[161]Jesus was not a sinner.  He was born pure, holy, sinless, without spot or blemish.  He was not begotten and born like other children.  While he was born of the woman Mary, Joseph was not his father.  Joseph was espoused to Mary, Jesus’ mother, and before they were married she was found to be with child. (Matthew 1:18) Mary was a virgin, yet she was about to give birth and did give birth to the babe Jesus. (Matthew 1:20,23) The holy child that was born of the virgin Mary was and is the Son of God.—­Luke 1:35.

[162]The words translated in our Bibles Holy Ghost should be properly translated holy spirit.  The holy spirit is the invisible power, energy and influence of Jehovah.  God is holy; therefore his power, energy, and influence are holy.  Father means life-giver.  Jehovah is the Father of Jesus because he gave life to Jesus; hence Jesus is called the Son of God.  The spirit, energy, or influence of Jehovah operating upon earthly substance produced earthly creatures. (Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:47) The same holy power, energy, and influence begat the child Jesus, who was born of his mother Mary.  Therefore the life of Jesus was without sin or imperfection.  The germ of life of him who was born Jesus was transferred from the spirit plane or nature to the human plane or nature.

[163]Jesus was our Lord’s human name.  It implied his humiliation and lowly estate, in comparison with the glory which he had with the Father before the world was. (John 17:5) He existed long before he became a human being.  His prehuman name was the Logos, which is translated in our common version Bible “the Word”.  The word Logos is therefore one of the titles of Jesus and should not be translated at all.  It means the spokesman, active agent, or messenger, of Jehovah.  St. John, writing concerning the Logos, who later became Jesus, says:  “In the beginning [which means the beginning of God’s creative activity] was the Logos, and the Logos was with God [the God, Jehovah], and the Logos was a God [a mighty one].  The same was in the beginning with God [the God, Jehovah].  All things were made by him [the Logos]; and without him [the Logos] was not anything made that was made”—­he was the active agent of Jehovah in making all things,—­John 1:1-3.

[164]The beginning here referred to could not mean the beginning of God the Father, because he is from everlasting to everlasting and never had a beginning. (Psalm 41:13; 90:2) The work of Jehovah, however, had a beginning, and his creative work is clearly what is here meant.  The Logos was the first and only direct creation of Jehovah; and thereafter God’s creation was performed through his Logos.  This is the thought expressed by the apostle Paul, who says of Jesus:  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him and for him, and he is before all things and by him all things consist.”—­Colossians 1:15-17.