Conception Of Christ
Charles Buck Theological Dictionary [1]
The supernatural and miraculous formation of the human nature of Jesus Christ. "It were not difficult to show, " says a divine, "that the miraculous conception, once admitted, naturally bring up after it the great doctrines of the atonement and the incarnation. The miraculous conception of our Lord evidently implies some higher purpose of his coming than the mere business of a teacher. The business of a teacher might have been performed by a mere man, enlightened by the prophetic spirit. For whatever instruction men have the capacity to receive, a man might have been made the instrument to convey. Had teaching, therefore, been the sole purpose of our Saviour's coming, a mere man might have done the whole business, and the supernatural conception had been an unnecessary miracle. He, therefore, who came in this miraculous way, came upon some higher business, to which a mere man was an equal. He came to be made a sin offering for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
See Bp. Horsley's Tracts, and article Humanity Of Christ
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature [2]
(1.) This was supernatural, by the agency of the Holy Spirit ( Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:20).
(2.) It was without the communication of original depravity ( Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 4:15, etc.). For some of the literature of the subject, see Volbeding, Index Dissert. p. 9; Meyer, Kommentar, 1:54 sq. (See Person Of Christ).
