ARTICLE VIII

THE VIRGIN BIRTH AND THE INCARNATION

REDEMPTIONCORPS INTERNATIONAL believes, proclaims, and teaches that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in fulfillment of God's redemptive purpose. His conception was the work of God and not the result of a human father. We affirm that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, truly God and truly human, possessing the fullness of deity and sharing fully in human nature.

We believe that the virgin birth is an essential testimony to the unique identity and divine origin of Jesus Christ. His coming into the world fulfills God's promises and stands within the biblical history of redemption. The announcement of His birth declares that He would be called the Son of God and that He would save His people from their sins. In Jesus Christ, God has acted decisively to bring salvation to humanity.

We further affirm that Jesus Christ is not merely a human teacher, prophet, or moral example who attained a special relationship with God. He is the eternal Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. In His incarnation, the Son of God truly entered human existence without ceasing to be divine. He experienced genuine human life and took upon Himself the nature of humanity, yet He was without sin.

Accordingly, REDEMPTIONCORPS INTERNATIONAL confesses Jesus Christ as both the Son of God and the Son of Man: fully divine and fully human. His divine identity and genuine humanity are indispensable to the Christian confession of who He is and to the work of redemption He accomplished. He is Immanuel, “God with us,” and the promised Savior through whom God brings reconciliation and life.

Scriptural Foundations

Genesis 3:15 — God's declaration of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between their respective seed, establishes a theme of conflict and ultimate victory that Christian interpretation understands in relation to Christ's triumph over Satan.

Isaiah 7:14 — The prophetic sign of a child to be born, called Immanuel, understood in the Christian tradition in relation to the birth and identity of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18–25 — The account of Mary's conception by the Holy Spirit, the angelic announcement to Joseph, and the fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy.

Luke 1:26–35 — The angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she would conceive by the power of the Most High and that the child would be called the Son of God.

Mark 1:1 — The opening declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John 1:1–3, 14 — The eternal Word was with God and was God; all things came into being through Him, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among humanity.

Colossians 2:9 — The fullness of deity dwells bodily in Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:5–11 — Christ's divine status, His taking the form of a servant, His genuine humiliation, and His exaltation as Lord.

Hebrews 2:14–18 — The Son shared in flesh and blood and became truly human so that through His death He might defeat the power of death and act as a merciful and faithful High Priest.

Hebrews 4:15 — Jesus Christ was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin.