Conceived by the Holy Spirit (The Creed, Part 5)

[This devotion is part of our series on The Apostles’ Creed, you can find all the videos in there series on our Apostles’ Creed Page. The devotions will be added as they are posted.]

Luke 1:46-55, Luke 1:41, Romans 10:17, Luke 7:11-17, Hebrews 4:12

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I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. One common phrase we use as Christians is don’t put God in a box. What we mean by that is when you look around your home, you probably have boxes everywhere. Right? We put things, store things in boxes, but a box can only hold so much before it overflows. And so by saying don’t put God in a box. What we’re really saying is, is don’t put limitations on God. Don’t tell God what he can and can’t do.

This is really, really important. But it’s equally important that we also accept and appreciate the boxes God does choose to be placed in. And of all those boxes, the one that is probably the most mind blowing for me is that Jesus, God’s Son, would begin his life in the womb of Mary as nothing more than a fertilized egg.

Why would Jesus do this? Why wouldn’t Jesus begin his life as a full grown adult, or at least a full term child ready to be born? Why go through all those months in the dark womb? One early church, Father Gregory of Nazianzus, used to say “all that he did not assume, he did not save.” In other words, if Jesus did it, it has something important to do with his job of salvation. And we see this testified very clearly by Mary herself. When Mary, after she finds out she’s carrying the Christ child, professes in the Magnificat, my soul rejoices in God my Savior. (Luke 1:46-55) And here he is, just a little egg in her womb. Or when John the Baptist, a six month old baby in his mother’s womb, moved by the Holy Spirit, leaps for joy because he recognizes he is in the presence of his Savior. (Luke 1:41)

Now, as we talk about putting God in boxes, one of the most common ways for us to limit God’s power to work has to do with how we understand faith. So often we want to limit faith to just be about our understanding. In order to believe, you have to be able to understand. However, that’s not what the Bible teaches us. In Romans 10:17, the apostle Paul says,

So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

Did you catch that? Faith comes. Faith is a creation of the Holy Spirit, not by understanding, but by hearing the word, by hearing the message. And this is remarkable because you look at Jesus in his ministry, and oftentimes his miracles work exactly the same way. Think of it. Jesus walks up to a dead person and he says, “get up.” (Luke 7:11-17) That dead person’s ears have no power to hear, and that dead person’s mind has no power to understand. And yet the word of the Lord, the gospel proclamation, Jesus’ command, creates the hearing and creates the understanding so that the dead person rises.

This is how God’s Word always works. The Scripture assures us that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, able to pierce through flesh and bone, even to the dividing of soul and spirit. (Hebrews 4:12) So when God’s Word commands us, believe on the Lord Jesus, our God’s Word commands us be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven. God’s word creates the faith to receive, the ears to hear.

As often as we confess these words in the creed, I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, we can rejoice in all the unborn children that leapt for joy in their mother’s wombs as they were brought to church to hear the word of the Lord. Amen.