Luke 1:35-38
The uniqueness of Jesus required that he
enter and exit the world in a very
special way.
In our progression through the Apostles' Creed, the statements are getting more and more narrow and exclusive. Most of the major religions can echo the statement "I believe in God", but when christianity called God "maker of heaven and earth," it parted company with Hinduism and other Eastern faiths. By calling Jesus Christ God's only Son, it parts company with Judaism and Islam, standing quite alone. And now the statement that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, makes Christianity even more exclusive.
Next to the resurrection, Jesus' virgin birth is the most controversal and debated topic in the Christian faith. We often hear people say: I can believe and follow Jesus' teaching and example, but its impossible to believe that he was born of a virgin. Don't we sometimes also find ourselves being apologetic and defensive when we come to Jesus birth? We like the atmosphere of Christmas, but find it intellectually difficult to explain Jesus’ birth.
This morning I would like to study with you this important element of our faith. We want to see what the Bible teaches on this subject, why its controversal and what it means to us. We’ll recognize a simple truth: because of Jesus’ uniqueness, it’s required that he enter and exit the world in a very special way.
I. The bible's teaching on virgin birth.
To understand what the Bible teaches, we have to go to several passages.
1. Genesis 3:14-15 passage.
We're to go back to the very beginning, the book of Genesis. You remember how God created the heavens and the earth. He created all living creatures. He also created man and woman in His own image. It was a perfect world. And the first man and woman were meant to live in harmony with God, each other and their environment. They were to live in obedience to God.
In chapter 3 of Genesis, we saw Satan in the form of a snake tempting Adam and Eve. God's authority and wisdom were challenged. Both Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation and deliberately disobeyed God. Later, God spoke to the snake. Genesis 3:14-15, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Please pay special attention to v15,"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." There is the snake or devil's offspring. Then there is also the woman's offspring, or seed in the KJV. In many culture, including the Hebrew tradition, when one talks about offspring, or seed, it usually refers to the male's seed and offspring. For example, to many Chinese fathers, its important that one's family name will be carried on to the following generations. It means a lot to them. That is why sometimes there is the abnormal emphasis and favoritism when a son is born. But in Genesis 3, God was talking about the woman's offspring, and not the man's. Here is a strong hint and suggestion that one day, a person will be born to a woman, and his birth would be different from everyone else.
Moreover, this person will crush the devil's head. It’s a fatal blow, destroying the devil's power. But the devil will strike this particular offspring's heel. When the heel is wounded, it brings great pain, but not fatal.
These two sentences clearly suggest that one day in the future, there will an offspring of a woman, and he will render the devil powerless. Certainly, this Genesis passage cannot be used to build the doctrine of the virgin birth, but a very basic building block for the concept of the virgin birth.
2. Isaiah 7:14 passage
This is a very well known passage. Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Immanuel means God with us. What does this passaage mean?
It was about 700 years before Jesus' birth, and Ahaz was the king of Judah in Jerusalem. The city was under attack from Aram and Israel. Ahaz and his people were shaken and terrified by their enemy. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to the king and told him don't worry, they would be Ok. And Isaiah told king Ahaz to ask for a sign from God to verify that they would be safe. But Ahaz refused. Isaiah went on to say that the Lord himself would give them a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. The word virgin was from a word which could mean, a young woman, a person at the marriageble age. In some other translations, this word is simply translated as a young woman. But if we do a careful study of this word, look at all the contexts in which it is used in the Old Testament, it carries the meaning of virgin.
But this sign was given to Ahaz. What does it mean? How are we to interpret this sign?
Like many OT prophecies, this has both the present and future components. The present application is: a virgin would marry and give birth to a child. Before this boy grows up, the enemies would be gone. But there is also a future perspective of this prophecy. That one day, a virgin will give birth to a son. His name is Immanuel, meaning God with us. God was on the one hand assuring Ahaz of his protection and presence. And at the same time pointing to a future day, when God will come into the world through the womb of a virgin.
700 years after this sign was given, at the birth of Jesus Christ, Matthew quoted this verse. Inspired by the holy spirit, Matthew took the sign as a prophecy with both immediate and future implications. Yes, during the reign of Ahaz, a child was born. While he was growing up, Judah's enemies would have left. But Matthew also clearly understood that Jesus Christ was the child prophesied 700 years ago. Jesus' birth was God's dramatic entrance into the world.
In Genesis we read about the hint of a special birth. In Isaiah 7:14, we see a clearer picture of what is to come. And now let's turn to the
3. Angel's announcement to Mary and Joseph.
Luke 1:30-35,"But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 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." v34,"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" v35,"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."
When the angel appeared to Mary telling her that she was to give birth to a child. What was Mary's response? How can this happen? Since I am still a virgin and never had any sexual relationships. You must be kidding, this can't happen. The angel’s response was: Mary, Yes, you are a virgin, you have not had any sexual relationships, but the spirit and power of God will be over you, to create and bring about the birth of this very special child.
And then we also read about Angel's announcement to Joseph. Matthew 1:18-20,"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."
You see, Genesis gave us the first hint of what was coming. Isaiah further clarified it. And when we come to the first chapters of Matthew and Luke, it becomes unmistakably clear that Jesus was born of virgin Mary.
If we believe that the bible is God's word, then its very logical that we also believe Jesus Christ as the offspring of a woman. He was conceived by the holy spirit, born of the virgin Mary. This is incarnation.
II. Causes for controversy.
Why is there so much tension when we address this issue of the virgin birth or Jesus' resurrection? This has to do with the way we think. I have discussed this issue several weeks ago. I'll briefly review with you today.
One school of thought is known as the Naturalist, which is what we call a closed philosophical system. We believe only in what we can see, feel and understand. We believe and accept the natural laws. Anything that we can't see, or the supernatural, is non existent. the virgin birth, or any miracle, is against the natural law, therefore they cannot exist.
Another school of thought is the Supernaturalist. Or an open philosophical system. Here we believe in a creator God. The one who created the universe and guides it through the natural laws. As the creator, he is not bound by the natural laws. He has both the freedom and power to work beyond natural laws. Therefore the virgin birth, resurrection and other miracles are all possible.
If we believe in an almighty God, who works in and beyond the natural laws, then we can also believe in the virgin birth.
III. Our response to virgin birth.
We've looked at the bible's teaching on the virgin birth. We've also briefly looked at some of the causes of controversies. But what does it mean to us? Does it really matter? What are some implications?
1. Uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
Both Matthew and Luke gave detailed accounts of Jesus' birth through the virgin Mary. But throughout the NT, the apostles were rather quiet on this issue. They have never used the virgin birth to prove Jesus' deity. We must follow this example. But if Jesus was truly the son of God, one would expect that he entered the world in a very special way.
If we would just put his birth aside for a moment. Look at his life, his ministry and teaching. It is very different and unique, right? Then look at his birth. Then we say, Oh I see. Because he is such a unique person, then his birth is also very unique.
He is unique because he is fully God and fully man. The virgin birth shows his humanity. He was born like everyone of us. He grew up in the same way. But before he was born, he was already God. Therefore, he is the only person that can show us what God is like.
When there was an eclipse, we were told not to look at the sun directly, for it would blind us. Instead we needed to use a darkened lens. As finite persons, its impossible for us to know and comprehend the infinite God. Jesus is that lens through which we can see God. If Children ask us,"What is God like?" Our response is: Look at Jesus.
2. A model of God’s work.
This uniqueness of Jesus also points to us a model of how God works in our lives. The angel told Mary that God was going to do a great work in and through her. God's spirit was to work in her life, so she would give birth to a son who was God himself. Jesus' mission on earth was to save God's people from the dominion of sins. God was to use Mary to do great works in the world. What was Mary's response? "I am the Lord's servant...May it be to me as you have said." The word servant literally means slave. Mary willingly and gladly obeyed.
The scripture tells us that God had taken the initiative to come into our lives. This is his grace and mercy, nothing to do with our merits. But he also wants to do great work in us. He wants to transform us, to rid our sinful nature and make us more Christ-like. As we become more Christ-like, he'll use our changed lives to bring blessings to others. He uses his children as intruments to bring peace and love into the world. He uses us to bring about reconciliation between him and the world. Yet there is a condition. If his spirit is to work in and through us, our obedience to him is required.
When we say,"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of virgin Mary..", we are not only making some powerful statements about the content of our belief, but also accepting its implications in our lives.
We live in a very corrupt and broken world. The Balkan war has ceased, yet many hearts are filled with hatred and revenge. Bring it closer to home is the recent senseless serial killings by one man. While in the Silicon Valley, I heard of many stories of how the new immigrants from China are propsering in their professions. But at the same time are accounts of high divorce rate among them. Divorce is being looked upon as a new found freedom. It appears that no matter where we are, God has placed each one of us in a place where we are connected with someone who is broken, burdened, discouraged and disillusioned about life. Its God's will to work through us to bring His grace, mercy, power and blessing into this person's life. He wants to use you to enter into his/her life. Just as He has used others to bring us to Him. We certainly have the desire to be a blessing to those around us. But there is also a condition on our part that needs to be fulfilled. Simply put, we must be willingly obedient to him. Gladly listen and obey what he has revealed to us in the Scriptures.
Sunday July 4th, 1999, Rev. William Hsueh, Houston Chinese Church, Houston, Texas.