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Christianity for Dummies - 11 - The Incarnation

by Michael Russell
December 2002

Based upon a sermon series by Pastor Jim Henry, senior pastor of First Baptist Orlando, and enhanced with my personal commentary. Apologies to the book publisher for the title.

Christmas is a time of year when Christians remember one of the most amazing events in history - when God became human and came among us. The Almighty God, who created all there is, set aside glory and took on the rags, pains, temptations, and limitations common to all of Adam's descendents.

1. Key Verses

The key verses for this study include the following:

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This is the oldest prophecy in Scripture. Even before God pronounces the punishment on Adam and Eve, God promises that He will send a Saviour. One thing that is interesting is the Hebrew language for this uses the phrase "her seed" (here translated as her offspring). Everywhere else in Scripture when it talks about a son or daughter, it talks about "his seed"; the father's lineage.

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

An example of a prophecy that has two fulfillment. Part of this was fulfilled with Jesus first coming. The rest will be fulfilled when Jesus returns and establishes His earthly kingdom.

Luke 1:26-37 (NIV)
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
    Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
    “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
    The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

2. Preliminaries

The major element of the incarnation is the virgin birth. It is vital for Jesus to have been born of a virgin for many reasons. First, it removes the lineage of original sin passed down from Adam. Second, it fulfills prophecy and God's promises about the Saviour. Finally, it is the highest miracle that sets Jesus apart from the beginning.

The virgin birth is more than a miraculous birth. There are other miracle births in Scripture, such as Sarah having a child at a very old age. Mary's relative, Elizabeth, was also long in years and she became the mother of John the Baptist.

The virgin birth is not the Catholic idea of the Immaculate Conception. Mary was special only in the sense that she was chosen for this special task. She was every bit a normal teenage girl who was engaged to a young Jewish man.

The virgin birth means that Mary was a virgin -- had no relations with a man -- when she bore Jesus. But, Scripture clearly teaches that she did not remain a virgin for the rest of her life, since she had other sons, such as James.

3. Prediction

The earliest prophecy is that in Gen 3:15 (see above). It promised that Jesus would be in the lineage of a woman, not a human man. Also, that Jesus will crush the head (destroy) the fallen one.

There are a number of prophecies that are fulfilled with Jesus birth. Some include those found in Isaiah (see above). Others include:

• Isa 7:14 -> Matt 1:22
• Hosea 11:1 -> Matt 2:15
• Jer 31:15 -> Matt 2:17
• Micah 5:2 -> Matt 2:1-6
• and many more (but I'm too lazy to look them up at the moment. *smile*)

4. Problems

Many people reject the virgin birth because it causes conflict in their worldview. The evidence is clear, even from non-Biblical sources, that Jesus is a true historical figure. The question is, whether a person believes the Biblical claims about this Jesus.

If Jesus was born of a virgin, then it follows that He is supernaturally the Son of God. If Jesus is the Son of God, then all people must realize they will be accountable to God. Let's face it, the fundamental problem is that as sinful people, we don't want to be accountable to God.

One reason people reject the virgin birth is because they reject miracles or supernatural events. Most people in modern times have been taught a worldview that rejects that God can do something extreme like bring into existence the universe (creation) or form a human without a human father (virgin birth).

Surprisingly, some "Christians" reject the virgin birth because it isn't mentioned very much in Scripture. Well, how many times does it have to be mentioned? It is mentioned in Isaiah, Matthew, and Luke. Yet, these same people praise the Sermon on the Mount as the model of Christian living; but that is only a handful of verses found in Matthew.

Some argue that the virgin birth is just the incorporation of ancient mother-child mythology into Judaism. But, this ignores the historical fact that during the period of the Roman occupation of Judah, the Jews were basically fundamentalists and rejected all other religions. They had a hatred of the occupying forces and would not have merged anything Roman or Greek into their religion. The leaders of the early Church were converted Jews and were moved to reach their fellow Jews. That was not going to happen with a Roman-ized or Greek-ized religion.

5. Picture

So, what does the incarnation picture or illustrate.

It shows the power of God. Considering the time and all the conditions that had to be just right for Jesus to appear. Keep in mind that one of the prophecies was that Jesus would be the descendent of King David. Considering the amount of time that passed, the nation being taken into captivity, the absence of a king over Israel since the Babylonian captivity, it is amazing that Jesus' parents were both in the lineage of David.

It shows the truthfulness of God in that the prophecies, most given 400 to 600 years previously were fulfilled.

It shows the humility of Jesus in that He gave up His glory in Heaven and took on the dirty rags of mankind. He could have been born in a palace, but was born in a manger. He could have been born to the daughter of a king, but was born to a teenage virgin who was engaged to a poor carpenter in a little insignificant city. He could have had the whole nation attend His birth, but the first visitors were shepherds in the local field. He could have been safe and secure in Jerusalem, but spent the first couple years in hiding with His earthly parents in Egypt.

It shows the provision of God. The city of Bethlehem was crowded, but God provided a place for Mary to give birth in some degree of privacy. The family was poor, but God provided wealth just in time to meet their needs when they had to escape to Egypt to avoid Harod's command to kill children under age of 2. And more examples can be given.

Finally, it shows the love of God. This is one aspect that is so often overlooked -- that God so loved us that He did this. It is hard for many today to fully understand just how much God wants to have a loving relationship with each one of us. Our view of relationships are tainted by broken families, bad experiences, or just simple selfishness. Regardless, God accepts each of us unconditionally and wants us to accept His love. Why we refuse God's loving relationship is part of our sin problem. Our sins blind us to what God offers us.