Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary

Apostles’ Creed Phrase

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary...

Introduction

Rob Bell Quote:

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? But what if, as you study the origin of the word ‘virgin’ you discover that the word ‘virgin’ in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word ‘virgin’ could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being ‘born of a virgin’ also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?

When Does Jesus First Show Up in Scripture?

1. Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

2. Isaiah 6:1–9 (ESV)

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

3. John 12:36–41 (ESV)

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their heart,

lest they see with their eyes,

and understand with their heart, and turn,

and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

4. Angel of the Lord

- Exodus 14:9

Exodus 14:9 ESV

9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

- Genesis 32:22-32

Genesis 32:22–32 ESV

22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

- Gen 22:11-18

Genesis 22:11–18 ESV

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” 15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

We’ve already established that Jesus, the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity is eternal. Yet, at a fixed point in time, the Son took on flesh.

Galatians 4:4

Galatians 4:4 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

John 1:1-3

John 1:1–3 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Why did the Son become incarnate?

Sacred Dissertations, on What Is Commonly Called the Apostles’ Creed, Vol. 2 (Dissertation XIV: On Jesus Christ, Conceived of the Holy Ghost, and Born of the Virgin Mary)

1. That man should be regenerated and created anew, by the same person by whom he was created at first.

2. That he who is the personal Word of God, should publish to us those words of God in which he promised to address us in the last days, and which none but the Lord could speak.

3. That he who is the Son of God by nature, should make us the sons of God by grace.

4. That the glorious image of God should be restored within us by him who is “the image” of the Father, and “the express image of his person.”

In fine, the unbounded love of the Father could not be more brightly demonstrated, than by giving his only-begotten Son to us, and for us.

Jesus came in reality

Mode: Eating, Drinking, Sleeping, Bleeding

Manner: Jesus took on flesh

This is not a merger of the divine and the human into one substance so that he is some blend of the 2

Jesus - fully divine from all eternity and to all eternity - at a specific point in time - took on a 2nd nature and now the 2 natures live forever in a single person of Jesus.

1 God - 3 persons

1 Person (Jesus) - 2 natures

Cause:

Primary Cause: God’s Covenant of Redemption

Secondary Cause: Mary - Her pedigree,

being of the seed of Abraham,

of the nation of Israel,

of the tribe of Judah,

of the house of David

All the prophecies of the Old Testament that refer to a Messiah being born find their way through Mary.

What does this mean?

- Luke 1:26-38 -

- Luke 1:42 -

Mary is blessed among all women

What does it not mean?

Immaculate conception

A Roman Catholic doctrine that says that Mary was sinless in order that Jesus would be born sinless

But how far back does this have to go?

Perpetual Virginity of Mary

Roman Catholic doctrine that holds that Mary never had sex with her husband

Couple of problems

That would go against scriptural commands to not deprive one another

Jesus had brothers

James was one of them

The Virgin Birth

Matthew 1:18-25 -

Vs. 18 - Joseph was engaged to Mary, but had not had sex with her

Vs. 19 - Joseph wanted to divorce her privately because she was pregnant and the baby was not his

Vs. 22-23 - All this took place to affirm the OT prophecies

“A virgin shall conceive and bear a son”

Vs. 25 - Joseph did not have sex with Mary UNTIL she gave birth to Jesus

So from this one passage, we can eliminate both of the Roman Catholic doctrines as misinformed at best and deceitful at worst.

But I don’t think either of these move into heresy because neither affect Christ’s person or his work.

However, there are other doctrines regarding Mary that move into the realm of heresy

Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate

Roman Catholicism teaches that Mary, suffered with Jesus, in her

carrying him for 9 months,

giving birth to him

raising him

walking with him in his ministry and sufferings

and even being there at his death

She now brings all of our needs to her Son, to be atoned for

Therefore she is a Mediatrix in bringing our sins to Jesus

She is an Advocate in the sense that she goes to Jesus on our behalf

She is Co-Redemptrix in that she suffered alongside Christ for us.

These 3 we count as heresy because it attacks the sufficiency of Christ and his work.

Christ is the only mediator between God and Man

The Holy Spirit is our advocate

There is no co-redemptrix

Christ died once - for all time for humanity. No other sacrifice is needed

Why did Jesus need to be both God and man?

Why man?

He became man that he might be Mediator

1 Timothy 2:5 “5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

“But he employed the most effectual means to afford us suitable relief and encouragement under our weakness, by familiarly exhibiting the Son of God as one of us.”

Jesus had to be a man to be our kinsmen redeemer

Hebrews 10:10-14 -

Ruth, Boaz

Sacred Dissertations, on What Is Commonly Called the Apostles’ Creed, Vol. 2 (Dissertation XIV: On Jesus Christ, Conceived of the Holy Ghost, and Born of the Virgin Mary)

XXXIV. The Hebrew word GOEL, as attributed to Christ, is of rich and extensive import; and deserves, therefore, to be here explained a little more particularly. In the Goel of the ancient Hebrews, three things chiefly fall to be considered: 1st, His Person; 2dly, His duties; 3dly, The manner of performing those duties. As to the Person of the Goel or Redeemer, it behoved him to be the nearest relation, or failing him, some kinsman. To such a one, in virtue of his relationship, a fourfold right belonged; or if you please, a fourfold duty was incumbent upon him.

1. That of redeeming possessions of his brother or kinsman, which had been sold or alienated, as a house or land.

2. That of obtaining his freedom, if he were a captive or a servant.

3. That of avenging him, if murdered; hence he was called “the avenger of blood.”

4. That of marrying the wife of a deceased brother or kinsman, to raise up seed to him; as a pledge of which, he spread over her the skirt of his garment; for, amongst the Jews, this was a symbol of conjugal duty, love, and protection.

Christ too has omitted none of those duties that could be expected from a GOEL; far, :

1st, By his meritorious righteousness he has recovered our lost possessions, and that heavenly inheritance which we had forfeited by our demerit;—“having obtained eternal redemption.”

2dly, He hath delivered us who were captives, and in a state of bondage to the devil.

3dly, He has taken vengeance on our enemies, who had murdered our souls.

4thly, He has dissolved our connexion with our former husband, to wit, the law and covenant of works, and joined us to himself in an everlasting and indissoluble marriage, according to the covenant of grace. For the confirmation of this union, too, he has spread over us the garment of his most perfect righteousness; which is shadowed forth in Ezekiel (16:8), by a naked and polluted female, over whom it pleased God, having entered into a marriage-covenant with her, to spread his skirt.*

Why God?

It was necessary that God would dwell with man

Matthew 1:22–23 “22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”

Why both?

They also had to be united in the same person

In order that the God-man would be intimately near us

The bond would be sufficiently strong

The encouragement from the fact that “God is with us”

The Old Covenant law required righteousness that could only could from a man

The commands required that one be kept pure in their whole spirit, soul and body

The punishments required punishment to both body and soul

Thus, our propitiation - our sacrifice had to be a man

What about other virgin birth stories?

Horus - Egyptian god

Claims

Horus was born of a virgin called Isis on 25 December in a cave.

He had an earthly father named Seb, which translates to Joseph.

His birth was foretold by a star in the east, which three wise men followed to see him.

He was baptised by Anup the Baptiser.

Horus had 12 disciples.

Horus performed miracles, like raising El-Osiris from the dead and walking on water.

He gave a sermon on the mount.

They both were crucified between two thieves before being buried for three days and being resurrected.

Both were known by the following titles: Christ, anointed one, the way the truth and light, messiah, son of man.

Reality

5 minutes of research reveal that no Egyptologists reveal any writings that say Horus was born of a virgin.

The myth in fact is that Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris.

NE (no evidence)

NE

NE

One book about Horus mentions 4. No evidence of any other number

Some miracles yes - walking on water and raising someone from the dead - no.

NE

NE - In fact, Horus (3100-2600 BC), crucifixion isn’t invented until 500 BC

Conclusion

The existence of counterfeits does not negate the real thing.

How would you respond to the original question?