Miracle birth...
Apostles' Creed...Conceived by God...
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary..."
The church of Jesus Christ believes, universally, that all men are born into sin. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, every person born since that time has inherited Adam's sin nature. Humans are prone to sin and do evil because their nature is askew. Humans are born with rebellion locked away in their hearts. God's moral laws make certain demands on humanity--love God, place nothing before Him, don't murder one another, don't lie, and etc.--but humanity says, "I'll think about it. If it suits me at the time or is expedient for me, then I'll refrain from immorality." This is inherent rebellion against God's Holiness. Every man may choose the nature of his disposition based upon what is in his heart.
When Jesus became man and lived among men, he did not sin because He had no sin nature. Universal sin came from the bloodline of Adam, the male. Although Jesus had a human mother who was a child of Adam like you and me, He had a heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit (God) conceived Jesus in Mary's womb. Her womb was pure. She was young, virgin, and blessed of God. Had Joseph been the birth father of Jesus, Jesus would have been born with an Adamic nature, prone to sin like you and me. But, Jesus lived and walked among men without sin. He took on our nature to feel what we feel. He did not sin and was God's perfect, spotless, blameless, acceptable lamb for sacrifice. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, offered up for all humanity. If a man receives Jesus' sacrifice by faith, then God will deliver him from eternal hell and damnation. This is the essence of the New Testament's teaching--good news! Jesus has come to save men form their sins. Receive Him today.
Now, let me restate the Apostles' Creed that acknowledges Jesus Christ to have been "conceived by the Holy Spirit." Most Christians believe that God is the Father of Jesus Christ. What some Christians dispute is the Virgin Birth. I believe in the Virgin Birth, and that it must remain an unalterable and essential element in Christian belief. To be fair, I'm going to state the position of those who question the Virgin Birth. The New Testament writers have a way of speaking about Jesus which would by very strange if they did indeed set great emphasis on the literal Virgin Birth. They freely speak of Mary and Joseph as the parents of Jesus and the Gospel-writers relate sayings in which Joseph is spoken of as the father of Jesus without any attempt to correct them.
However, from a theological point of view it could be argued that if God was to make a special entry into the world, he might well do so in a special way. Whatever else the doctrine of the Virgin Birth does, it certainly conveys the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he is simultaneously man and more than man, both human and divine. Was it possible? We need not be concerned with possibility. As Luke put it (1:37); "With God nothing shall be impossible." It is impossible to speak of impossibilities when the action in question is the action of God.
If man could explain a miracle, then it wouldn't be a miracle. It would be an anomaly, a freak of nature, a strange occurrence but not a miracle. I think the point of believing in divine miracles is this: If God exists, miracles will happen. If God is who He says He is, then Red Sea will be parted to accomplish His purpose. His people may be fed with manna from heaven. His earth may shake and quiver at the sound of His voice. I believe that the argument is not whether or not miracles happen but whether or not God exists. If it can be established that God is the first cause of all causes (philosophy), the one fulfillment of all voids, then miracles and whether or not they occur are only secondary to the argument. I believe that God is, and that Jesus Christ is His Only
Begotten Son. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus Christ in Mary's womb. All other arguments pale in comparison to this firm belief of mine. God bless you!
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is our soon coming Lord and Savior.
Pastor T.
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary..."
The church of Jesus Christ believes, universally, that all men are born into sin. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, every person born since that time has inherited Adam's sin nature. Humans are prone to sin and do evil because their nature is askew. Humans are born with rebellion locked away in their hearts. God's moral laws make certain demands on humanity--love God, place nothing before Him, don't murder one another, don't lie, and etc.--but humanity says, "I'll think about it. If it suits me at the time or is expedient for me, then I'll refrain from immorality." This is inherent rebellion against God's Holiness. Every man may choose the nature of his disposition based upon what is in his heart.
When Jesus became man and lived among men, he did not sin because He had no sin nature. Universal sin came from the bloodline of Adam, the male. Although Jesus had a human mother who was a child of Adam like you and me, He had a heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit (God) conceived Jesus in Mary's womb. Her womb was pure. She was young, virgin, and blessed of God. Had Joseph been the birth father of Jesus, Jesus would have been born with an Adamic nature, prone to sin like you and me. But, Jesus lived and walked among men without sin. He took on our nature to feel what we feel. He did not sin and was God's perfect, spotless, blameless, acceptable lamb for sacrifice. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, offered up for all humanity. If a man receives Jesus' sacrifice by faith, then God will deliver him from eternal hell and damnation. This is the essence of the New Testament's teaching--good news! Jesus has come to save men form their sins. Receive Him today.
Now, let me restate the Apostles' Creed that acknowledges Jesus Christ to have been "conceived by the Holy Spirit." Most Christians believe that God is the Father of Jesus Christ. What some Christians dispute is the Virgin Birth. I believe in the Virgin Birth, and that it must remain an unalterable and essential element in Christian belief. To be fair, I'm going to state the position of those who question the Virgin Birth. The New Testament writers have a way of speaking about Jesus which would by very strange if they did indeed set great emphasis on the literal Virgin Birth. They freely speak of Mary and Joseph as the parents of Jesus and the Gospel-writers relate sayings in which Joseph is spoken of as the father of Jesus without any attempt to correct them.
However, from a theological point of view it could be argued that if God was to make a special entry into the world, he might well do so in a special way. Whatever else the doctrine of the Virgin Birth does, it certainly conveys the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he is simultaneously man and more than man, both human and divine. Was it possible? We need not be concerned with possibility. As Luke put it (1:37); "With God nothing shall be impossible." It is impossible to speak of impossibilities when the action in question is the action of God.
If man could explain a miracle, then it wouldn't be a miracle. It would be an anomaly, a freak of nature, a strange occurrence but not a miracle. I think the point of believing in divine miracles is this: If God exists, miracles will happen. If God is who He says He is, then Red Sea will be parted to accomplish His purpose. His people may be fed with manna from heaven. His earth may shake and quiver at the sound of His voice. I believe that the argument is not whether or not miracles happen but whether or not God exists. If it can be established that God is the first cause of all causes (philosophy), the one fulfillment of all voids, then miracles and whether or not they occur are only secondary to the argument. I believe that God is, and that Jesus Christ is His Only
Begotten Son. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus Christ in Mary's womb. All other arguments pale in comparison to this firm belief of mine. God bless you!
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is our soon coming Lord and Savior.
Pastor T.
