Conceived by the Holy Spirit
… One of the key points of the Creeds is to define what the Church means when it talks about Jesus as the incarnation of God in the flesh. John, in the prologue to his Gospel, makes the point that in Jesus “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Paul writes to the Colossians that in Jesus Christ, “the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Every Christmas we celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, but often miss the reasons why Jesus’ conception and birth are essential aspects of understanding his nature and mission.
Begotten, not made – The Nicene Creed makes clear the point that Jesus is fully God as well as fully human, “true God from true God” and is thus not a created being. As John tells us, “He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2). This is the sense of what it means for Jesus to be “begotten.” To “beget” is to beget something of the same kind as yourself. Humans beget humans, birds birds, animals animals, etc. To “make” on the other hand is to make something of a different kind than yourself. Human beings are “made” from the dust; Jesus shares some of that nature, but is also “begotten” of God. As C.S. Lewis put it: Continue Reading….