Why I Believe in...
THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
In many quarters, ecclesiastical as well as secular, belief in the Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is considered unworthy of twentieth-century intelligence. Biologically, such a birth is impossible. Science with claims of absolute authority has pronounced against it. Who dares to challenge the "all knowing" of such an eminent authority?
This assault on the doctrine of the Virgin Birth is, however, but one phase of a great battle to evacuate the supernatural from Christianity and to reduce it to the plane of natural religion. These naturalists in religion are out to destroy supernatural Christianity. They go through the Bible and tell us there is no supernatural revelation there; they go through the Birth of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural incarnation there; they go through the Person of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural deity there... they go through the Works of Christ an tell us there are no supernatural miracles there; they go through the Words of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural wisdom there; they go through the Death of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural atonement there; they go through the Blood of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural cleansing there; and they go through the Tomb of Christ and tell us there is no supernatural resurrection there.
Having removed the supernatural from the Gospel Ship they have reduced her to an old hulk, a derelict to be destroyed by the storms of unbelief and the reefs of infidelity.
Moses said well, "For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps." Deuteronomy 32:31-33.
As a fundamentalist I believe in a supernatural Christianity which presents a supernatural Christ Who had a supernatural Birth, Who lived a supernatural Life, Who died a supernatural Death, Who rose in a supernatural Resurrection, and Who is coming again in a supernatural Manner. To discredit the Virgin Birth is not only to strike at the nature of Christ but at the very power of God.
THE RESULT OF REJECTING THE VIRGIN BIRTH. Before coming to my reasons for believing the Virgin Birth let me point out briefly what is the alternative.
1. To reject the Virgin Birth is to ascribe the sin of sexual promiscuity to Mary. Before her marriage Mary was found with child. If this was not by an act of God then Mary must have been guilty of fornication. I cannot entertain the possibility that our Glorious Saviour came into being by an act of sexual promiscuity. Yet this is what is involved in rejecting the Virgin Birth. To reject the Virgin Birth is to imply that our Lord was a nameless bastard. What honest person could say that the Virgin Birth is not essential?
2. To reject the Virgin Birth is to imply that our Lord Jesus Christ was an imposter and liar. He claimed to be the only begotten Son of God. How could He be that, when in reality He was, according to blaspheming modernists, the bastard child of a fallen woman? Such are some of the implications involved in denying the Virgin Birth.
These alternatives are too awful to believe. I want to spend the remainder of the hour establishing the truth of this foundational doctrine of the Christian faith.
I believe in the Virgin Birth because…
#1. The Biblical Record of The Old Testament Foretold Christ Supernatural Birth. Listen to the words which the Lord God spoke to the devil after the seduction of Eve and the fall of Adam.
Genesis 3:15 “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.”
The reference here is to the woman’s seed, not to the seed of the man. The common reference is always to the seed of the man-- "the seed of Abraham" (Isaiah 41:8), not the seed of Sarah, "the seed of David" (Romans 1:3), not the seed of Bathsheba, and so on. Only a unique seed, a special seed, a supernatural seed, could accomplish that unique, special and supernatural triumph "the bruising of the serpent’s head." Every effect must have an adequate cause and no son by ordinary generation of Adam’s ruined race could accomplish the effect here spoken of. The adequate cause is found in the woman’s seed, a Virgin-born Saviour.
Jeremiah 31:22 “How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.”
In this verse “a new thing” is mentioned, the result of “a creative act of God,” not the result of any acts of man. A woman is to bear a child without any relationship to man, God alone taking the responsibility. The context of the passage places it in the prophetic Scriptures associated with the ushering in of the gospel dispensation. Jeremiah 31:15 “Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.”
The new thing done by God in “the woman compassing a man” is none other than the Virgin Birth.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
The assault of the critics surrounds the Hebrew word “almah,” here translated “virgin.” It is said that the proper Hebrew word for virgin is “bethulah,” and that if a virgin was what the prophet wished to signify he would have used that word. “Almah,” it is contended, simply means “a young woman of marriageable age.”
The Holy Spirit used the word “almah” seven times in the Old Testament; so we can have an accurate understanding of what God meant. Seven in Scripture is the number of perfection, so the Holy Spirit has given us a perfect guide to the meaning of “almah.” I want to invoke “the law of first mention” concerning the use of the Hebrew word “almah.” It occurs in the following Old Testament verses:
Genesis 24:43 “Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink.” (A reference to Rachel) Ex 2:8; Ps 68:25; Prov 30:19; Song 1:3; 6:8; Isa 7:14
“Almah” is translated four times as virgin; twice as maid; once as damsel.
Professor J. Gresham Machen in his book “The Virgin Birth of Christ” states: “As a matter of fact there is no place among the seven occurrences of ’almah’ in the Old Testament where the word is clearly used of a woman who was not a virgin.”
Professor James Orr in his book, “The Virgin Birth of Christ” states: “In fact, in all the six places in which,…the word occurs in the Old Testament, it may be contended that virgin is the meaning.”
The Septuagint: The Old Testament was translated into Greek in the third century B. C. This translation was made by seventy Hebrew scholars, hence it has been designated as the LXX (Roman numerals for seventy). Those who made this translation were better equipped to translate the Hebrew than any modern Hebraist, as Hebrew was still a spoken language in their day. In the LXX “almah” in Isaiah 7:14 is translated by the Greek word for virgin, “parthenos.”
Dr. Edersheim, who wrote “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” states: “The fact that the seventy who were the most eminent Hebrew scholars in the world translated the Hebrew word ‘almah’ as ‘virgin’ is sufficient evidence that in this connection the word could have no other meaning.”
All these prophetic Scriptures unreservedly foretold the Virgin Birth and I wholeheartedly accept their testimony.
I believe in the Virgin Birth because…
#2. The Biblical Record of The New Testament Affirms Christ Supernatural Birth.
Matthew and Luke record the facts surrounding the Virgin Birth. Their records are independent of each other which is an extra guarantee of their worth. They are complementary and harmonious.
Matthew 1:16 does not say “And Jacob begat Joseph and Joseph begat Jesus,” but instead it says “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, Who is called Christ.”
Luke carefully inserts a qualifying clause “as was supposed.” “And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli” Luke 3:23.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was aware from His earliest days that Joseph was not his father. At the age of twelve He rebuked His mother for making that assertion. When after three days Joseph and Mary found Jesus in the temple, Mary said to Him, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.” Luke 2:48. The answer of Christ was a clear denial that Joseph was His father. “Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49. Jesus was not the son of Joseph; He was the Son of God.
The testimony of John of the Deity of Christ implies the Virgin Birth.
The Gospel of John begins: “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. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” John 1:1-3. He then makes that tremendous declaration, “The Word was made flesh” John 1:14. But how? By means of a supernatural virgin birth.
The Testimony of Paul: Is Paul silent concerning the virgin birth?
Romans 8:3 “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.”
Philippians 2:7 “Was made in the likeness of men.”
Galatians 4:4 “God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,…”
The two narratives we have of the birth of Jesus tell us that He was born of a Virgin. The Gospels containing these narratives are genuine documents of the Apostolic age. The texts of these narratives have come down to us in their integrity. The two narratives of the Virgin Birth are independent, but the are complementary and corroborative of each other. The Gospel of Mark does not contradict the other narratives. The Gospel of John does not contradict the other narratives, but presupposes them. Paul does not contradict the Virgin Birth. On the contrary, Luke, a chief witness of the Virgin Birth, was the companion of Paul, and Paul’s language presupposes knowledge and agreement with the fact. The doctrine of Paul and John-- as of the New Testament generally-- implies a miracle in the origin of Christ. To destroy the supernatural birth one must first destroy the whole supernatural record. Therefore let me testify again that I believe in the Virgin Birth because the Biblical record affirms the Virgin Birth.
I believe in the Virgin Birth because…
#3. The Incarnation of The Son of God Demands A Supernatural Birth.
Those who deny the Virgin Birth must also deny the pre-existence of Christ and those who deny His pre-existence must further deny the co-equality of Christ in the Godhead. Why? Because by maintaining that the birth of Christ was natural the origin of Christ is fixed. His birth marks the date of His origin and His eternal existence must be rejected. That is the logical outcome of the denial of the Virgin Birth.
To deny the Virgin Birth reduces Christ to an ordinary man. In doing so His pre-existence and His place among the Godhead, are disclaimed and His deity is denied.
An ordinary man cannot be the Son of God. If Jesus is not, as the Father from the heavens twice declared Him to be, “the Son of God,” then the God of the Bible is a liar, heaven is not a reality and the whole revelation of truth one colossal hoax.
On the other hand, if it can be established that our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal son of God incarnate in flesh, the possibility of any other birth but Virgin Birth is ruled out. Only by a Virgin Birth could He, who is eternal, be manifested in time. An ordinary birth results in the generation of a new person, but the extraordinary birth of Christ resulted in the incarnation of the Ancient of Days.
The Incarnation of Christ was a miracle in itself, and presupposes another miracle for its accomplishment, the miracle of the Virgin Birth. Writing to Timothy, Paul connects the supernatural birth and incarnation together in 1 Timothy 3:16 “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
The testimony that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and as such is God the Son, stands unshakable. Notice the testimony of…
The Father – “This is My Beloved Son.” Matt 3:17; 17:5
Christ himself – “Because I said, I am the Son of God.” John 10:36
The Spirit of God – “This is the Son of God.” John 1:32-34
Gabriel – “That Holy Thing…shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35
John the Baptist – “This is the Son of God.” John 1:34
Nathaniel – “Thou art the Son of God.” John 1:49
The devils – “Jesus, Thou Son of God?” Matt 8:29
The Apostles – “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.” Matt 14:33
Peter – “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matt 16:16
Those who crucified Christ – “Truly this was the Son of God.” Matt 27:54
Such a testimony refutes any assertion that He was only the son of a man and demands the Virgin Birth as the only possible avenue of His Incarnation.
I believe in the Virgin Birth because…
#4. The Atoning Blood of Christ Necessitates A Virgin Birth.
It is an established physiological fact that the mother’s blood is neither the source nor supply of the blood in an unborn infant’s veins. Gray’s Anatomy, a recognized medical authority, states: “The fetal and maternal blood currents do not intermingle, being separated from each other by the delicate walls of the villi.”
Ian Paisley wrote –
“From the shedding of blood in Eden’s garden for the clothing of our fallen first parents, to the great throng of the Apocalypse who sing of the Blood of the Lamb, the Bible is a book of blood. The crimson flow from Immanuel’s veins touches every verse, every chapter and every book. God’s eternal law stands written across the whole volume – ‘Without shedding of blood is no remission’ Heb 9:22.
Where, among the sons of men can blood be found rich enough to pay the tremendous debt of sin, precious enough to satisfy divine justice, strong enough to cancel sin’s guilt, pure enough to usher in the reign of righteousness, overcoming enough to crush the devil and divine enough to redeem the elect of God?
God has made of one blood of all the nations of the earth. By God’s creation man’s blood is one in composition. By sin’s ruination, man’s blood is one in pollution. Through the veins of sinning humanity flows a poisoned bloodstream – ‘The life of the flesh is in the blood’ Moses wrote. The life of sinning man is depraved; his blood is but human corruption in solution. Such blood calls for judgment rather than appeasement. Its shedding can only bring God’s wrath and not God’s mercy.
Although this is true, yet wonder of wonders amongst the race of sinners and in the house of David, a house as much cursed with sin as that of any other human family, there has been opened up a fountain for sin and for all uncleanness.”
The blood of Jesus Christ has all the essentials necessary for the great work of redemption.
His Blood is innocent. “I have betrayed innocent blood.” Matt 27:4
His Blood is precious. “With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:19
His Blood is incorruptible. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things... But with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19
His Blood is redemptive. “The church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28
His Blood is Holy. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:12
His Blood is voluntarily given. “For this is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28
His Blood is cleansing. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
His Blood is living. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” Hebrews 13:20
His Blood is peace-speaking. “The blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Hebrews 12:24
His Blood is justifying. “Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Romans 5:9
Christ’s Blood could only have these great attributes if He was Virgin-born. The supernatural blood necessitates the supernatural birth.
Conclusion:
What sacred fountain yonder springs
Up from the throne of God,
And all new covenant blessings brings?
’Tis Jesus’ precious blood.
What mighty sum paid all my debt
When I a bondman stood,
And has my soul at freedom set?
’This Jesus’ precious blood.
What stream is that which sweeps away
My sins just like a flood,
Nor lets one guilty blemish stay?
’This Jesus’ precious blood.
What voice is that which speaks for me
In heaven’s high court for good,
And from the curse has made me free?
’This Jesus’ precious blood.
