Lesson for December 15, 2019

The Christmas Story – Lesson 3

The Virgin Birth

Matthew 2:1 says that Christ’s birth was in the time of King Herod the Great. We know about King Herod from the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote in the 70’s AD. He states that Herod died 37 years from the time the Romans declared him King, which gives us a date of 4 B.C. for his death. Shortly before the death of Herod, Josephus says there was an eclipse of the moon. This is the only mention that Josephus makes of an eclipse in his entire volume of history. Through astronomical calculations it has been determined that a lunar eclipse occurred approximately on March 12, 4 BC. 

Shortly after Herod’s death the Jewish Passover occurred, which in that year should have occurred approximately on April 11. Therefore, Herod’s death occurred approximately between March l2 and April 11, 4 BC. Since Christ’s birth occurred during Herod’s reign, it must have occurred prior to March l2, 4 BC.

According to Psalms 2:7, the virgin birth of Christ was planned in eternity past. The virgin birth was also prophesied in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14, about 700 BC. God prepared a nation (Israel) for the virgin birth of Christ according to Genesis 12:1-3. The great nation of Israel would be the nation from which Jesus Christ would be born (all families will be blessed).

The virgin birth of Christ fulfilled the Davidic Covenant. This covenant was the unconditional promise from God that David would have a son who would reign forever. (II Samuel 7, Psalms 89, II Chronicles 21) The lineage of Mary can be traced to David. (Luke 3:23-38) The lineage of Joseph, Christ’s legal guardian can be traced to David as well. (Matthew 1:1-17) Christ, therefore, has both a royal birthright and a royal legal right to the throne of David (a throne that will be set up during the Millennium upon which Christ will sit and rule the world).

The historical record of the birth of Christ is well documented both Biblically and secularly. Most of us are familiar with the story. However, many are not familiar with the doctrine of the birth of Christ and its impact upon the world. It is safe to say that no other person in history has changed the world in the way that Jesus of Nazareth changed it. (Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:14)

Jesus Christ is the unique Person of the universe. He is the only person in history to be both fully God and fully man. The term for this unique union is Hypostatic Union and is derived from the Greek word hupostatis meaning same essence. In the case of Christ, it is both divine and human essence in one Person forever. He is the God-Man. (Hebrews 1:3) Christ was born without a sin nature (no human father). He is superior to man because He is God. He is superior to sinful humanity because He is sinless. Even though His two natures are united in one Person, they retain their separate identities. The attributes of one do not belong to the other. Deity remains deity and humanity remains humanity.

Without a sin nature, without Adam’s original sin and without personal sin, Jesus Christ is the only Person in history qualified to go to the Cross and pay the penalty for sin. Christ also had to be human in order to be our prototype. He lived an impeccable (sinless) life in God’s power system (under the control of God the Holy Spirit), the same system that is available to us as believers. (Timothy 2:5)

The plan, formulated in eternity past, called for a sin-bearer to “bridge” the gap between God and man. This sin-bearer had to be uniquely qualified, however. He had to have no sin of his own, he had to be equal with both parties involved and he had to be willing to bear the sin of the entire human race. Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, agreed to execute the plan. Therefore, Jesus Christ became a man, lived a sinless life and became our sin-bearer. (Romans 5:8; II Corinthians 5:21)

It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become humanity in order to die physically, so that we, like Him, could have a resurrection body and conquer death. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become a human being in order to be the mediator between God and mankind (a mediator must have an affinity with both parties). It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become a human being in order to become our High Priest. And, as we have seen, Christ had to become a man in order to fulfill the Davidic Covenant.

God prepared a person to be the mother of the humanity of Christ, Mary. Mary was a wonderful Jewish believer and especially chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah. Mary was the mother of the humanity of Christ, not the “Mother of God.” God also prepared a man to take care of His Son while He was growing up, Joseph. Joseph like Mary was a Jewish believer and a person of integrity. (Matthew 1:18-25) Though Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus Christ, he was the father/guardian of Christ while He was growing up. We can only conjecture as to Joseph’s role in the earlier training of Jesus, as we are not given a great deal of information about Christ’s youth. We do, however, see Jesus at the age of twelve in the Temple.

We can learn some things about Mary and Joseph from several statements that were made about them and several statements that they made. In Luke, the angel said that Mary was “highly favored”, that “the Lord was with her” and that she was “blessed among women.” Also, in Luke 1:38 Mary confirmed her obedient attitude toward the Lord. Mary was a faithful believer who knew and quoted the Word of God according to Luke 1:46-56. We can also learn something of Joseph. Matthew 1:19 calls Joseph “a just man.” The Greek word for just is “dikaios” and means righteous. Joseph was a believer who performed righteous acts (acts in accordance with God’s will). Joseph was a man of integrity and he was obedient to the Lord, according to Matthew 1:20-25, 2:19-23. It was into this family of integrity that Jesus Christ was born and was raised.

From humble beginnings this unique Person grew to manhood and began an amazing journey. Part of His journey from age thirty to age thirty-three was recorded for us by four of His followers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We are very fortunate to have been given this record. It is this record of Christ (Anointed One) that not only teaches us how we are to treat one another, but it also gives us the greatest love story of all time. (Genesis 3:15; II Samuel 7:5-17; Isaiah 7:14)

Prophecies regarding Jesus Christ were given thousands of years before He appeared on the scene as a man, so that the Jewish nation, God’s chosen people, would recognize Him and embrace His arrival. Because of their blindness, the Jewish nation rejected their Messiah and ultimately had Him crucified as a criminal. Had the Chief Priests of Christ’s day understood the prophecies concerning their Messiah, they would have recognized Him and acknowledged Him as Messiah. 

There are over three hundred in the Old Testament, which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ during the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union, proving that He is Messiah. Therefore, our faith is based on facts not fiction. Had Jesus Christ failed to fulfill even one of these prophecies, He could not be the Messiah. Here are twenty prophecies that Christ fulfilled with Old and New Testament verses:

1. He was to be born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:35
2. Born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1-2
3. To be called Emmanuel, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23
4. Smitten on the cheeks, Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 26:67
5. Spat upon, Isaiah 50:6, Matthew 27:30
6. His people would not believe, Isaiah 53:1, John 12:37-38
7. His backed whipped, Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 27:26
8. Oppressed and afflicted, Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 27:27
9. Silent before His accusers, Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 27:12
10. Killed, Isaiah 53:8, Matthew 27:35
11. Buried in rich man’s grave, Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57
12. Grouped with criminals, Isaiah 53:12, Luke 23:32
13. Descendent of David, Jeremiah 33:14, Luke 3:23
14. Pierced hands and feet,Psalms 22:16, John 19:34,37
15. Parted His garments, Psalms 22:18, John 19:23-24
16. He thirsted on the cross, Psalms 22:15, John 19:28
17. Not a bone to be broken, Psalms 34:20, John 19:31-36
18. Darkness on Calvary, Psalms 22:2, Matthew 27:45
19. Given vinegar to drink, Psalms 69:21, Matthew 27:34
20. Betrayed by a friend, Psalms 41:9, John 13:18

There can be doubt that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of the Old Testament and the Savior of the world and the solution to the human race’s need for salvation. The Person and work of Jesus Christ paid the judicial penalty of spiritual death imposed upon the human race by Adam when he sinned in the Garden of Eden. Spiritual death means separation from God. However, the humanity of Jesus Christ died spiritually on the Cross as the payment for the sin of the entire human race, past, present and future. Therefore, sin is not an issue with regard to salvation. The only issue with regard to salvation is whether or not a person will accept Christ’s payment for their sin by a simple act of faith (belief) in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

God the Father designed a plan for the salvation of mankind and Jesus Christ agreed to execute that plan. In order to fulfill that plan it was necessary for Christ to become a human being, live a sinless life and die on the Cross. Prophesied hundreds of years before in the Old Testament, Jesus fulfilled prophecies regarding His pain and sufferings. (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) Throughout the ordeal of going to the Cross, Jesus Christ remained filled with the Holy Spirit and sinless. Because Jesus Christ was a sinless human being He was qualified to pay for the sin of the world.