Mary

Mary was of the house and lineage of David.

One day she had a visit from an angel who told her that she would conceive and bear a son and that she should call his name "Jesus" because he would save her people from their sin.

Mary, the angel said, would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit of God and therefore the child conceived within her would be holy. In fact, he would be the "Son of God"

This miraculous conception would be the "virginal conception" of Jesus. This virginal conception of Jesus is the true miracle. Namely, that a young woman should conceive a child without the assistance of a human male.

Since Jesus was "...conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary..." ( Apostle's Creed), he would be a unique child who had a finite human mother and the infinite God as his father. Therefore, Jesus would be both human and divine within one person.

Being both divine and human, Jesus was without the taint of original sin. Therefore, Jesus was not required by God's justice to die for sin. Since Jesus did not have to die for his own sin, therefore, he was capable of sacrificing himself for other people. If he was himself sinful, then he would be required to die for his own sin and could not offer himself in another's place.

The scriptural references to sin reveal the divine justice. It goes likes this.

• The wage of sin is death.
• The soul that sins shall surely die.
• There is no one that lives that does not sin.
• Therefore all die.