Many people claim to believe in Jesus Christ who do not really have a true and correct faith. They may believe that he was a great man, the greatest teacher of all and the greatest of all the prophets. But he is more - he is the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:16). What does this mean to you?

He was not fathered by any man. The seed that produced his conception was from the Father in heaven. This was done by a miracle, and though it is impossible by man's reasoning, it is altogether possible with God. just as he had power to create man from the earth in the beginning, he also had power to plant the seed in the womb of Mary, accomplishing this without any physical relationship. Thus, since the seed was given by the Father, he was "begotten" of God.

Other Miraculous Conceptions

We read in the Bible of other miracles which God did in order to enable conception. We read of Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth. In each case God only "opened the womb." That is, God healed the barren womb, thus allowing the woman to conceive. But in each case a physical relationship with a man was also necessary. Each woman had a man who fathered her child after God healed the afflicted womb.

But the case of Mary was very different. She had no relationship with man until after the birth of Jesus. Thus the miracle in this case was not to heal a barren womb but to plant the seed for the conception.

So it is not correct to suppose that the birth of Jesus and that of John, Samuel and Isaac were the same. Not at all! The latter three were born after a perfectly natural conception which had only been aided by healing the barren womb. But Jesus was born after a completely unnatural, miraculous conception which involved no man.

This we must believe, for Jesus said, "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn. 8:24).

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XII: 5, p. 1
February 1968