Characters at the Cradle: Mary, The Divine Conception

by David Chadwick

There are many holy and purposeful connections that took place between the Creator of the universe and his creation leading up to Jesus’s entrance into the world. Join me as we continue to look at some of the special characters at the cradle.

I love the significance of both Gabriel and Joseph as characters at the cradle. But today, I want to place our focus more specifically on Mary, who played the very special role as mother of the Savior of the world.

I left you with a cliffhanger yesterday, thinking about the profound question Mary asked after hearing from Gabriel of the coming Savior. Mary said to Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

The answer: it was only done by the power of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, who is also known as the silent sovereign.

Mary’s conception as a virgin is the reality that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the most profound mysteries of the Christian faith. Some false theologians have tried to downplay the importance of the Virgin Birth. They have implied that it is not an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. Hear me loud and clear, my dear friends, and I don’t use this phrase lightly, but this is a false teaching. Anyone teaching this could not be more wrong, and their teaching is heretical. You should never ascribe to it as a follower of Jesus. It’s a biblical teaching. The early church’s credal statements affirmed it. So should we if we are faithful followers of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary’s humanity to conceive a holy child in her womb. Jesus, the Son of God, would be different. He would live as a perfect human and the Savior of the world. Perfect God and perfect human at the same time. A mystery, for sure, but it’s what the Bible clearly teaches.

Jesus’s perfect holiness came from a divine conception. He had to be perfectly human in order to die for our sins, but perfectly God in order to forgive us for our sins. The Incarnation, God coming to earth as a man, paved the way for the greatest story ever told!

As we wrap up the miracle of divine conception, do you notice the Trinity here? The Father, the Most High God, ordained the entrance of Jesus, his Son, who was then created by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all present in the divine conception!