Fourth Week of Advent: Wednesday

"Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary"


By the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment. God wills that His justice be satisfied.  For us to escape this punishment and be again received into favor, we must make full satisfaction to His justice, either by ourselves or by another. (Isa. 53:11; Romans 8:3-4)

We cannot by any means make this satisfaction because we daily increase our guilt. Romans 2:4-5) The manner of Mediator and Redeemer we must seek is one who is a true and sinless man and one who is at the same time true God. He must be a true and sinless man because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should make satisfaction for sin, but no man, being himself a sinner, could satisfy for others. (1 Peter 3:18) He must at the same time be true God, that by the power of His Godhead He might bear in His manhood the burden of God's wrath and so obtain for and restore to us righteousness and life. (Isa. 53:5,11)

That Mediator, who is at the same time true God and a true, sinless man is our Lord Jesus Christ, who is freely given unto us for complete redemption and righteousness. (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 2:11; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Cor. 1:30)

"Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary"

The eternal Son of God, who is and continues true and eternal God, took upon Him the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, so that He also might be the true seed of David (Psalm 132:11), like unto His brethren in all things, sin excepted.

The benefit that we receive from the holy conception and birth of Christ is that He is our Mediator, and with His innocence and perfict holiness covers, in the sight of God, my sin, wherein I was conceived.

Compiled from the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Days 5, 6, & 14.


But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.   ___Gal 4:3-5 (NASB)