The Conception of Jesus Christ

[X_Girl]

How do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was conceived? I've seen and read a lot by non-member, but there is nothing from the church about it, that have been about to find.

[Palerider]

How do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was conceived? I've seen and read a lot by non-member, but there is nothing from the church about it, that have been about to find.

you never found it in the Bible????

[MarginOfError]

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke, chapter 1)

We commonly say that Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. That's about the extent of what we know.

[Maxel]

How do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was conceived? I've seen and read a lot by non-member, but there is nothing from the church about it, that have been about to find.

He was conceived in a miraculous fashion through the power of the Holy Ghost (but He was not conceived by the Holy Ghost- that is, God the Father is Christ's father); Mary was a virgin in the purest sense of the word.

That's as much as we know.

[Just_A_Guy]

LDS authorities split as to the nature of Jesus' conception. Modern authorities (to the extent that they weigh in on the question at all) lean towards the "Mary was a virgin" view, but Brigham Young (president of the Church from 1846-1877) and some of his contemporaries did express their beliefs that there was actual intercourse between Mary and God the Father.

[Guest Alana]

Gospel Classics:

Five Marks of the Divinity of Jesus Christ

By President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)

The First Mark of His Divinity Is His Divine Birth

The most fundamental doctrine of true Christianity is the divine birth of the child Jesus. It is a doctrine not comprehended by the world, misinterpreted by [many] Christian churches, and even misunderstood by some members of the true Church.

The paternity of Jesus Christ is one of the mysteries of godliness. It may only be comprehended by the spiritually minded. The Apostle Matthew recorded, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 1:18). Luke renders a more plain meaning to the divine conception. He quotes the angel Gabriel saying to Mary: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing [being] which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35; emphasis added). Alma’s testimony, given fourscore years before the Savior’s birth, beautifully reconciles the testimonies of Matthew and Luke: “He shall be born of Mary, … she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God” (Alma 7:10; emphasis added).

Some 600 years before Jesus was born, Nephi had a vision. He saw Mary and described her as “a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.” He then saw her “carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time.” When she returned, she was “bearing a child in her arms, … even the Son of the Eternal Father” (1 Ne. 11:15, 19–21).

Thus the testimonies of appointed witnesses leave no question as to the paternity of Jesus Christ. God was the Father of His fleshly tabernacle, and Mary, a mortal woman, was His mother. He is therefore the only person born who rightfully deserves the title “the Only Begotten Son of God.”

We must keep in mind who Jesus was before He was born. He was the Creator of all things, the great Jehovah, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was and is the Holy One of Israel.

An angel of the Lord who appeared to Nephi used a word to describe the willingness of the Holy One of Israel to step down from His throne divine and make flesh His tabernacle. That word is condescension. It means to descend or come down from an exalted position to a place of inferior station. This our Savior did. In fact, He Himself has testified, “The Son of Man hath descended below [all things]” (D&C 122:8; see also D&C 88:6; emphasis added). [Here is] the testimony of King Benjamin concerning our Lord’s condescension: “The Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay” (Mosiah 3:5; emphasis added).

When the Great God of the Universe condescended to be born of mortal woman, He submitted Himself to the infirmities of mortality, to “suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). These infirmities He inherited from His mortal mother. But because His father was God, Jesus Christ had powers which no human had before or since. He was God in the flesh—even the Son of God. These powers enabled Him to accomplish miracles, signs, wonders, the great Atonement, and the Resurrection—all of which are additional marks of His divinity.

From the time of His heaven-heralded birth there have crept into the Church heresies which are intended to dilute or undermine the pure doctrines of the gospel. These heresies are, by and large, sponsored by the philosophies of man and in many instances are advocated by so-called Christian scholars. The attempt is to make Christianity more palatable, more reasonable, and so they attempt to humanize Jesus and give natural explanations to those things which are divine. An example is Jesus’ birth. There are those who would seek to convince us that the divine birth of Christ as proclaimed in the New Testament was not a divine birth at all—nor was Mary, the virgin girl, a virgin at the time of Jesus’ conception. They would have you believe that Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, was His physical father, and that Jesus was therefore human in all His attributes and characteristics. They appear generous in their praise of Him when they say that He was a great moral philosopher, perhaps even the greatest. But the intent of their effort is to repudiate the divine sonship of Jesus, for on that doctrine rest all other claims of Christianity.

I am bold to say to you, … Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the most literal sense. The body in which He performed His mission in the flesh was sired by that same Holy Being we worship as God, our Eternal Father. He was not the son of Joseph, nor was He begotten by the Holy Ghost. He is the Son of the Eternal Father!

As I understand this, it is quite literally how the scriptures describe it. Jesus is the actual son of God. Mary conceived while a virgin.

[deseretgov]

Well you would also have to bring up how God can reproduce. Is it through the same way our imperfect physical bodies do? If so then Mary was probably not a virgin. But since we do not know the exact process then it is entirely possible there is a way that does not involve the same physical process we mortals use.

[Justice]

LDS authorities split as to the nature of Jesus' conception. Modern authorities (to the extent that they weigh in on the question at all) lean towards the "Mary was a virgin" view, but Brigham Young (president of the Church from 1846-1877) and some of his contemporaries did express their beliefs that there was actual intercourse between Mary and God the Father.

This is where we try to include God in our definitions. If God said:

1) Mary was a virgin

2) Jesus is my Son

Why would we think if Jesus was God's Son then Mary couldn't have been a virgin?

The Father is holy. If they had a relation, then it was done in holiness for a pure and innocent purpose.

I believe both 1 and 2 were literal. I don't think this splits anything.

[JohnnyRudick]

LDS authorities split as to the nature of Jesus' conception. Modern authorities (to the extent that they weigh in on the question at all) lean towards the "Mary was a virgin" view, but Brigham Young (president of the Church from 1846-1877) and some of his contemporaries did express their beliefs that there was actual intercourse between Mary and God the Father.

A lot of people say a lot of things.

We all have our speculations.

Some of them even being General Authorities.

Funny, when a GA speculates it is heralded as a revelation.

Did he say it was?

Did it end up as Scripture?

Yet most of us "Mormons", stick to the Scriptures and believe them.

Bro. Rudick

[JohnnyRudick]

LDS authorities split as to the nature of Jesus' conception. Modern authorities (to the extent that they weigh in on the question at all) lean towards the "Mary was a virgin" view, but Brigham Young (president of the Church from 1846-1877) and some of his contemporaries did express their beliefs that there was actual intercourse between Mary and God the Father.

A lot of people say a lot of things.

We all have our speculations.

Some of them even being General Authorities.

Funny, when a GA speculates it is heralded as a revelation.

Did he say it was?

Did it end up as Scripture?

Yet, most of us "Mormons", stick to the Scriptures and believe them.

Bro. Rudick

[mikbone]

Well, from a Medical point of view, strictly based on the technical definations:

Fertilization - the union of sperm from the father and Ovum (egg) from the mother, combining the genetic material, if successful this creates a viable embryo

Begotten, beget - To Father, Sire

Conception - Implantation of the fertilized egg or embryo into the Uterine wall.

Born, Birth - Delivery of the child from the mother's uterus to the outside world.

Alma 7:10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and concieve by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

As I read this:

1) Mary delivered the child Jesus.

2) Mary was a virgin (no coitus).

3) Mary was a precious and chosen vessel (objectively, this suggests that Mary was a surrogate mother).

4) The Holy Ghost assisted in the conception of the embryo (the Holy Ghost delivered the embryo of Christ onto the wall Mary's Uterus).

5) Christ is the Son of God. (Elohim or God the Father begat or sired Jesus).

One final defination...

Surrogate Mother - A woman who bears a child for another person, either through artificial insemination or by carrying until birth another woman's surgically implanted fertilized egg.

[deseretgov]

mikbone: So then did Christ have any of Mary's DNA? If Christ did not have her mortal DNA how do you reconcile the fact that mortal DNA was needed for Christ to be able to suffer and die. If Christ was 100% immortal then he would not be able to die and not be able to suffer.

[JohnnyRudick]

Well, from a Medical point of view, strictly based on the technical definations:

Fertilization - the union of sperm from the father and Ovum (egg) from the mother, combining the genetic material, if successful this creates a viable embryo

Begotten, beget - To Father, Sire

Conception - Implantation of the fertilized egg or embryo into the Uterine wall.

Born, Birth - Delivery of the child from the mother's uterus to the outside world.

Alma 7:10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and concieve by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

As I read this:

1) Mary delivered the child Jesus.

2) Mary was a virgin (no coitus).

3) Mary was a precious and chosen vessel (objectively, this suggests that Mary was a surrogate mother).

4) The Holy Ghost assisted in the conception of the embryo (the Holy Ghost delivered the embryo of Christ onto the wall Mary's Uterus).

5) Christ is the Son of God. (Elohim or God the Father begat or sired Jesus).

One final defination...

Surrogate Mother - A woman who bears a child for another person, either through artificial insemination or by carrying until birth another woman's surgically implanted fertilized egg.

Could it be that we are thinking too hard here?

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a

chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and

kings, and the children of Israel:

Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make

his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of

wrath fitted to destruction:

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out

of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the

knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not

distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your

sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to

possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

And as pertaining to the "saved" person.

This comes up over and over again so I will use this verse in two ways here:)

What will he/she do with their "saved" condition.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth

sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And,

Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from

iniquity.

2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels

of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to

honour, and some to dishonour.

2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he

shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the

master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

It is safe to say that in the Scriptures, "vessels" are people.

The Fleshly Body of Jesus is the Son of Mary.

Born of a Woman by a God through the power of the Holy Ghost.

the rest of your speculation makes perfect sense to assure that the "sign" be fulfilled.

Isaiah 7:13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a

small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call

his name Immanuel.

Just as the Scriptures say.

Bro. Rudick

Edited March 26, 2009 by JohnnyRudick
Spelling

[mikbone]

Yeah... This is where it starts to get interesting. Thanks for asking deseretgov.

Did Jesus Christ have Mary's DNA? I don't know. I have doubts though.

From back in medical school though... I know that the blood between a mother and a fetus do not mix. Most people dont realize that. The mothers blood flows into the uterus and the fetus' blood flows into the placenta. Nutrient and waste pass between the two mediums but the blood does NOT mix. If it did, children that had different blood types then their mothers would die in utero. It's quite an elegent design.

Christ was able to die because his body was 100% mortal. He was able to resurrect himself because he knew how to. He KNEW what he was doing. He was God already. He was VERY different from everyone else.

Here is an interesting scripture, btw.

John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

You may notice that when Christ answers he does not correct Nicks seemingly ridiculous question.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I'm curious about your statement about the blood of mother and baby mikbone. Why is it then that mother who are rhesus negative cause a problem to their unborn child?

Don't the scriptures tell us that Mary was the mother of Jesus? Why should we assume she was not? We are told that she conceived. We are also told by prophecy that The Messiah would be of the lineage of David. That would only be possible if Mary was his literal mother.

[mikbone]

About the Rh Factor:

Most people — about 85% — are Rh positive. But if a woman who is Rh negative and a man who is Rh positive have a baby, there is the potential for a baby to have a health problem. The baby growing inside the Rh-negative mother may have Rh-positive blood, inherited from the father. Approximately half of the children born to an Rh-negative mother and Rh-positive father will be Rh positive.

Rh incompatibility usually isn't a problem if it's the mother's first pregnancy because, unless there's some sort of abnormality, the fetus's blood does not normally enter the mother's circulatory system during the course of the pregnancy.

However, during delivery, the mother's and baby's blood can intermingle. If this happens, the mother's body recognizes the Rh protein as a foreign substance and can begin producing antibodies (protein molecules in the immune system that recognize, and later work to destroy, foreign substances) against the Rh proteins introduced into her blood.

Rh antibodies are harmless until the mother's second or later pregnancies. If she is ever carrying another Rh-positive child, her Rh antibodies will recognize the Rh proteins on the surface of the baby's blood cells as foreign, and pass into the baby's bloodstream and attack those cells. This can lead to swelling and rupture of the baby's RBCs. A baby's blood count can get dangerously low when this condition, known as hemolytic or Rh disease of the newborn, occurs.

About the question of Mary:

Mary was the mother of Jesus. I totally agree. I just have a question about the degree of motherhood. She carried him, and most probably breast fed him. She reared him. But I can confidently argue that Christ could have been of the lineage of David even if Mary was not the genetic mother.

[WillowTheWhisp]

He wouldn't have been human in any way though would he? Don't we all have to have mortal bodies? Wouldn't that also include the Saviour? Isn't his mortality how come he was able to die?

BWT I am Rh negative and my late husband was RH positive which is why I asked about that. My eldest daughter wasn't my first pregnancy. I lost that baby. Then had a healthy normal birth, then another daughter who needed to have some tests and things done, then lost another and then went through the menopause and so just ended up with the two.

[mikbone]

Jesus Christ was 100% Mortal. Of that there is no doubt.

Yes we all have to have mortal bodies.

Elohim was once mortal.

Christ was mortal during the meridian of time.

The Holy Ghost will eventually have a mortal body.

Yes his mortality did give him the ability to die.

[WillowTheWhisp]

So if he was mortal what would be the point of him having a different mortal mother than Mary?

[mikbone]

I don't think that Christ's biologic mother was the Virgin Mary or any of the mortal woman that were contemporary of Mary.

I want to believe that Christ's biologic mother was someone who was co-equal and intimate with God the Father. His eternal wife no less.

This line of thought necessairly begets more questions...

Edited March 26, 2009 by mikbone
grammar

[Justice]

Remember, it was promised, as early as to Adam before they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, that Christ was to be born through Eve's seed. If Christ had been born of an immortal mother, as you suggest, He would not have had blood because He would not have been under the fall of Adam and Eve. This was Satan's plan, to destroy the agency of man, and would have meant man could not have been redeemed. Satan wanted Eve to partake of the tree of life immediately after she partook of the forbidden fruit (as described by Lehi, Alma, and at least one other Book of Mormon prophet). Christ had to be born of a mortal mother so that He had blood flowing through his veins, so that He could suffer, shed His blood, and die, to accomplish all the ends of the Atonement.

Sometimes things have to be done a certain way, even when we don't understand. We just have to believe that what God does in legal, holy, and what is necessary for Him to accomplish His purpose to bring about man's immortality and eternal life.

Sometimes it just requires us to trust Him and not our own understanding.

[Hemidakota]

I don't think that Christ's biologic mother was the Virgin Mary or any of the mortal woman that were contemporary of Mary.

I want to believe that Christ's biologic mother was someone who was co-equal and intimate with God the Father. His eternal wife no less.

This line of thought necessairly begets more questions...

He was the son of Mary but not of Joseph. How can a virgin give offspring without sexual contact? I think you already answered that question. If necessary seed was implanted within an fertilized egg, wouldn't Christ have the mingle of mortal blood and partial DNA, yet have power as an immortal being?

When one view the Christ, He is looks identical of the FATHER - as a twin.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I want to believe that Christ's biologic mother was someone who was co-equal and intimate with God the Father. His eternal wife no less.

She was the mother of the premortal Christ, a she was/is the mother of us all (unless Heavenly Father's family is polygamous in which cae some of us might have a different mother) but as Justice pointed out in order to have blood to shed he neeed a mortal mother. He lived a mortal life.

He was the son of Mary but not of Joseph. How can a virgin give offspring without sexual contact? I think you already answered that question. If necessary seed was implanted within an fertilized egg, wouldn't Christ have the mingle of mortal blood and partial DNA, yet have power as an immortal being?

When one view the Christ, He is looks identical of the FATHER - as a twin.

Did Joseph Smith say that they looked like identical twins when he saw them? I know the scriptures say 'he that hath seen me hath seen the Father' but I didn't think that meant in a literal physical appearance kind of sense any more than 'I and my fther are one' meant that they were the same peson.

[Hemidakota]

Physically, they almost look alike according to Joseph and those who witnessed the Godhead.

[Faded]

I can tell you this much, it's a topic that often gives me a headache. There's a lot of undue speculation. How I view it:

1.) Mary is literally the biological mother of Jesus. From His mortal mother, Jesus inherits the ability to experience mortality exactly as every one of us experiences it. He also inherits the ability to die.

2.) God is literally the biological Father of Jesus. From his Father, his mortal frame inherits the ability to rise from the dead and live forever.

3.) In order to achieve his Earthly mission of overcoming death and paying for the sins of all mankind, Jesus Christ needed to have both mortal and immortal parentage.

4.) When Jesus was born, Mary was still a virgin. We live in an age where artificial insemination and invitro fertilization exist. I think it is utterly foolish to limit an all-powerful God to the necessity of having sex in order for his Only Begotten Son to be conceived.

It is my strongly held opinion that jumping to other conclusions leads to nothing good and is purely speculation for speculation's sake. It leads to all sorts of silly conclusions.