Apostles Creed, #9

Continuing in the Apostles Creed... I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,"

"Born of the virgin Mary,"

Jesus is not only fully God, He is also fully man.

The Lord prepared us for His amazing birth through the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel. The mothers of those special servants of old were barren, and they were miraculously given fruitfulness by God.

But Mary was a virgin.

Jesus was the long-expected singular descendant of Eve.

He was the one who was her prophesied offspring, given by God as our new representative, the second Adam, the Son of God who had come from heaven, born of a virgin.

He is God with us.

Genesis 3:15 ... her offspring;

Isaiah 7:14 The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God with us).

Genesis 11:30, 21:1-3 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child....21:1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.

Genesis 25:21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Genesis 29:31-32, 30:22-24 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.... 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add to me another son!"

Judges 13:3, 24-25 And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son...." ... 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

1 Samuel 1:5, 20 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.... And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from the LORD."