to us as Jesus Christ?

No. Fully human and fully divine. How that can be is a mystery but that is what we believe.