REASONS THE VIRGIN BIRTH WAS NECESSARY Part 1

MESSAGE
THE REASONS THE VIRGIN BIRTH WAS NECESSARY
Sunday School Message Part I  11-9-2011

As we approach the Christmas season,  we see many places that still decorate with manger scenes, and there are beautiful songs that we sing about the first advent of our Lord.   Many people sing the songs,  hear the stories,  even watch movies and TV  shows that exalt the advent of our Lord’s entrance to planet.  It is a joyous time of sending gifts, eating, and getting together with family and friends.

The sad thing about Christmas though is that most people really do not have a clue biblically what this occasion is all about.  And in fact most people don’t really believe the true story behind Christmas.

So in this study we are going to examine the biblical claims regarding the birth of Jesus Christ and why it was indeed a miracle of miracles, and that without God’s intervention in this event there could be no salvation, no redemption for man and, in fact, no Easter story,  no resurrection,  no salvation,  no hope for man or this planet.

Let’s examine the most important biblical claim of all which really makes Christmas Christmas:

In this study we are going to examine the biblical claim of the Virgin Birth.

Text:

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Consider this truth that without the Virgin Birth, the Christmas story has no meaning and no relevant message to mankind.   The fact that there was a literal virgin birth is essential to the biblical fact of redemption.

Before the turn of the century, almost every Christian group unanimously (except for some fringe cults and isms) believed in the Virgin Birth.

So foundational was this to the understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, that Mohammed when he wrote the Koran even included it in the Koran.

Around the turn of this century, the Modernist movement began to grow more and more popular around the world.

The Modernist movement began to question traditional values–religious, political, philosophical–in every area of society.  Arts … music … culture, etc.

Modernism first reared its ugly head in the area of philosophy, then caught on in the arts, and then with music.

By the early 20th century you had a battle raging between the Modernist and what many declared themselves to be as Fundametalist.  A Fundamentalist was one who said, “I still believe in the fundamentals of the Bible.”

One of the fundamentals at that time that was being attacked was the idea of a literal Virgin Birth  along with many other miracles in the Bible..  along with a literal understanding of the Creation in Genesis 1-3,  etc.

What is amazing is that historically the last bastion of stability that usually falls is the religious.

Reminds me of 911  the terrorists who tried to destroy the world trade center by bombing the foundation, but is was too strong.  So then they attacked the top floors which caused the whole structure to collapse.

Today we are seeing our society collapse all around us, and the religious leaders are not able to hold it up.

Since it is around the Christmas season, I thought it might be appropriate for us to study the supernatural: Foundational truths about the Virgin Birth and show why it is so important for us to believe in the accuracy of the Biblical teaching on this subject.

We will consider some reasons why it is necessary to believe in a literal Virgin Birth …

WHY THE VIRGIN BIRTH?

I remember many years ago (in my early college days) when I was in a humanities class studying Christianity in World Civilizations.  I remember that the professor challenged us as students concerning the historical accuracy of what he called the “myth of the Virgin Birth.”   Back then I didn’t know the Lord, so I was a pushover to win over to the professor’s point of view.  But looking back now I realize that I was being brainwashed by Modernism.  Back then the argument was that it was not necessary to believe in a Virgin Birth and that Jesus may have been the illegitimate son of a blond-haired,  blue eyed German soldier which made Him no less of a great man.  Today I know that the professor was in total ignorance of the Bible and the marvelous Scripture that I hold before you today. I didn’t know it back then, but that professor’s assessment of the Virgin Birth was all a product of the humanistic Modernist movement that has taken over our education system.

FIRST LET US CONSIDER THAT THE VIRGIN BIRTH WAS A NECESSARY MIRACLE THAT GOD HAD TO PERFORM FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

I.    THE VIRGIN BIRTH WAS NECESSARY SO CHRIST
COULD BY-PASS THE  FALLEN ADAMIC SIN NATURE:

If there was not a Virgin Birth, the accuracy of the whole Bible topples.  Everything in the Bible is intertwined, and we can’t cherry pick what we want to believe about the Word of God and reject other select passages that defy our human reasoning.  In fact it all starts by rejecting the first three chapters of the Bible.  Consider these verses:

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
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If there was no first Adam, then how can Christ be the second Adam?  In Adam all die; in Christ all will be made alive.

If there is no integrity to the Genesis 3 account, then Romans 3, 5 and I Cor. 15 are a bunch of nonsense.

I Corinthians 15:21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
I Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

There are many theological discussions about why the sin nature of Adam is not passed on through the woman:

IS ADAM THE HEAD OF THE HUMAN RACE SEMINALLY?
IS ADAM THE HEAD OF THE HUMAN RACE FEDERALLY?

Is sin passed on from Adam genetically or federally and judicially?

Romans 3:23 says WAGES OF SIN IS  DEATH.

CONSIDER, DOES DEATH COME TO MAN BECAUSE WE ARE FALLEN CREATURES THROUGH THE BIOLOGICAL GENES OF ADAM?  Why does death come to the human race?

Illust.    Genesis 3:22  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

It would seem death comes because God has intervened in mans life to withhold from him certain things that would allow him health and longevity of life. In Genesis 3:22, God said it was possible for Adam and Eve to live forever even after they sinned.  All it would have taken was for them to eat from the Tree of Life.  Whatever healing properties and nourishment that tree provided would have provided continual life.

THE BIBLE STARTS WITH THE ACCOUNT OF MAN LOSING HIS ABILITY TO PARTAKE FROM THE TREE OF LIFE WHICH IS THE MAIN REASON WE DIE PHYSICALLY.

Genesis 3:22  And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

NOTE Revelation 22 the Tree of Life is what produces longevity of life in the future–the Kingdom to come.  In Isaiah 65:22 we read that in the Kingdom to come, men’s lives will be extending like the longevity of the days of a tree.  The oldest trees on the planet are over 3000 years old!

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.

Note the severe warning about tampering with the word of God.  I think God is interested in preserving the historical theological truths of the Word of God, and the truth about the Virgin Birth is one of those truths.

Note that in this passage there is mention of the
Tree of life …
The Water of life …
The Book of life …

A number 3 is often a Divine number,  just as God Himself is made up of three divine persons: the FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

MANY BELIEVE THE OVERSHAWDOWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PREVENTED CHRIST FROM INHERITING EVEN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SIN THROUGH EVE!

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Yet if a man could live forever by eating from a tree called the Tree of Life, is the sin nature really passed on by taking on a physical body?  Nowhere in the Bible do we read that that the sin nature is passed on through the woman.  Man gets his phsical body through the woman; he gets his sin nature through Adam.  In either case, God performed a miracle in generating a body for our Lord through Mary without a human father.

SO IT WAS NECESSARY THAT CHRIST BE BORN OF A VIRGIN TO AVOID THE FALLEN NATURE OF ADAM.  THERE COULD NOT BE A FALLEN MAN (i.e. a son of Adam) IN THE EQUATION.

II.    IT WAS ALSO NECESSARY FOR CHRIST TO BE BORN OF A VIRGIN SO THAT CHRIST, THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD, COULD ADD TO HIMSELF FLESH:

1.    The Christ child was indeed God in the flesh:

I Timothy 3:16 And 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.

2.  THE SON OF GOD WAS ETERNALLY EXISTANT WITH THE FATHER BEFORE THE INCARNATION:

Hebrews 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Hebrews 10:6 In burnt offerings and [sacrifices] for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

For God to purchase our salvation, He needed a perfect substitute for man, that Substitute was Jesus.

God is a perfect Judge and in His judgment, He declares the wages of sin is death.

He told Adam if you sin you die. All mankind is under this condemnation.

Therefore as in one man we all die.
Justice is served when one sinless Man dies for all.

If one man could cause all men to become sinners. Why is it an amazing thing that one perfect Man could provide the payment for every man’s sin?  If Jesus did not take on a body, there could be no payment for sin. If Jesus was under the condemnation of sin through Adam, then He could not make payment for our sins.  The only way possible for Christ to be able to pay for mankind’s sin was that He took on a body through a woman, but by-passed the sin nature of Adam by being conceived supernaturally of the Holy Ghost.

The Virgin Birth is the only solution.

All of Paul’s arguments and theological explanations hinge on there being a literal virgin birth!

III. IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE CHRIST TO BE BORN OF A VIRGIN SO THAT PROPHECY COULD BE FULFILLED.

THE SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN, SO THIS PROPHECY HAD TO COME TO PASS.  The Bible predicted and foretold the Virgin Birth!

There are many verses in the Bible that predicted the Virgin Birth.  The first verse is found in Gen. 3:16. Where it speaks of a lethal blow being given to Satan through a future child being born called the seed of the woman.  Nowhere else in the Bible is there any mention of the seed of a woman; usually children are identified as the seed of a paternal father. For instance, there is mention of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.

GEN 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.

Matthew 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

This is a quote from Isaiah 7:14 which says,  “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.”

Logic dictates the necessity of the Virgin Birth,  but also prophecy clearly articulated that it was going to take place.

We will continue this study in Part two of the Sunday School lesson.   May God bless you as we meditate on these truths.