The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Miracle of the Incarnation

Christmas 9

All year round, I keep a small manger scene on my desk at home to remind me daily of the miracle of the incarnation.

To me, it is simply mind-boggling to think that God loved Mankind enough, despite our sinful wretchedness, to send His precious Son to die for our sins so that we might be reconciled to our Creator. What love! What amazing grace!

The virgin birth of Jesus has to be considered one of the greatest miracles of history, together with the resurrection. Yet, philosophers and scientists scoff at the virgin birth as nothing but a “childish myth.” Jewish leaders, from the earliest of times, have written it off as “a cruel hoax.” Saddest of all, many modern day Christian theologians contend that it is “a non-essential legend.”

David Reagan: The virgin birth of #Jesus has to be considered one of the greatest miracles of history, together with the #resurrection. #Christmas #Nativity Click To Tweet

Today, the virgin birth is flagrantly denied by professors at many Christian seminaries. In fact, I would venture to say that it is the most ridiculed doctrine in the Christian faith. It is usually dismissed as nothing but a “johnny-come-lately myth” conjured up by a bunch of ignorant shepherds and fishermen in the First Century.

God fully anticipated these attacks, and as part of His refutation, He saw to it that most of the information in the Bible about the virgin birth was written by a highly educated man named Luke who was anything but an uneducated shepherd or fisherman. He was, in fact, a medical doctor who fully understood how a baby was conceived.

Why is the virgin birth so essential to the Christian faith? I would argue that there are three reasons.

1. 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?

2. 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.

3. Finally, the concept of the virgin birth was not some afterthought. It was clearly prophesied hundreds and even thousands of years before Jesus was born. The very first Messianic prophecy in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:15 where we are told that the Messiah will be born of the seed of woman.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and that He would be God in the flesh (Isaiah 7:14). Jeremiah reinforced this in his prophecies (Jeremiah 31:22). And an angel of God confirmed it to both Mary (Luke 1:26-37) and Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25).

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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.

22 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Many of our “institutions of higher learning”, as well as some of our pulpits, are manned by false prophets. The Bible is the only consistently accurate source of information.

  • Please revisit your information: I can’t find any thing relating to what you said.. your words 3. Finally, the concept of the virgin birth was not some afterthought. It was clearly prophesied hundreds and even thousands of years before Jesus was born. The very first Messianic prophecy in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:15 where we are told that the Messiah will be born of the seed of woman.

  • Very good, but may I suggest that in part c. “Because He was born holy, without a sin nature, He was qualified to serve as our Savior.” You could add; this is because he had his father’s sinless blood, as only through the father does the “blood line” go. He had his Fathers blood and his Mothers body (a body hast thou prepared me” Hebrews 10:5.

  • I think that we have to maintain that Mary was simply the means by which Jesus came into the world. God created within her that which came to be born as Jesus. Joseph did not contribute the sperm and Mary did not contribute the egg. If Mary contributed the egg that was fertilized by the Holy Spirit, then Jesus would be half God and half human, thereby inheriting a sinful natutre. Jesus has to be fully God and fully man (Paul says all of the godhead dwelled fully in Him). Does not the Bible say elsewehere that God prepared a body for Him (perhaps in the Psalms? – “a body you have prepared for me”). Mary is not “the mother of God” and Joseph is not “the father of God.” We have to understand the phrase “conceived of the Holy Spirit” as meaning that God alone was totally responsible for everything that was necessary for the virgin birth to be a reality.

  • The Genesis 3:15 prophesy looms larger and larger for me. A woman has no ‘seed’ – hence the scripture prophesies something extraordinary. Together with Isaiah and Luke it becomes clear what was envisioned – a virgin birth.

    I’ve been surprised at the rejection of this particular aspect of the Gospel by people who fully accept (do they really, though?) other miracles.

    I really appreciate the witness of the Lamb and Lion Ministry. Good friends!

  • I am a follower of Christ, but not in keeping with many of the traditions adopted by the various divisions as seen in denominational Christianity. As I read the Old Testament, God reveals much about himself to us. One of those revelations is found in Deut. Israel was instructed not to worship him as the heathen worshipped their false gods. Yet today, we see Christianity as a whole celebrating Christmas much in the same way the heathen do. What gives us any indicator that God has changed his mind from Deuteronomy? The great Baptist evangelist Charles Haddon Spurgeon believe that Christmas was witchcraft. The setting of a date December 25 without any biblical mandate, is heresy. Furthermore December 25 is understood to be the birth date of many ancient false dieties of the Babylonian mystery religions. We have come to believe that God is not pleased with Christianity’s celebration of his birthday When one does the math, counting back 33 1/2 years from the Passover, it puts his birth synchronizing with the feast of Tabernacle‘s so would it not make sense for Christians who believe that Christ was our Passover fulfilling that feast in the spring to also believe that he fulfilled one of the fall feasts by tabernacling among us? December 25th is nothing more than a myth, and Timothy warned us that we would believe a lie and the myth preferring to have our ears tickled. Can you educate me as to why this thinking is not in keeping with the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob as revealed to us both in the old and in the New Testament?

  • Is the picture of those two people on your cover sheet, the picture of, ostensibly, Jesus, the Son of God, the one you keep on your desk year round?
    Dr. Reagan, I as well as many people have great respect for your work as a Christ-follower, and I have agreed with you on many occasions. But Dr. Reagan, is that picture supposed to be a depiction of the Jewish Messiah and His Jewish mother living on earth 2000 years ago in the flesh?
    Why would someone as well educated as you do such a thing? It is brazen and shameful misrepresentation of the Messiah in His racial appearance — it looks more like a modern representation of a northern European…a son of Japheth, certainly not Shem.
    Now I understand why you have said many of the things which you have said in the past.
    But no problem of course — we are all human.

    • Unless you have a personalized snapshot from the First Century, nobody can be sure of what Jesus and Mary looked like. The “Virgin of the Lillies” (1899) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau is a beautiful painting and should be appreciated as such.

  • We are truly in the age of deception! I marvel that professors in so called Christian seminaries would deny the virgin birth. I wonder how widespread this is in today’s seminaries? But, then again, there is at least one mainline denomination that doesn’t know if God is a he or a she!

  • I read the article that Nathan had posted and if you read the entire article, at the very end is where the rubber meets the road. If you deny the Virgin Birth then you Deny the Deity of Jesus Christ and how can you believe anything in the Bible if you deny our Lord’s Virgin Birth. The one guy said it right, we have a lot of leaders that shouldn’t be a leader. U J

  • I question Genesis 3:15, in that Jesus would be born of the “seed” (egg)of Mary. Wouldn’t He then have inherited her nature? I believe Jesus was in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit (as in vetro) without human sperm or egg. <3 +

  • Jesus’ sinlessness has no more to do with His not having a sin nature than ours does. He was sinless because He always trusted in the Father. We are not sinless because from birth we do not know the Father or the Son.
    Jesus came to fix that. He came so that we could know Him. And it is only through knowing Him that we can have eternal life. John17:3
    The sin nature doctrine is Augustinianism. Not Bible.
    Blessings:-}

  • Medical Science figured out how to cause a woman to become pregnant without sex back in the 70’s. The method is IVF, InVitroFertilization, when doctors take male sperm and female eggs putting them together to fertilize the egg. The fertilized egg is then implanted in the uterus. Many women have given birth to healthy babies through this method. If man can figure out how to cause a woman to conceive without sex how much easier would it be for the Lord God Almighty?

  • I am a follower of Christ, but not in keeping with many of the traditions adopted by the various divisions as seen in denominational Christianity. As I read the Old Testament, God reveals much about himself to us. One of those revelations is found in Deut. Israel was instructed not to worship him as the heathen worshipped their false gods. Yet today, we see Christianity as a whole celebrating Christmas much in the same way the heathen do. What gives us any indicator that God has changed his mind from Deuteronomy? The great Baptist evangelist Charles Haddon Spurgeon believe that Christmas was witchcraft. The setting of a date December 25 without any biblical mandate, is heresy. Furthermore December 25 is understood to be the birth date of many ancient false dieties of the Babylonian mystery religions. We have come to believe that God is not pleased with Christianity’s celebration of his birthday When one does the math, counting back 33 1/2 years from the Passover, it puts his birth synchronizing with the feast of Tabernacles. So if you have a need to celebrate his birth with no mandate from him to do so, would it not make sense for Christians who believe that Christ was our Passover fulfilling that feast in the spring to also believe that he fulfilled one of the fall feasts by tabernacling among us? December 25th is nothing more than a myth, and Timothy warned us that we would believe a lie and the myth preferring to have our ears tickled. Can you educate me as to why this thinking is not in keeping with the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob as revealed to us both in the old and in the New Testament? Can you convince me God has changed his mind on what is idolatry?

    • Jim, i agree with you whole heartedly. Logic and seasons would indicate Jesus was not born anywhere near December. the shepherds would not have been out in the field with their sheep in the snow. Sheep were in the fields after the harvest and would’ve still been out there a grazing. I agree with you that counting backwards that Jesus probably was born near the feast of Tabernacle‘s and that makes sense because that means God is dwelling with us. I was a Jehovah’s Witness for many years became a born-again Christian in 1994. I still do not celebrate Christmas because it really has nothing to do with Jesus but is far more commercial than anything else. highest rate of suicide at this time of the year; people angry because they can’t find a place to park; there aren’t enough sales; did I spend more on a gift for you than you spent for me. it’s commercialism galore and I hate this pagan holiday. I need no commercial holiday to celebrate and praise to our Lord for becoming one of us in Love, Compassion and Perfection.,

  • It is the reason for the virgin birth which is important in God eyes, and should be very important to us Christians. Because God has used the woman seed JESUS CHRIST to bruise the serpent head, which is his kingdom. Every true child of God is currently bruising the serpent head = kingdom! By helping Jesus Christ to establish the kingdom of God right here on Earth! “Why do the [heathen] rage, (Gentiles nations, unbelievers) and the people imagine a vain thing”? … (Psalm.Ch.2). “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool”! … (Psalm.Ch.110). At the second coming of Christ

  • The Bible teaches that our fallen sin nature is passed down through the seed of the man, Adam:” in Adam all die.” The Redeemer comes through the woman:Gen. 3:15. This holy union gave birth to the God-man, Jesus, the Christ of God. Had Jesus personally committed no sin but had our fallen sin nature He could not have qualified as the sin-less Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, our substitute sacrifice. Without The virgin birth there is no forgiveness of sin and resurrection and we are still in our sins and under the wrath of God.

  • I am continually amazed by the power of God, and the accuracy of his word and prophecies. He can do all things. God announced the birth of his son in advance. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord revealed the Messiah would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

    Hear now, O House of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call him Immanuel Isaiah 7:13-14.

    Also Isaiah 9:6-7. For into us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

    A natural conception would not grab the house of David’s attention. The world has seen billions of young women conceive and bear sons. But a virgin having a child….now what would be a sign that should get the children of Israel’s attention. That miracle would be fulfilled by the conception and birth of Jesus.

    God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by the angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

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