Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary; historically affirmed
The Church of the Nazarene explicitly affirms the virgin birth in its Articles of Faith, which state that Jesus Christ 'became incarnate by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary.' This is understood as a historical miracle essential to the incarnation — the means by which the eternal Son of God entered human life in a manner that preserved both his full humanity (born of a woman) and his full divinity (conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by human generation).
The Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, from which the Nazarene Church springs, stands within orthodox Protestant Christianity and has never wavered on this foundational Christological affirmation. Denying the virgin birth is understood as denying both the miraculous nature of the incarnation and the testimony of Scripture, and is incompatible with Nazarene ordination or teaching ministry.
The virgin birth is regularly proclaimed in Nazarene churches at Christmas and is treated as part of the non-negotiable core of Christian doctrine. It is taught in Nazarene universities and theological schools as essential to a properly grounded Christology.
Key Distinctions
- Affirmed literally:
- yes — Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit without a human father
- Theological significance:
- confirms Christ's divine origin and fulfils Isaiah 7:14; essential Christian doctrine
Scripture References
Sources
- Church of the Nazarene Manual, Articles of Faith, §II: Jesus Christ