THE VIRGIN BIRTH
“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” (Matt. 1:23).
What is the good news of Christmas? “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
Who is the greatest leader of all time? Who lived the only perfect life ever lived? The answer to these questions is Jesus Christ. None other can compare with him. The birth of Jesus Christ is the most meaningful birth in all time. It changed the chronology of history and introduced on the stage of human existence the greatest one who ever blessed the world with his presence. He is the most unique character of all time.
Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and purposes all reveal his uniqueness. However, his birth really reveals his uniqueness. Let us examine the coming of Jesus Christ into this world.
His birth was an advent or an arrival.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ differs from every other birth. His life did not begin with His birth, for he existed in the beginning with the Father God. His birth was an advent, a coming into this world from heaven on a special mission. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1–2). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
“But when the fullness 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” (Gal. 4:4–5).
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5–8).
Jesus did not come to be; he already was. Through his birth he came to earth as a Man. The name Jesus chosen by God for his Son (1:21) was, in that day and for centuries before, a common name with special meaning. Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua, meaning “Yahweh is salvation.”
The Virgin Birth
What is the good news of Christmas? “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
The virgin birth has to do with miracles, for the virgin birth of Christ was a miracle. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, he is not God but man. Christian tradition supports the virgin birth, and it is incorporated in the Apostles’ Creed.
The virgin birth reveals that Christ is God. The angel spoke to Mary: “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
The virgin birth shows the power of God. The birth of Jesus Christ was not accomplished through the normal human process but rather through the power of God. “The angel said, For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:37–38).
The Virgin Birth tells about the purpose of God. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Paul said, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived without sin, and died on the cross that he might redeem us.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is vital to the truth of the gospel (Isa. 7:14). Since Jesus Christ is God, He existed before Mary; therefore, He could not have been conceived as are other babies. He was not only born, but He “came into the world” (John 18:37). He is both God and man, the sinless Lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:19). Matthew opens and closes his book with “God with us” (1:23; 28:20).
The Incarnation proclaims that God is with us.
“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” (Matt. 1:23). The great truth of Incarnation is that God has come to be with us. Jesus Christ, the Incarnate One, is the greatest revelation ever made. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16).
“Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23). The person who wants to experience the power of God must experience Jesus Christ as Savior. Jesus Christ, the Incarnate One, came on the mission ever known to man. “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:14–15).
Jesus Christ, the Incarnate One, is the the grandest gift ever bestowed. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Jesus Christ, the Incarnate One, is the most potent force ever communicated. “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34).
The birth of Jesus was different from every other birth: He was conceived by the Spirit in Mary’s womb and born with a sinless nature. He is “God with us,” and He is also God like us because He took our nature and entered into human life and experience. What a wonderful Savior!
Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16). Because he is God, he has the power and authority to deliver us from sin (Colossians 2:13-15). We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are now, and he has the ability to help.
Conclusion
Faith is a word for Christmas. God’s faith in man is revealed by the gift of his Son Jesus. Can anyone ever doubt that God cares for sinful people? God has provided the object of humankind’s faith. God’s wonderful provision demands a response. Remove your doubts and questions by responding with faith in the Lord Jesus.
Malcolm Fuller tells the story of a man who sat down after Christmas to “review the damage.” He wrote to a friend, “The toys we bought are already broken, the tree has lost its freshness and has been thrown out. We have overeaten, overspent, and overlooked.”
We would truly overlook the true meaning of Christmas if we forgot that Jesus’ purpose for coming into the world was to seek and save the lost.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is vital to the truth of the gospel (Isa. 7:14). Since Jesus Christ is God, He existed before Mary; therefore, He could not have been conceived as are other babies. He was not only born, but He “came into the world” (John 18:37). He is both God and man, the sinless Lamb of God (1 Pet. 1:19). Matthew opens and closes his book with “God with us” (Matthew 1:23; 28:20).
Alexander Thomas, Sunday Dec 5, 2021 International Church, Atlanta
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