CREED: I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST… WHO WAS CONCEIVED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY The Creed here begins to "come down to earth" as it were. The previous phrases establish the belief that Jesus is God's only Son, and as such is Lord and Saviour. Now I declare the elements of the Incarnation. That this one who is the Divine Son of God becomes the Incarnate (in the flesh) Son of Man, but surrenders none of his Deity. To this end, his "conception" is not by man's impregnation, but by the miraculous working of the Third person of the Trinity, that is, the Holy Spirit of God. In John's Gospel (1:12,13) it says of those who receive Jesus they become "spiritual" children of God and that they are "born NOT of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will, but born of God." (NIV). So it must also be said of Jesus physical "conception": it was not of natural decent, nor of human decision, or a husband's will but of God." While Mary provided the egg,the "fertilization" is by the Spirit. And the point is made in the creed, as a separate point to the fact of Mary being a Virgin, because it has implications of great import. If in modern day science fiction we have stories of "alien" impregnations, the resultant offspring are expected to manifest peculiar characteristics that combine the characteristics of the "alien" father. So in my declaration that I believe Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, (and not some lesser god or demi-god of the pagan pantheon) I am stating that I believe that Jesus then, in his lifetime, manifested the characteristics of his Father, ie. that He and His Father are one, not just in purpose, as I may intend to be as I follow Jesus' teachings, but one in Nature as well. As I contemplate the significance of how this relates to the next statement, that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, I begin to suspect that we really should talk more about the Miraculous Conception than wonder at the "Virgin Birth". I begin to suspect that emphasizing the Virgin Birth, speaks more of the character and vessel of honour that was Mary, than of the person of Jesus. Except that by stating that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, we are restating that this had nothing to do with Joseph, or a "plan" to promote a self-designed messiah, and that it has a fixed reference to a particular time and place in history. It was a Virgin Birth, and is significant in that Mary had been pure, and humble, and obedient, and continued all those things, and was still a Virgin when Jesus was born. But, if the Conception had not been of the Holy Spirit, Jesus would not be "Deity". I suppose, strictly speaking, he could have been conceived of the Holy Spirit, but born of an harlot, and he would have been no less Divine, but there would be no way to remove suspicion as to who the real father was. This issue is dealt with in the whole record of Joseph and his own suspicions, and the miraculous measures taken by God to assure him of the truth, that "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Again, the Creed deals with issues of controversy, doctrine and heresy that were astir in the early church. They are still about today, and the tongues wagged in Jesus day, that he was "the son of Joseph" or "was illegitimate", and continue in popular press and movies of today. But for Jesus to be a "Saviour" and "Lord" he must be "above man" in his person, ie. God in the Flesh" but he must also be "fully human" ie. Second Adam, "tempted in all things such as we are ...but without sin". "Conceived by the Holy Spirit" guarantees his Deity. "Born of the Virgin Mary" establishes his human-ness, his flesh and bone-ness. He is not an angel, not a ghost, not just an "epiphany", not an impostor in human form, but an un-fallen Adam. SO WHAT?!! I can depend on Jesus, his character, his teaching, his mission, his promises, the subsequent truths I declare about his life, death and resurrection and his coming again. I cannot say that about any other figure in History, and no other sane person has ever claimed to say it of himself. Will this kind of belief make a difference in everything that makes me ME? Will it shape my concepts of truth, -and justice? Will it affect my moral behaviour? Will it affect my mental health? Will it shape my personality? Will it determine my career choices? What area will it not affect?

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