“I Believe”…sermon series on the Apostles Creed
“Born of a Virgin” Matthew 1:18-23 Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Some Christmas trivia: The verses of the song Twelve Days of Christmas each stand for one of the 12 beliefs stated in the Apostles Creed.
Today we’re reflecting on our Savior’s miraculous birth: “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary”. Back when I was in high school, one of my instructors remarked one late December, near Christmas Break: “I attend church, but as a science teacher I just can’t buy the Virgin Birth.”
It matters what we believe. Are our beliefs in line with Scripture? Anyone who accepts the Bible as God’s authoritative word should agree that the miracle of the Virgin Birth is an essential, non-negotiable truth of the Christian faith. It is a major doctrine, which is why it’s included in the Apostles’ Creed.
When we affirm belief in this miraculous birth, we’re saying that the Lord Jesus became a human being through being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. By this birth the world received a unique Being. At Christmas we point to our Savior’s birth and say, “You see--this is no ordinary child. He is set apart from everyone. He is God-the-Son.” I want us to consider the importance, confirmation, and necessity of Christ’s virgin birth…
>The importance of the Virgin Birth
Christianity stands or falls with the doctrine of the Virgin Birth; to confess this truth is to profess the deity of Christ. Jesus was not an ordinary human; He was the Word made flesh, our Lord and Savior. If we reject this doctrine, we would be left with a good teacher, but not One who came from Heaven; and so we could just as easily dismiss his teachings. It is not enough to hold that Jesus was an admirable person.
The bottom-line is whether miracles are possible. C.S. Lewis wrote, “Whatever experiences we may have, we shall not regard them as miraculous if we already hold a philosophy which excludes the supernatural…modern people dislike miracles; admitting that God can, they doubt if He would.”
If we cannot accept this teaching, then we must conclude the Gospel writers were either mistaken or liars--making the Bible an unreliable document, a book of fiction and myth. And if Jesus was not born of a virgin, he was illegitimate.
>Confirmation of the Virgin Birth
In order to verify this teaching, the first place to look is among the historic writings of the early church. The Church Fathers (those church leaders who followed the Apostles) received and accepted this teaching without dissent. They trusted the internal witness of the Biblical record.
Let’s start at the beginning, the very beginning, the Book of Genesis, chapter 3. God tells the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed.” Scholars regard this as the first prophecy of Christ found in Scripture. How does this refer to Mary? The One who will crush Satan is called the seed of the woman rather than the seed of the man, which would be the normal usage. Mary fulfils this promise. As the spiritual death of humankind occurred through the disobedience of a woman (Eve), so the redemption of the world was made possible through the obedience of a virgin. Eve’s story is incomplete without Mary.
Next, Galatians 4:4, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” There’s no mention of Joseph, unusual and noteworthy. Jewish boys and girls were referred to as their father’s children. Mark calls Jesus “the son of Mary.” The Virgin Birth raises a faith question: Do we believe God is in control of history? Can He intervene in the events of civilization? Galatians 4 says that at a pre-ordained time Christ was born; this assumes a God who is sovereign, in control. If we believe this, we can believe the Virgin Birth.
Perhaps the strongest reference in Scripture is the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, where the prophet foretells that, “a virgin will be with child and bear a son.” Hebrew scholars say that the word “virgin” is a precise, clinical term that always means a pure, chaste, unmarried young woman. The word refers to a total absence of physical intimacy.
Luke (who was a physician) is believed to have interviewed Mary during the preparation of his Gospel account. His Nativity narrative emphasizes Mary’s unique conception. Mary’s surprise at the angel’s announcement comes because, as she states, she is a virgin (Luke 1:34). The angel then assures her that “nothing is impossible with God” (vs 37).
(Note--unlike our Catholic friends, we do not accept their doctrine of the “Immaculate Conception” which claims that Mary herself was conceived without sin and remained a virgin all her life, then ascended bodily into heaven. We respect and admire Mary, but we regard her as a normal person who was privileged to give birth to the Messiah, and who referred to God in the as her “Savior.” And we certainly disagree with the Mormons, who claim Mary conceived by a physical union with God the Father.)
Since God designed the process of procreation, He should have the ability to interrupt the normal action of cause and effect and initiate something different. He who established the laws governing the universe should be able to suspend those laws when He chooses to intervene in a supernatural way.
>The necessity of the Virgin Birth
We’ve seen that this doctrine is important, feasible, that it is taught in Scripture, but why is it necessary? Did God work this miraculous, unique birth for no reason at all? Was it merely to show that Jesus was special? God’s miracles are never for show or effect. Christ’s birth was more than just a means to impress us.
It was essential that Christ be virgin born because sinless blood must be provided to overcome the sinful blood of Adam and Eve in our veins. The Bible calls Adam our forefather. The sin of our first parents was transmitted to all their offspring. Paul reveals in Romans, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for all have sinned” (5:12).
Because Jesus was virgin-born, He was free from Adam’s sinful blood. We are born with a sinful nature; Jesus was not. He was human, but born without original sin. Jesus had Adam’s flesh, but not his disposition. His sinless blood gave Jesus the right to receive the punishment for our sins. He effectively paid our penalty. We are polluted by sin but redeemed by the perfect sacrifice of the virgin-born Son of God. Jesus offers a new beginning for a troubled, fallen world.
Conclusion
A young child had a wonderful Christmas morning. She got all the presents she wanted, her cousins were there to share the holiday, and there was special food throughout the day. As her parents tucked her into bed that evening, she smiled and said, “I sure hope Mary and Joseph have another baby next year.” Even adults can miss the point of Jesus’ birth.
People admire Jesus, but not everyone wants to acknowledge Him as Lord. They like the sweet Baby Jesus of Christmas cards and Nativity sets, but not Christ, the Messiah and divine Son of God. But there can be no neutrality. Jesus confronts us with a question, “What about the Christ? Whose son is he?” (Matthew 22).
Practically speaking, what does this teaching mean for us today? Can the Virgin Birth help me balance my checkbook, lose weight or find a job? Here’s the point: The God Who was supernaturally born is capable of less spectacular miracles. He can handle our day-to-day concerns. I sometimes think it’s easier to believe in the Virgin Birth than to believe God can help us get our cars started on a snowy morning, or help us find time for Christmas shopping! Someone quipped, “Do I believe in miracles? I depend on them!” God is active, involved, and interested in the seemingly insignificant details of our lives.
Prayer: Holy Father, we thank You for sending Your only-begotten, sinless Son to be born of a virgin and later receive sin’s penalty for us. May we accept what the Bible teaches concerning Jesus. Help us to know what we believe, and why. Give our faith substance, and may that faith produce fruit in our lives, as we trust You for small miracles every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
