Summertime...my absolute favorite time of year.
Goodbye coats and shoes...hello sandals and sundresses.
Let's just take a moment and thing about how awesome summer is.
Oh yeah, that's where I want to be (with a completely non-alcoholic iced tea.)
You may ask why then, are we talking about the Christmas story in today's blog?
Because the fact that Jesus was born of a literal virgin is fundamental to the truth that Jesus was more than just a nice man who taught good things.
We can't study the fundamental truths we need to know about Jesus without starting here.
The truth that Mary was a virgin who became pregnant when the Holy Spirit came upon her supports the truth that God took on the form of a man.
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary.
She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:26-35, NLT)
The last verse tells us why this fact is so important: “So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”
Jesus was 100% human and he was 100% God. He was literally, Emmanuel, God with us. (Isaiah 7:14)
The fact is that Jesus was not just a teacher like Mohammad or Gandhi. No, He is the literal Son of God. Because God wanted to create a way to heal the relationship that sin had broken between God and man, He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)
Philippians 2:6-8 says, “And Jesus:
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human for he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
(NLT)
This is why it is so important that as follower’s of Christ, we completely reject the idea that the stories in the Bible cannot be taken literally: because each part of redemption’s story builds on the other parts.
When we remove the literal virgin birth, we lose the Deity of Jesus.
When we reject the fact that Jesus walked on the earth as God Incarnate, it invalidates the truth that His purpose was to die on the cross and rise again so that mankind could be saved from their sins.
This is the foundation of Christianity: God sent His Son to the earth to die on a cross, pay the price for our sin, and provide an opportunity for man to be reconciled to God.
A regular man, an average Joe, born from a normal man and woman could not do this. Only a sinless man, completely human, yet completely divine, could fulfill this destiny.
More than anything else, this is what we celebrate during the Christmas season: Deity coming to earth as a man to provide salvation to men and women.
The truth is that the nativity isn’t just a story. It is absolutely not a fairy tale. It is legendary truth.
These events actually took place, just as the Bible described them. And they happened for a purpose: Because God loved humanity, He created a way to save us from the sin that destined us to eternity in Hell.
Because He loved us, He sent His Son. Just like the Bible says.
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry."
