Today, we are going to look at the first fundamental of our faith in our 5 part series. This morning, we will discuss the doctrine of the virgin birth.
In the Gospel according to Luke, we find the telling of Mary's visit from Gabriel. He says, 'for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb & bear a son, & you shall call his name Jesus.' (Luke 1:30b-31) This is a crazy thought for a young woman, probably a teenager, who was single. Her response comes in verse 34, 'how will this be, since I am a virgin?' So we have a teenage girl who is single & a virgin, who is told that she will conceive a child in her womb. Now, in our culture today, this is somewhat acceptable or at the least the norm. But in the 1st century, she would have become an outcast & possibly killed.
So the question we must ask is: is this really that important to our faith? Absolutely! First, it was foretold by the prophet Isaiah. 'Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive & bear a son, & shall call his name Immanuel' (7:14). So here is a prophecy about the coming Messiah, so if Jesus isn't born of a virgin, then He doesn't fulfill the prophecy. Therefore, He wouldn't have been the Messiah. That is pretty important, don't you think?
The second thing to consider is that everyone man born after the creation of Adam & Eve are born with a sinful nature. So if Jesus was conceived by regular sexual intercourse between a married man & woman, then He would have been born sinful. However, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, which enabled Him to resist temptation & not sin. The result being that He was sinless, which again proved that He was the Messiah.
Most denominations will agree on the Virgin Birth. However, there are some that would disagree. According to Scripture, it is crucial to our faith to know & believe in the Virgin Birth. Check in next week as we discuss the Deity of Christ.
Saved by grace,
Bro. Eric
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