The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Truth of the Virgin Birth: Essentiality

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Let’s focus for a moment on the essentiality of the virgin birth. Why is it so important to the Christian faith? I would argue that there are three reasons.

First, it relates to the integrity of the Bible as God’s Word. The Bible says point-blank that Jesus was born of a virgin. If that is not true, then what can we believe in the Bible? If what it says about the birth of Jesus is fiction, then how can we believe what it says about His death and resurrection?

Second, it relates to the integrity of Jesus as Messiah. In order for Jesus to be our Savior, three conditions had to be met:

a) He had to be Human. No angel could die for our sins.

b) He had to be Divine. A mere mortal could not bear the infinite price that had to be paid for our sins.

c) He had to be Sinless. A sinner could not die for the sins of others.

The virgin birth guaranteed the fulfillment of all three of these conditions:

a) Because He was born of Mary, He was Human.

b) Because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was Divine.

c) Because He was born holy, without a sin nature, He was qualified to serve as our Savior.

This last point is extremely important. You see, even though both Adam and Eve sinned, God placed the responsibility on Adam (Gen 3:17-19). Romans 5:12-21 emphasizes this point. It states that just as death entered the world through the sin of one man, Adam, and resulted in condemnation for all men, so also, the hope of life and justification have come through one man, Jesus Christ.

The point is that the sin nature is transmitted by the father, and therefore, for Jesus to be born without a sin nature, He had to be born without an earthly father. And this brings us to another important point. It was not the birth of Jesus that was miraculous. He was in the womb of Mary for 9 months and was born just like you and me. What was miraculous was His conception. In a great miracle of creation, He was placed in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Henry Morris, founder of the Institute for Creation Research, describes the process in these words:

The body growing in Mary’s womb must have been specially created in full perfection, and placed there by the Holy Spirit, in order for it to be free of inherent sin damage.

Christ would still be “made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3), because His body was nurtured and born of Mary, who was herself of the seed of David. He would still be the Son of Man, sharing all universal human experience from conception to death, except sin. He is truly “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), His body formed neither of the seed of the man nor the egg of the woman, but grown from a unique seed planted in the woman’s body by God Himself.

That is, God directly formed a body for the second Adam, just as He had for the first Adam (Genesis 2:7). This was nothing less than a miracle of creation, capable of accomplishment only by the Creator Himself.12

We will look at the Annunciation — when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary about the Messiah she would bear — in the next installment of this “Truth of the Virgin Birth” series.

Notes

12) Henry Morris, “Creation and the Virgin Birth,” pamphlet published by The Institution for Creation Research (no date), pages 5-6.

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

7 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • the church/school where i work graveyard shift was broken into last night while i was working in another part of the campus. a safe with thousands of dollars was stole and broken glass and locks as well.

  • First of all, what a wonderful piece Dave wrote. Reading about God's great miracle of our redemption is a joy.

    Second, Hartdawg, when I was a much younger man I started a food bank in the church I pastored. I didn't realize that the board wanted total power over it so they used any excuse not to have one. The person with the power said that he didn't want it because someone would break in and steal the food. As a young man, I said, Sir if anybody has to break into a church I am pastoring for food, I will have you write them a $100 check as he was the treasurer.
    I don't like stealing as it is a sin, but if a man and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again Luke 6;29-30

    Hart, I don't know what you are trying to say except reporting the facts. How do you feel about this and do you want prayer for all involved?

  • Hartdawg

    What a lesson in Scripture! That is exactly how it will be when Jesus comes for us, like a thief in the night!

    My concern for you is, are you safe from suspicion? It’s not just the money, it’s the horrible feeling it can leave on all concerned. Not a nice position to be in so I pray that whoever is guilty will be revealed by The Lord.

    God bless you and give you His peace.
    Sue
    x

  • Actually, I afear I don’t agree with Dr Morris. (Said she of little education)

    The Messiah was to come from the seed, the ova, of the woman. Gen.3:15. If God only used Mary’s womb, then surely she was no more than a surrogate and not genetically linked to mankind at all. That would mean Jesus was not the ‘son of man’ therefore ineligible for the task of being our Saviour.

    Eve was deceived by Satan; and Adam bore the responsibility for Eve. Sin is inherited through the father, as it was Adam who deliberately sinned. He defied God to keep his wife, God could easily have made a new wife for Adam, but Adam was self willed and rebellious against God, he wanted to keep Eve. Effectively Adam ‘died’ to save his wife from destruction. A type of Christ and His Bride the Church. imo

    If God created anything new, it was the sperm that entered the ova when The Holy Spirit ‘covered’ Mary so that God was indeed the Father of Mary’s baby for Jesus to be fully God AND fully man

  • Right on, EI,

    Dr. Morris is flat wrong on that point! That's the way I learnt it!

    Jesus is 100% of the flesh of Mary and 100% of the seed of God, and NOT a surrogate implant!

    And the imputation doctrine thru the male is also confirmed from another angle in Hebrews 7:6-10 where the yet unborn Levi pays honor & tribute to the Greater Priest!

    6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
    7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
    8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
    9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
    10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

  • anon; how i feel is like somehow ill be blamed for "dropping the ball" and yes, prayer for all involved. the good news is a doposit was made earlier so the theives only got between 20.00-100.00. ei and nofog you both kinda lost me but ill read your remarks more closely a little later.

  • p.s prayer for all involved is prayer for me and my co-worker for peace….the theives for repentence (and they get caught) and the church that they wont point uneccessary fingers and look to just blame people (which they sometimes do) and the cops for a very speedy investigation.

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