To new parents, the birth of their baby is a miracle and a cause for great celebration, but the birth of one particular baby has been celebrated more than any other. Over 2,000 years ago, God broke in upon human history as a baby named Jesus.
He LIVED, BREATHED and WALKED among us as Immanuel or “God with us.”
The best word to describe the birth of Jesus is extraordinary. God became a child, and that child became a man, a man who willingly bore the sins of the world upon His shoulders. Like a cloud-burst oer parched fields, the Messiah arrived just in time to save us.
In Galatians 4:4, we read,
“When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman.”
The birth of Jesus is central to all of history. Our calendar even pivots around it. Christ is the pinnacle of God’s revelation.
By the Holy Spirit
Jesus was born by the free act of God and by the conception of the Holy Spirit. When God sent His Son into the world for the purpose of our redemption and reconciliation, that entrance was accomplished in a special way.
The Greeks and Roman gods of the time were rather famous for the supernatural offspring. The son of the gods, like Hercules or Cupid, were made famous in the legends of the people. Unlike these myths, however, the accounts of Christ’s birth come from actual people who lived. Only two people, Joseph and Mary, knew the first hand story of Christ’s birth, and those stories are preserved for us in the Gospels.
Gospel of Matthew – is from the perspective of Joseph and deals humbly with the entire incident in only about eight verses.
Gospel of Luke – is from the perspective of Mary. Many biblical scholars have noted that the account in Luke is far more Jewish in language and flavor than the rest of Luke’s Gospel and might possibly have come from Mary herself, whom Luke easily could have known. In fact Luke says that his accounts have their origin in eyewitness reports. (Luke 1:1-2)
Angel speaking to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, tht Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” Luke 1:35.
The same Holy Spirit who was active in the creation of the world, giving it life from God, also was active in the world’s salvation, “overshadowing” a young Jewish maiden and impregnating her with life from above.
In the first instance, the creation took place on a cosmic scale; in the second, it took place with in Mary, though this time for the purpose of redemption.
In both cases, however, the same divine love was at work. God’s creation always serves as a signpost pointing us toward God; it is a means of reconciliation because what comes from God leads back to Him again.
When I was little, my grandmother taught me to say three different pieces from memory – The Lord’s Prayer, the Twenty-Third Psalm, and the Apostle’s Creed. I have never forgotten them. Ruth, age 51
The Virgin Birth
The Virgin Birth of Christ has been inspiration for writers and artists for many centuries. It has been the source for some of our culture’s most enduring expressions of beauty and piety. Unfortunately, our society today has made a god of sex, and some of our age’s most flagrant doubts seem to center on the Virgin Birth.
Within God’s design, the Virgin Birth offers a close look at the Hand of God in the lives of His children – and serves as a rock of faith for many.
In Scripture, Mary is described as a humble and pious young Jewish woman. She was a grateful sinner who rejoiced in her redemption: “My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” Luke 1:47. She was modest and a discreet person, a chosen women, not a godess. Her conduct and character set her apart, but she is not exalted between the Trinity and the human race. As the mother of Jesus, Mary was entrusted with a unique and sacred charge. The fact that Mary gave birth to the Son of God proves not only the Virgin Birth but also the genuine Incarnation and Jesus’ full humanity.
Mary and Joseph were so brave, their faith was amazing. Marlit, age 28
Acts of Faith
No doubt Mary’s pregnancy was unexpected, highly embarrassing, and nearly disastrous for her relationship with Joseph, her finance. It must have been equally troubling for Joseph. When he discovered that his betrothed was pregnant, he made up his mind to separate himself legally from her, though because of his love for Mary, it probably tortured him to do so. Despite the tearful objections and heart wrenching explanations of innocence Mary probably gave, Joseph remained resolute in his desire to follow the Law of God. He did not relent until he was instructed to do so by an angel (Matthew 1:20)
He then had compassion for Mary and married her, and later he willingly decided to uproot himself and his family in order to flee to Egypt for their safety. Both Joseph and Mary acted on faith with conviction, compassion and obedience. The story behind these few words of the Creed has poignant, even heroic, dimensions, which inspire many Christians in their faith.
Christ’s Humanity
Born to Mary, Jesus was genuinely and completely human, except that He did not sin. The Scripture repeatedly points out Christ’s sinlessness. But like us, He was subject to growth and perfected by suffering. Hebrews 5:8 says that He learned obedience. He grew in wisdom, stature, and knowledge. He found favor with God and man (Luke 2:40). Christ endured the life in a fallen world and overcame temptation, giving us an example to live by.
Our redemption required Jesus’ Incarnation, suffering, death, and Resurrection. It certainly cost more to redeem us than to create us. When we consider God’s selfless action in human history, we see that God drew near to us. In return, He asks us to draw near to Him.
Both God and Man
In Jesus Christ, we see both the human and the divine.
If Jesus had been God only, people probably would have fled from the pure holiness of His presence. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, His terrifying holiness was cloth in human flesh, making Him approachable.
If Jesus had been merely a man, He never could have spanned the gap between God and us. He never could have given us access to our heavenly Father. Jesus’ birth is where our fallen and sinful race meets the God who reigns in righteousness. The Incarnation is the marriage of heaven and earth.
He was conceived not from below only, but also from above. When we say that Jesus Christ was “conceived by the Holy Spirit” and was “born of the Virign Mary,” we profess the dual nature of Christ’s earthly existence. In other words, we acknowledge our belief in the two-sided beginning of Jesus Christ’s life and work among us – His divine conception and His human birth.
Follow Us!