Posted on March 19, 2026 by Rev. Alex Post
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March 25th is exactly nine months before Christmas Day on December 25th. We celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ not for the first time at His birth, but at His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Word of the Holy Spirit spoken through the angel Gabriel. Martin Luther gives us a good example of how to preach and teach the forgiveness of all our sins through faith in Jesus Christ, who was conceived, born, suffered, died, was buried, and rose again from the dead for us.
In his lectures on Genesis, Luther clearly affirms God’s gift of human life in the womb from the moment of conception when he refers to Isaac as a fetus. Every human life begins at the moment of conception and fertilization—baby Isaac, baby Jesus, and you! Luther wrote:
“The Virgin Mary carried Christ in this manner up to the tenth month; and during the entire time He, like other embryos, received nourishment from the drops of blood of His mother, who was sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Luther’s Works, American Edition [hereafter AE], 3:206)
Without needing a biology degree, modern technology, or a high enough pay grade to speak on the matter, Luther asserts from God’s Word:
“We are certainly alive even during the first year, when the fetus is carried in the mother’s womb.” (AE 5:75)
Luther clearly condemns the sin of Onan (Genesis 38:9), a sin often viewed as a right and privilege in our culture today:
“This is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery… Surely at such a time the order of creation established by God in procreation should be followed.” (AE 7:20–21)
Despising children, preventing conception, and murder through abortion are sadly nothing new. Listen to how Martin Luther describes things in his time:
“He [God] is not hostile to children, as we are. Many of us do not seek to have offspring. But God emphasizes His Word to such an extent that He sometimes gives offspring even to those who do not desire it, yes, even hate it. Occasionally, of course, He does not give it to some who earnestly desire it. It is His purpose to test them. And, what is more, He seems to emphasize procreation to such an extent that children are born even to adulterers and fornicators contrary to their wish. How great, therefore, the wickedness of human nature is! How many girls there are who prevent conception and kill and expel tender fetuses, although procreation is the work of God! Indeed, some spouses who marry and live together in a respectable manner have various ends in mind, but rarely children.” (AE 4:304)
Luther defines God‑given callings for men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers:
“We men are born not to harm but to defend the weaker sex. For a woman has a body created for pregnancy, for the nourishment of the fetus, and she is exposed to many dangers. Therefore she must be treated with wisdom and moderation.” (AE 5:382)
Motherhood and fatherhood are rightly celebrated each year on a Sunday in May and a Sunday in June. Let Christians everywhere celebrate God’s gifts of life, marriage, family, babies, and children year‑round. For Christ our Lord was conceived and made flesh for us nine months before His birth at Bethlehem so He could die and rise to redeem and save us.
God grant us great joy at the Festival of Christ’s Annunciation, where He first entered our world in the flesh for our salvation! Hear from Luther’s Postil sermon on the Annunciation of Our Lord:
“Even though He is a tiny fetus, at that moment He is both God and man in Mary’s womb, an infant, and Mary is the mother of God.” “That is why He is called Immanuel, God with us… This is the grace which we celebrate today, thanking God that He has cleansed our sinful conception and birth through His holy conception and birth, and removed the curse from us and blessed us.” (The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol. 7:290, 293)
Did you know that Lutheran Family Service has speakers who are eager and qualified to speak to your congregation for an LFS Sunday, men’s or women’s group, circuit pastors’ meeting, special conference, or congregational seminar? Do you want to learn more about adoption, mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling, in vitro fertilization and reproductive technologies, gender identity, or artificial intelligence? Click here to learn more or request a speaker, and God bless your Annunciation Day, Holy Week, and Easter!
—Pastor Alex Post, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Marshalltown, IA
If you or someone you know would benefit from Christ-centered mental health counseling, refer to or contact us today.
Lutheran Family Service walks with those experiencing difficult times through mental health counseling, marriage counseling, crisis pregnancy counseling, and adoption services.
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