| The Apostles' Creed, Part 8: "Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary" |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, December 05 2011 00:00 |
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Jesus (Savior) is the Christ (anointed by God as Prophet, Priest, and King), the only Son of God the Father, and our only Lord. The creed goes on to the doctrine of Christ’s incarnation. How did God become man? John stated in 1:14 that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The creed states this reality in as clear terms as possible. Christ was not conceived in the normal way by the sperm of a human male, but rather He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and He was born of a young woman who is defined as a virgin; that is, she had never had intimate relations with a man. This message was announced specifically to Mary by the angel Gabriel (the strong one of God) who told her that she was to give birth to a son, and she was to give him the name Jesus. He further told her that He would be called the Son of the Most High. Mary was overwhelmed by this message and asked how such would be possible as she was still a virgin. The angel answered that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and His power overshadow her (Luke 1:26-38). The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin means that he was not born guilty of the imputed sin of Adam, as sin was reckoned through the male line. His divine male parentage would assure his original innocence, and his subsequent life of perfect obedience brought it to a perfect consummation. If Jesus was conceived in the normal way, then He could not be from above, and He could not truly be God in the flesh. He would not be qualified to offer the perfect atoning sacrifice for His people. Those who seek to deny the virgin birth of Christ have reduced the Christian faith to moralisms and just another religion among many. There is no power in Christianity if Jesus is but a man, for He is no better than Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammad. Of course, that is precisely the intention of those who teach such a doctrine, but it is not the faith of our fathers, and it is not historic, Biblical, orthodox Christianity. |
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