Born of a Woman
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law… (Galatians 4:4)
Have you ever really thought about the uniqueness of Jesus' birth? Paul makes the statement here that Jesus was "born of a woman". In the King James version, the translators rendered this word, "made", rather than “born”. And perhaps it was because they wanted to be very precise in translating just what Paul had said. In this phrase, Paul used the word "ginomai", which is not the usual Greek word that was used for "born". That word is "gennao", which generally referred to male procreation and sometimes to the actual birth process that the mother goes through. The word Paul used, however, in every other instance where it is found, was translated by the KJV translators as "made". Obviously, Paul was trying to show the true uniqueness of the conception of our Lord.
In Genesis 3:15, God was speaking to the serpent and said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers." Why did God speak only of the "seed", rather than the “seeds” of the woman and the serpent? Because the enmity God spoke of would not be between the Jews and demon-possessed men; it would be between *one* seed of God – Jesus – and *one* seed of the devil. And why did God speak only of the “seed” of *the woman*? Because the Messiah would not be born of the union of a man and a woman, but only through "the woman".
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In Luke 1:31-37, the angel tells Mary that she will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and will be with child - referring to the One within her womb, not as "the child" or "the baby", but as "the holy one". Again, referring to the KJV, the phrase is rendered "this holy thing". Jesus was literally CREATED within Mary's womb, because His conception was not by normal, biological means, but rather by a miracle of God creating His Son within the virgin's womb. This conception was so unique, that when Jesus made the statement in John 3:16, "only begotten Son" (rendered "one and only Son" in the NIV), He literally CREATED a word to describe His conception! If one were to translate the phrase exactly, it would be "only one made to be". And one thing to remember - God is Jesus' father, and Mary was Jesus' mother - but God and Mary were not "Jesus' parents"! There was nothing "natural" about the conception of our Lord. He is a unique creation, unlike anyone ever born.
Why is this so important? Because understanding and believing in the miraculous conception of Jesus is essential to having faith in Him. Why? Because unless you believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, your faith is in vain. Jesus Himself said, "...if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24b, NIV) And who did Jesus claim to be? Jesus answers that question later in the same chapter. In verse 58, He said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am." In this statement, Jesus uses the same name that God used to identify Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14, "I AM".
Jesus is who He said He is.... God Incarnate. He is fully God and fully man - a unique entity without fault or blemish, the one and only Son of God Almighty, physically and spiritually perfect. He loved you so much from the very beginning that He is God become man so that He could provide the one and only way for you and me to spend eternity with Him.
From Bonnie Ricks, Newsong Ministries
