Condemnation of the world (and its punishment) did not require the incarnation; however, salvation did. For, we did not need anyone to instruct us about condemnation and punishment—we experience it all too keenly, see it manifest in one another, and encounter it in the tragic state of our suffering world. Salvation, however, is a different story: One of the primary reasons for the incarnation (apart from salvation itself) was to show us what salvation looks like in the person who receives this unmerited gift. For Christ in not only the perfect image of the Father, but in his humanity, he is the perfect image of what we are created to be—and will be if we open our hearts to the One who came to save, and not condemn. And, if we do open our hearts to Christ, we will be transformed and, like every saint, manifest the true face of Christ, and the true beauty and glory of our perfected human nature.