Christmas morning! What a glorious reminder of that indescribable event. What a majestic thought! The God of the universe became God in the flesh. The Creator of all became part of His creation. The One who spoke all things into existence now makes His way into the existence of humanity. God became man and dwelt among us. Unspeakable. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Marvelous. Miraculous. Mysterious. God in the flesh.

As I ponder the wonder of Christmas, two questions come to mind: How? and Why? How did it happen, and why was it necessary? Think with me for a few minutes as we delve into those two questions.

First, let’s think about the question, “How?” In the Biblical records found in Matthew and Luke, we are given information that calls for radical faith. Listen once again to the words penned by Matthew:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

How? I remember vividly sitting in a classroom, hearing the professor of New Testament state dogmatically and unequivocally, “There is no possibility of a virgin giving birth to a child. It simply did not, could not, happen!” And yet the Biblical record is clear: Jesus was born to the virgin, Mary.

Matthew’s account leaves much to be desired. We (or at least, I) would love to have more details. But alas, this is all Matthew was inspired to record of this miraculous event. Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the work of the Holy Spirit. That is all we can say in response to the question, “How?” Theologians and Bible scholars have spent much time and effort trying to explain the inexplainable. Volumes have been written in the attempt to answer the question, “How?” But to stick to the Bible’s account, we must admit it gives very little information beyond the assertion.

But let’s turn our attention to the other question: “Why?” And again, we will turn our attention to the Gospel of Matthew for his brief analysis:

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

“He will save His people from their sins.” Once more, “He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew, again, gives no details. We want more. We read those words and hunger for so much more. But in reality, what more do we need? In that one statement, in that one brief verse of Scripture, we have the answer to the “Why” question.

To deal with the “Why,” we must go back for a moment to the “How”. They are intrinsically tied together. We have already been reminded of Matthew’s simple assessment of the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary by the work of the Holy Spirit. But the “how” cannot be understood without giving consideration to the “why”.

Jesus conception without the usual physical joining of a man and a woman was a necessity due to the fact that Jesus had to have been born without a sin nature, which would have been His had He been conceived through the natural process. Let me try to explain as briefly as possible.

Paul leads us to understand that through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, was passed down to all in his lineage, and thus we are all born sinners. We do not become sinners when we sin, we sin because we are born sinners. Had Jesus been conceived by the natural process of procreation, He would have been a sinner at birth, and His death could have only paid the penalty for His own sin.

In order for His death to save His people from their sins, He could have no sin of His own for which to die. Therefore, by virtue of the fact that He was conceived in this miraculous way, inheriting no sin nature from Adam, the federal head of all humanity, Jesus could pay the penalty for the sins of others. Therefore, the “how” and “why” of the virgin conception are inextricably linked together. We cannot have one without the other, and without both, we would be lost in our sins, doomed and damned to eternity separated from God.

I will end this blog with a simple word of reminder and encouragement. Jesus Christ came into this world, the very world He Himself created (see John 1) to save sinners. He came to save His own people from their sins. Christmas is a reminder of this amazing truth. But for some who might read this blog, Christmas might be just another day off work, another day to relax, enjoy some family time, exchange a few gifts, and then be quickly forgotten.

But those who know the true meaning of this day should be reminded of the fact that Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, became Son of man so that He might save sinners from eternal separation from God. The “how” and the “why” were just for you! Make sure you take time to remember, and then to share, why Christmas is so important to you.