Key Verse:
“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated, means: God with us.” —Matthew 1:22, 23
As I compose this devotional on my laptop this week, it will only be five weeks until Christmas. I love the holiday season – the Thanksgiving weekend inaugurating this magical time of the year. There is a festive element to the Holidays that make its celebration uniquely… American (or should I say, Western?). As much as I must admit that I love the tree, the mistletoe, the lights, the smells and the specials on television (A Christmas Carol always gets me!); the fact is that the holiday has nothing to do with any of that – it cannot be forgotten that at Christmastime, we celebrate the most incredible miracle in history: the incarnation of the Son of God.
When one begins to consider that God the Son took on humanity and in one Person existed as God and man, the mind-blowing affects of such musings reminds us that this miracle cannot be conceived as to how the Almighty pulled this off. In my opinion, the incarnation exceeds creation itself in splendor and wonder.
There is an attendant miracle that we celebrate each Christmas season when considering the life of our Lord – that He was born of a virgin. As many of you know, the prophecy of Isaiah predicted it (Isaiah 7:14) and the gospel of Matthew confirmed it:
“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated, means: God with us.’” —Matthew 1:22, 23
Tragically, many believers feel that the unique circumstances under which Jesus was born was rather arbitrary – not in any substantial way connected to the whole nexus of God’s physical entrance into time and space. Nothing can be further from the truth; the virgin birth is intricately connected to the whole incarnation event.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so, death spread to all men, because all sinned …” —Romans 5:12
Paul clearly makes a comparison between Jesus and Adam – the Savior of the race and the federal head of the race (Adam). He equally makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 that through one man all die and through one man all will be made alive. As our federal head, Adam is our natural representative to God for the race – he is our natural father and the fittest candidate to successfully preserve us in righteousness by steering clear of sin and transgression. Think about it – Adam lived in a pristine, sinless environment where there was only a single way which one could transgress the law of God: “do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). Although our initial response to the concept of federal headship is understandable: we often think it unfair that we are guilty of sin because of what another man did – it becomes laughable to think that it would be fairer for us to have been given a crack at it – we, who are born into a sin-riddled world with a fractured personality and a plethora of ways to transgress.
The transmission of sin’s guilt is passed on through the headship of Adam through the male, and so, through the virgin birth, Jesus remains fully human (remember that Adam and Eve were made fully human without the benefit of normal procreation) but bypasses the stain of original sin through the father.
The Savior of mankind needed to be morally and spiritually pure – He was tempted in every way as we are, the author of Hebrews reminds us (Hebrews 4:15) yet without sin – not only actual sin but original sin as well. It is crucial that our Savior possess the credentials to save us; the virgin birth ensures that He does.
In this season of flaming hearths and warm wassail, my heart is warmed by something far more wonderful – when I think of this seemingly minor but fascinating detail to the Christmas story, I am reminded of the fact that my God thinks of everything. He has done everything necessary to secure my salvation, and He will be equally faithful to bring my life to a safe and secure conclusion.
—Larry Carrino
Post By: Dr. Larry Carrino, Educational Director of The Omega Institute. ©2007 The Omega Institute
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