THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST 2  (Myth – Conceptions)

I.                   INTRODUCTION

A.    If I were to tell you that I had no human biological father, would you believe me?

1. The Bible makes exactly that claim for Jesus.

2. Some people respond with disbelief, even as they do with other Bible miracles.

a.       There wasn’t a great flood. – Geological Strata don’t match up.

b.      Burning bushes are a natural phenomena. – Bushes don’t Speak.

c.       Pharoahs army didn’t drown in the Red Sea. – Where did the chariots come from?

B.     Should be able to defend virgin birth

1. It goes to the heart of who Jesus is and what He did for us.

2. If He was not conceived and born of a virgin, then we have no savior!

II.                Facts surrounding Jesus Birth are Damaged by Promoters of Falsehoods – Luke 2:1-8

A. Jesus born on December 25   - WAS HE?

1. His date of birth is not known

2. Circumstances make it highly unlikely that it was at this time of year

a.       (Luke 2:8) Shepherds tended their flocks in the fields at night. A common practice of shepherds was keeping their flocks in the field from April to October, but in the cold and rainy winter months they took their flocks back home and sheltered them.

b.      (Luke 2:1) Census Timing: Unlikely Roman and Judean rulers taking a census in winter in Bethlehem. Normally, a census would take place after the harvest season, around September or October, when it would not seriously affect the economy, the weather was good and the roads were still dry enough to allow easy travel. For such an agrarian society, an autumn post-harvest census was much more likely.

·         Supposed Biblical Error:

·          There is no historical record of a census in 5 BC.  Nor record demonstrating Quinirius as a governor of Syria at that time.  The word here used as governor is actual a word meaning leader over.  During this time, he was head over the area.  Silence does not mean absence.

·         Census every 14 years.  6 AD, 34 AD (28 years later).  Could have put first targeted at 8 BC.  Possible delay in Judea because Herod had conflict with Augustus.  Sometime thereafter, the nation swore allegiance to Augustus and Herod.  Herod would have then ordered this census.  This could have legitimately pushed census to proper date.

3.   Christmas – Celebration of Jesus Birthday

a.       First 200 years – nothing.

b.      Origen (185-254) strongly recommended against such an innovation. "In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world"

c.       Discussion of a date – many dates mentioned over a period of time.

d.      Earliest recorded observance of Dec. 25th – 336 AD.

e.       This coincided with the date of a celebration by the Romans to their primary god, the Sun, and to Mithras, a popular Persian sun god supposedly born on the same day.

B.     Our current system of time measurement...

1.      AD (after Death) from Anno Domini, which is Latin for "year of our Lord," and it means the number of years since the birth of Jesus Christ. BC (Before Christ) .....Jesus wasn't born in the beginning of A.D. 1 either. The Gospels record Jesus' birth as occurring during the reign of Herod the Great (Matt. 2:1). Herod's death is recorded by Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and occurred in the spring of 4 B.C.  The Bible also records Jesus age being “about” 30 during the 15^th year of Tiberius (Luke 3:1, 23).  History tells us that Tiberius came to power in 11 AD, thus Jesus was “about” 30 in 26 AD.  This corresponds to Jesus being born in around 5-6 B.C.

C.     Near simultaneous arrival of shepherds & wise men   Read Matt 2: 1-4, 11.

1.      Virtually every "manger scene" on display has three wise men each with a gift

a.       (Matt. 2:1) Truth is that an unknown number of wise men arrived much later

b.      After the family had moved into a house and the newborn Jesus was possibly"young child" (Matt 2:11). – shepherds, not magi, when baby was in manger (Luke 2:16)

c.       (Mat. 2:11) (wise men at house with gifts – unknown quantity)

D.    Perpetual virginity of Mary

1. This is an outright falsehood

a.      Matthews 1:25 - "kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son”

b.      Matthew 13:55-56 - Jesus had "brothers and sisters" (who had a biological father) “Is not this the carpenter’s son?  Is no His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this man get all these things?”

2.      This doctrine sprang from non-biblical ideas that all physical pleasure was sinful, even intimacy between a married couple.

III.             Biblical Confirmation of the Virgin Birth  - How is this possible!?

A.  Old Testament Prophecy   (Isaiah 732b.c.)

1.      Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7 (lineage David), Isaiah 11:1 (lineage of Jesse), Micah 5:2  (Location of Birth)

2.      Lineage of Jesus is clear (Look at Lineage in Matt.) - Gen. 38 – the Misplaced writing – Tells of birth of Perez by Tamar – Right in the middle of writing on Joseph.

3. Matthew 1:22-23 (ref. Is. 7:14 above) – Different writer confirming prophecy.

B. Gospel writers speak on the virgin birth

1. Matthew agrees with Isaiah - and also affirms Mary’s virginity in Matthew 1:25 (No Read)

2. Lk. 1:27

3. The context goes and tells Mary that she was to have a child of the Holy Spirit Luke. 1:35

C. Consider Mary’s own testimony _ Luke 1:34

D.                Notice the angel’s testimony to Joseph _ Matthew 1:18-21

1.      Joseph avoided making the matter public; but he intended to put Mary away privately, believing she had been unchaste.

2.      But Mary wasn’t impure! "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" _ Luke 1:32, 35   Confirmed to both Mary And Joseph! (No Read)

E.     The Genealogical records make it clear that Jesus had no biological father

1.      Matthew 1:16 _ note Matthew’s careful wording to avoid the notion that Joseph was the biological father (after all the "begots" he deliberately avoids saying Joseph "begot" Jesus)  

2.      Luke 3:23 _ "as was supposed"

F.     This array of evidence would stand up in court:

1.      There is a significant number of witnesses

2.      There are reliable witnesses

3.      There is clear, consistent testimony

IV. Objections Offered

A.    Biological impossibility (Flood…)

1.      True enough!

2.      This was a MIRACLE!

3.      The same God who can create life from nothing can surely take upon Himself human flesh and be born of a woman without any involvement by a human male!

B.     Other religions also claim a virgin-born savior (skeptics say Christianity’s claim is
no more valid than others)

1.      Buddha: the oldest accounts of his birth say nothing about a virgin birth - both mother and father are mentioned. Other accounts clearly affirm the agency of his father in producing him. Only many centuries later did various legends arise with alleged miraculous events connected with his birth

2.      Krishna (Hinduism): evidence of his existence is scarce; none of it comes from the
time he supposedly lived. Accounts vary; none consistently affirms virgin birth.

3.      Zarathushtra / Zoroaster (6th cent. BC Persian Prophet and Religious Poet): Records are few and unclear; they definitely affirm the biological role of his father in producing him (though both father and mother were said to have drunk milk into which the material essence of Zoroaster had been mixed!)

·         Compare Christianity, where records are ancient, numerous, complete, clear, consistent, and reliable!

V.  Why Is the Virgin Birth So Important?

A.    Important as to the Nature of Christ

1.      He was 100% human

a.      Hebrews 4:15 _ Jesus is touched by our difficulties because, He too:

b.      Became thirsty, hungry, tired, etc., YET . . .

2.      He was 100% God - THE Son of God (not just ‘a’ son of God)

a.      John 3:16 _ "For God so loved the world that He gave his only-begotten Son"

b.      1 Timothy 3:16 _ “great is the mystery of Godliness, He who was revealed in the flesh...”                      "God was manifested in the flesh"

3.      Colossians 2:9 SUMS IT UP _ “In Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form” (He was God in human flesh)

B.     Important as to the mission of Jesus

1.      Mission: to extend forgiveness to man - something only God could do.

2.      To be the supreme sacrifice for sin, He had to be God in the Flesh (no mere human, no matter how righteous, could fill that role).

C.    Thus to deny the virgin birth is to deny the essence of Christianity

1.      It would be a religion without salvation!

2.      It would be Christianity without Christ!

VI. CONCLUSION

A.    We ought to believe, and to shamelessly affirm, that Jesus the Christ was conceived  and born of a virgin.

B.     Therefore, He is not *just* a human being, but is the unique God/Man.