Yet what seemed impossible became possible because the action of God enabled them to become the parents of John the Baptist. Yet God took her virginity and used it as a symbol of how salvation, which we are unable to achieve through our own actions, is made possible through the action of the free grace of God.
In the story of the birth of Jesus, all human striving and activity, symbolized by the begetting of children through sexual intercourse, is set aside in favour of simply accepting grace as a gift. As Charles Cranfield puts it:. In the words of St. This truth is highlighted for us by St. The language St. John uses in these verses has a deliberate double reference. He is describing how Christians become children of God, but he describes this process in language that also refers back to the virgin birth of Christ.
What he is saying is that through faith and baptism we become children of God through Jesus and this happens through a supernatural work of God that follows the pattern of Jesus own birth. In John Jesus tells Nicodemus that that the new birth referred to in John comes through the work of the Spirit:.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. In summary, the virgin birth of Christ as recorded by Matthew and Luke points us to four key truths:. God does all things for a purpose. With God there are no accidents and so we may be sure that the form of the miracle by which Jesus was born into the world was intended by God to point to these truths.
This is what he wants us to learn as we think about the manner in which Jesus Christ was born. What's an example of incarnation? What's the difference between reincarnation and incarnation? How do you explain incarnation to a child? Is being cremated a sin? Does the body feel pain during cremation? Is it a sin to keep ashes at home? Is it a sin to believe in zodiac signs? Does the body sit up during cremation? What are the disadvantages of cremation?
Disadvantages of Cremation. A cremation does not allow for a permanent installation for memorial and mourning. What is Jesus real name? Is Christmas God's birthday? Where did Jesus get born? This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
More info. He must himself provide the reparation in the form of a perfect life of the kind that we should have lived. The second reason is to identify with our suffering, and the third is to reveal to us moral and theological truths that we need for living. Keywords: atonement , God , incarnation , perfection , reparation , repentance , revelation , sin , suffering. Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service.
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To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us. All Rights Reserved. This idea is known as the immaculate conception.
The incarnation is referred to several times in the Gospels , in particular the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. The Gospel of Matthew tells Christians about the miraculous conception of Jesus and describes the events leading to his birth.
It also describes the journey Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth, where they lived, to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.
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