The Virgin Birth
Morning Bible Study Lesson
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings." (Isaiah 7: 14-16 KJV)
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew 1: 18-23 KJV)
Jesus Christ is unique in his birth. No man has ever been "conceived" without a man's "seed." Virgins do not give birth to children. This is what makes the birth of Christ unique and miraculous. The inspired texts tell us that Jesus was born of a "virgin" named "Mary," and though "espoused" or "engaged" to Joseph, yet it was "before they came together" in sexual intercourse.
Jesus was "conceived" or "begotten" by the Holy Spirit, by the Father. It was effected by the "power of the highest" coming upon the womb of Mary and "overshadowing" it and her, as the Spirit did in the first creation when he "brooded over the waters" (Genesis 1: 2 "moved upon" KJV), as if ready to inpregnate and to beget life and create living being.
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1: 32-35 NIV)
Jesus is, in several ways, the "only begotten of the Father," or the "Son of God," just as he is in several ways the "firstborn" or "first begotten" of God and "of every creature."
The virgin birth of Jesus did not constitute him as the "Son of God" in toto. He was "Son of God" and "only begotten" of the Father before he was born into this world. Yes, he had no human body, or human form, prior to being "conceived" by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, but he existed incorporeally, being Spirit like his Father, before his becoming a man, or the "son of man." He was God's eternally begotten son before the incarnation. John says "the Word ('Logos' or Son of God) became flesh and tabernacled among us." (John 1: 14)
Rather, the virgin birth was but another way in which Christ is "Son of God," being a way in which God "declares" and "demonstrates" Christ as being his "only begotten" and his "only Son." (See Romans 1: 1-4)
Christ is "Son of God" and "eternally begotten of the Father" and "the firstborn of God" by eternal relation to God, by eternal decree, or eternal generation. (See Psalms 2). As God has always been Father, from eternity, in relation to Christ, so Christ has always been Son to the Father. If one denies the eternal sonship of Christ, he must deny the eternal fatherhood of God.
"And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed (or 'so it was thought' - NIV) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli." (Luke 3: 23 KJV)
Jesus was not the "son" of Joseph biologically. He was not of the "seed" of Joseph in a physical sense. He was Joseph's legal son, as much a "son" of Joseph "under the law" as any physical offspring of his. Joseph was a physical desendent of king David, and Jesus is accounted the son of Joseph, and the son of David. Besides, the geneologies of the evangelists show that Mary also was a descendent of the Davidic clan.
"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh." (Romans 1: 3 KJV)
"Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel." (II Timothy 2: 8 KJV)
So, we say that Christ is "son" or the "seed" of David, because of his legal ties in Joseph and his physical ties in Mary.
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4: 4, 5 KJV)
Christ was a man, and thus appropriately called "son of man." But he was not simply a man, but "God in the flesh," (I Timothy 3: 16), thus, his name was therefore appropriately "Emmanuel" and his title uniquely "Son of God."
"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3: 14, 15 KJV)
The virgin birth of Christ was here dimly revealed. In the bible, with the lone exception above, people are the offspring of the male "seed," not the female. The female, properly speaking, does not produce "seed," but "receives" the "seed," and combined with her own contribution, becomes what is styled "fruit," the "fruit of her womb." Christ is uniquely the "seed" of Eve, the "seed of the woman," not the man, the "blessed fruit of Mary's womb." Were Christ the "seed" of Adam, rather than Eve, he would be a corrupt "fruit" like every other man.
Eve was the first godly woman to begin to "desire" that she be the mother of this great promised Savior and Redeemer of the fall of man. (Genesis 4: 1 she said, when Cain was born, "I have gotten a man from the Lord," or "I have gotten a man, the Lord") Daniel probably alludes to this when he speaks of the "desire of women" (Daniel 11: 37).
It was prophesied also that "the desire of all nations shall come." (Haggai 2: 7 KJV) Certainly this is an allusion to the promise made to Adam and Eve in the garden and to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the inspired Zodiac, the one written by the antedeluvian prophets, also spoke of this "desired one" in giving the name to the child of the Virgin (Virgo) the name "Coma," the one who is also pictured as dying and rising again and as ultimately destroying the serpent and his seed.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4: 15 KJV)
"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." (I Peter 2: 21-23 KJV)
"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself." (Hebrews 7: 26, 27 KJV)
Christ did not make atonement for himself first, as did the Aaronic priests under the law, for they were all sinners and Christ was no sinner. He therefore could not only be priest, but also the very sacrifice. No priest ever offered a human sacrifice, especially not himself as such. But Christ offers himself as the sacrifice. He is both priest and sacrifice. But, a perfect sacrifice he could not be if he were not perfect and sinless, holy and undefiled, and separate from sinners. His virgin birth was therefore necessary to keep him from being included in Adam's original sin (See Romans 5), and thus constituted him as someone truly unique, the "second Adam" or "Lord from heaven." (See I Cor. 15).
Were Christ not virgin born, then he could not be without sin and without corruption. That is why the virgin birth was necessary, besides being a "sign" to Israel and to men.
There is a term in Christian jargon called the "Immaculate conception." What is meant by this term? Many think it refers to the virgin birth of Christ, to the fact that he was born without natural corruption and without original sin being imputed to him. But, the truth of the matter is, those who believe in it do not refer to the birth of Christ, but to the birth of Mary. But, Mary was not immaculately conceived, but only Christ.
posted by My Daily Bread @ 1:03 PM
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