INCARNATION:
THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST JESUS

December 1, 1987 Issue
Virgilio O. Danao Sr.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1:1, 14).

The Word was God, and Christ was the Word; the Word was made in the likeness of man through the Virgin Birth; therefore, Christ was the manifestation of God in the flesh. This is taught in the Bible that men might believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father.

Today, there are those who deny the authenticity of the Virgin Birth. Some claim that because it violates the laws of nature it is just a myth. Others will not simply believe that the Lord would choose to be born of a poor woman like Mary. Of course, these people do not believe in the deity of Christ.

The Bible does not mention the specific date, month and year of Christ's birth. The commemoration and celebration of His birth on the 25th of December, Christmas as it has been called, was introduced by the Catholic Church. However, the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates this day on the sixth of January, using as a basis her claim that since the first Adam had been created on the sixth day of creation, therefore the second Adam, Christ, must have also been born on the sixth day of the year. Members of the New Testament Church of Christ abstain from celebrating Christmas.

The Virgin Birth was a miracle. "A miracle", says the dictionary, "is an event or effect in the physical world beyond or out of the ordinary course of things, deviating from the known laws of nature...; an extraordinary, anomalous, or abnormal event brought about by superhuman agency, as a manifestation of its power, or for the purpose of revealing or manifesting spiritual force; sign." Biblical accounts of miracles therefore were the manifestations of Gods supernatural power. Really we cannot comprehend the miracle that resulted in the birth of Christ. But suffice it to know that it actually happened.

It is an accepted fact that before a woman conceives, she has to live first with a man for a certain period of time. But Mary's conception was different. Matthews record narrates: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. When his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on those 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 Spirit (Matt 1:18-20).

The Virgin Birth of Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. The first prophecy was told just after the transgression of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1 6).Then, many of Gods chosen prophets who lived hundreds of years before Christ followed, and many prophecies of the coming Messiah. Matthew and Luke give full accounts of the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the instrumentality of Mary and the place of the Saviors birth. Please compare Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:27-34; Micah 5:2 and Matt 2:5-6, Luke 2:5.

Now, if the Virgin Birth was not true, it should not have been prophesied and fulfilled. For what were the use of such prophecies? If it was a myth, the miracle of the incarnation was and is a lie; and the existence of Christ in the flesh should have been impossible. Furthermore, the birth of Jesus is a part of the Gospel and the basis of Christianity. Could it be possible, therefore, for Christianity to be existing today if the Virgin Birth was just a myth?

Indeed, the coming of Christ through the Virgin Birth was necessary to accomplish the plan of God for the redemption of men. By their own free-will, men became slaves of sin. Nevertheless, God loved them so much. He did not want to lose even a single man from His fold. But He needed someone as His instrument to redeem those who wanted to be free from Satan. Someone who must feel and live as a man a man who should overcome sin and who was willing to suffer, even to sacrifice his life if it was necessary. Knowing that Christ, Who was with Him in the beginning, even before the creation of the world, could meet all these prerequisites, God therefore sent Him, His only begotten Son, to be born of Mary, to live with men, and finally to fulfill the primary purpose of His mission to die on the cross of Calvary. By His death, He became the total price the total amount needed to redeem men from the bondage of sin. Man has been redeemed. But every man has his own free-choice. Whether to prefer staying in sin and thus make the sacrifice of Christ useless, or to meet His great love and be saved. Men may have the promise of salvation just because one thousand, nine hundred eighty-seven years ago in the little town of Bethlehem, a Child was born to become the Savior of the world.

Other OPA article links:

Virgin Birth of Christ
Christ - Birth

Virgilio O. Danao, Sr. 1987 OPA Main Page Home