Virgin birth
1) We want
to learn what we can concerning what the virgin birth was and what it means.
2) We will
study the evidence for it and some objections to it.
3)
A
good beginning point is a question found in Mt. 22:42 - ________________ --
still relevant.
4)
Many
dismiss the virgin birth as “myth” – even very “religious” people. It is alleged to be “scientifically
impossible.”
5)
It
is said to be without historical support or statistically unwarranted. God believes this is important.
6)
Mary
would not have been “surprised” at a variety of Jesus’ miracles if the virgin
birth was true.
7)
In
spite of this, many claims are made to the contrary:
a)
Paul
was unaware of the virgin birth (allegation):
b)
“Proof”
for this view – Gal. 4:4 - ____________________.
c)
RESPONSE: Rom. 1:1-3 - _________________________.
d)
It
has been alleged the virgin birth is from a “Roman fable” or “another
religion.”
e)
In
first century times, many “incarnation stories” abounded.
f)
It
has even been said the “Hebrew religion inspired it” and it was an “honest mistake.”
g)
Mary’s
pregnancy has been “explained” in many ways:
a “secret lover,” “rape” from a Roman soldier, Joseph.
h)
Virginity
was a key part of Hebrew culture (life and death) – Deut. 22:13-21 -
_____________________________________.
8)
Jesus
believed this matter was important - Mt. 16:13 -
______________________________________.
9)
Mt.
1:18-25 – the New Testament story begins with the virgin birth. Lk. 1:26-35.
10)
Many
celebrate Jesus’ “birth” but not His _______________ birth.
11)
What
else does the world “celebrate” about Jesus?
_______________________________.
12)
What
is the significance of a virgin birth?
_______________________________________.
13)
"Larry
King, the CNN talk show host, was once asked who he would most want to
interview if he could choose anyone from all of history. He said, 'Jesus
Christ.' The questioner said, 'And what would you like to ask Him?' King
replied, "I would like to ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer
to that question would define history for me'."
14)
Is
the virgin-birth the same as “immaculate conception?”
15)
Can
we reconcile the virgin birth with atheism?
__________ Explain: ______________________.
16)
The
virgin birth and Islam – Sura 19:7-21 & Sura 21:91.
17)
Ps.
139:14 – what does this verse say & what does it tell us? _______________________________.
18)
We
cannot fully explain the human body so can we fully explain the virgin
birth? _______________.
19)
We
cannot have “all knowledge,” but we can have some.
20)
Where
does this knowledge come from (Jn. 5:39)?
____________________________.
21)
Can
we grasp this knowledge – Mt. 16:15-17?
____________________________.
22)
One
passage that summarizes many parts of the virgin birth is Rom. 1:4 -
_____________________.
23)
For
us to understand the virgin birth, we need to know some things about God.
a)
What
do we learn from Isa. 44:6 and Deut. 6:4-5?
______________________________.
b)
How
did James word this thought (2:19)?
_____________________________________.
c)
The
word “one” can be used in two ways – an “absolute one” – given example: _____________.
d)
There
can also be oneness in a united sense (Gen. 2:24): _____________________.
e)
We
must ask how God is one because there are false concepts about this
point.
f)
Some
think of “three Gods.” Why is this view
wrong? ___________________.
24)
1
Cor. 12:4-6 lists _____________ _________________
_____________________.
25)
Jude
20-21 lists _______________ _________________
_____________________.
26)
These
two verses demonstrate that God is a “united” one (composed of three persons).
27)
God
is not “three gods.”
28)
Neither
is He divided up into “thirds,” 1/3 the Father, another the Son, another the
Holy Spirit.
29)
We
must therefore ask which member(s) of the Godhead was/were involved in the
virgin birth.
30)
Was
the entire Godhead in the virgin birth?
Jn. 1:1, 14.
31)
*Knowing
what God is makes the virgin birth “plausible.”
32)
Big
question: did Jesus “begin to exist” in
the womb or was He a “pre-existent non-human being?”
33)
If
He was pre-existent, was He an angel, spirit creature or something else?
34)
Isaiah
predicted a dual nature (God and man, Isa. 9:6 and Jer. 23:5-6).
35)
Paul
spoke of this too - Phil. 2:5-8.
36)
When
people were taught about salvation in the book of Acts, they were told to
“believe in Christ.”
37)
Acts
4:12 says “no other name” can save us.
Jesus is referred to as deity in other ways.
38)
Jn.
20:28 - __________________. What did
Paul say in Rom. 9:5?
________________. Titus 2:13 -
_______________
39) 1 Jn. 5:20 - ___________. Heb. 1:8 - __________. 1 Tim. 2:5 - ___________. Mediators must be an “equal” to both parties.
1)
The
Greek word for “virgin” is parthenos; this is the term in Mt. 1:23 and
Lk. 1:27.
2)
Mary
was a virgin in at least two senses:
_____________________ & _______________________.
3)
Another
Greek word (but not used in the New Testament) is parthenogenesis—this is
a “two part” word.
4)
The
first part (parthenos) meant “virgin” and the second (genesis) meant
“birth.”
5)
Parthenogenesis actually occurs with some plants, some bees/many insects, some fish,
etc.
6)
Parthenogenesis is “asexual reproduction” (females produce eggs that require no
fertilization).
7)
In
this process there is no “mixing” of parental genes. Jesus had “mixed genes” (divine and human).
8)
Was
Jesus aware of this mixture?!
i)
Jn.
8:58 - __________________. What does
this mean? __________________.
ii)
What
is the difference between “I am” and “I was”?
__________________.
iii)
What
is the difference between “I am” and “before Abraham was I came to be”? _____________.
iv)
Notice
these additional verses: Jn. 6:35 -
_____________. Jn. 8:12 - _____________.
v)
Jn.
9:5 - ________________ Jn. 10:7 -
__________________ Jn. 10:11, 14
______________.
vi)
Jn.
11:25 - ____________ Jn. 14:6 -
__________________ Jn. 15:1
__________________.
vii)
Do/do
not these verses show that Jesus believed in His having “mixed” genes? ___________.
9)
When
Jesus taught the apostles to pray, what did He say about “the Father” (Mt.
6:9)? ___________.
10)
How
did Jesus pray or speak to the Father (Mt. 17:1)? _____________________.
11)
How
would Jn. 20:17 be different if Jesus had said “our”? __________________________.
12)
How
does Jn. 8:23 argue for the virgin birth?
________________________________.
13)
“Vladimer
Zaitsev, a Russian professor, speculated that Christ was a cosmonaut and that
the star of Bethlehem was really a space ship that brought Him from an
unidentified planet where justice and equality prevailed” (54).
14)
Jesus
understood His genes when He spoke the words in Mt. 18:20 – He spoke of His
presence!
15)
Early
in the Lord’s life and work He knew who He was – Jn. 1:48 – how did He do
this?!
16)
Jesus
gave evidence of the virgin birth towards the end of his life – recall what He
knew:
Jn. 13:1 - ______________ Jn. 13:11 -
_______________ Jn. 18:4 -
___________________.
17)
How
could Jesus make the claim He did in Mt. 11:27? _______________________________.
18)
An
almost never used argument for the virgin birth may be constructed from two
texts.
19)
Eccl.
8:8 – we cannot “release our spirit from our bodies” on our own. Compare with Jn. 10:18.
20)
Very
few can predict the day of their death – notice what Jesus did: Mt. 16:21 - ______________.
21)
How
can Jn. 5:23a be related to the virgin birth?
____________________________.
22)
How
stunning is Jn. 6:35? ____________ What of Mt. 10:32-33? ___________________.
23)
Jesus
“divine genes” were seen in His ______________ (Mt. 7:29).
24)
Mt.
7:12 –what is the difference between this verse and a verse like Heb.
4:11? __________.
25)
What
do we learn from 1 Sam. 2:6?
_________________ and Jn. 5:21?
_________________.
26)
Combine
1 Cor. 15:45 and 47 - __________________________________________________.
27)
Jn.
1:18 – how is Jesus described?
________ What does ________
mean? ________.
28)
Hint: This same term is used in Heb. 11:17 -
____________________.
29)
There
is an Old Testament Psalm that may actually describe the virgin birth – Psalm 2
– read.
30)
If
the God of the Bible could become incarnate, what kind of God would He be? ____________
31)
_____________________________________________________________________________
32)
Additional
points about the Lord – 1 Sam. 16:7 - _____________ & Rev. 2:23 - _______________.
33)
Think
about Jesus and the miracles – did they “prove Him to be divine”? __________________.
34)
__________________________________________________________________.
35)
How
do miracles help us in understanding Jesus?
______________________.
36)
Satan
also can give signs, but what is true of them – 2 Thess. 2:4, 9? ___________________.
Virgin birth – lesson # 3
1)
Think
about modern births – what do we see/find?
______________________________________________.
2)
What
happens when “royalty” is born?
_______________________________________________.
3)
What
are we told about Luke (Col. 4:14)?
_______________________________________________.
4)
Who
did Luke often accompany (2 Tim. 4:11)?
_______________________________________________.
5)
Paul,
the one who was often with Luke, wrote about the virgin birth (Rom. 1:3-4).
6)
If
Paul wrote about this, it is very likely he spoke about it, and Luke must have
heard some of this teaching.
7)
Some
of Luke’s information about the virgin birth would have come from an inspired
apostle.
8)
Luke’s
information also came from another source – Lk. 1:1-4 -
_______________________________________.
9)
Who
might some of Luke’s “sources” have been?
apostles, seventy, early converts, Jesus’ brothers.
10)
Lk.
2:19, 51 - _____________________________________________.
11)
Explain
the significance of the “virgin birth” story to a physician: _____________________________.
12)
Might
Mary have been willing to “give the doctor more information” than someone
else? _____________.
13)
Christianity
is a “supernatural religion” so we would expect a “supernatural” start. Lk. 1:26-35.
14)
What
word does Luke twice emphasize in Lk. 1:27?
______________________.
15)
RSV
says (verse 34) “I have no husband” –
comment on this rendering:
__________________________________.
16)
Lk. 1:31-33 – how is Jesus described? _____________________________________________________________.
17)
How
is Jesus not described?
____________________________.
Lk. 3:24 offers a clue for this answer.
18)
Lk.
1:31 – Is there a difference between “shall be called” and “shall become” the
Son of God?
19)
Lk.
1:39-44 – There is no reference to Joseph or any other man. Mary also (verses 46-55) also says nothing.
20)
Lk.
2:48 – Mary spoke of Jesus’ father and meant Joseph – explain: ___________________________.
21)
Lk.
2:49 – Did Joseph own the temple?
__________________.
22)
In
Mt. 1:2-16 “begat” is active again and again; in verse 16 the birth of Jesus is
described in the passive voice.
23)
How
is Jesus described in Mt. 2:11?
_______________________________________________.
24)
Same
question for verses 13-14 and 20-21 - _______________________________________________.
25)
Mt.
2:15 – explain why this verse is related to the virgin birth: ____________________________________.
26)
How
does Luke “describe the process” (Lk. 1:35)?
__________________________________.
27)
The
preceding study shows one concept about Jesus to be false (i.e. He had an
earthly father).
28)
Another
false idea: He was “changed” into
something. Many have tried to change
“lead into gold.”
29)
Was
Jesus “changed” to something or does the virgin birth mean something else? ____________________.
30)
Another
false concept: Mary was the “mother of
God” – a late 4th century doctrine.
31)
What
does it mean for a woman to really be a
“mother?”________________________________.
32)
How
can the definition being used NOT be true for Jesus? __________________________________________.
33)
Instead
of “mother of God,” the Bible only speaks of (Lk. 1:43): ____________________.
34)
Many
great claims are made about Mary, including her being “Queen of heaven” (since
Jesus is “King”).
a)
Ps.
45:9 is said to describe her. She is
said to be symbolized by Gen. 28:12.
b)
Mary
has been called the “second heaven” because her womb was used for Jesus.
c)
Ezek.
44:1-2 is said to point to Mary’s “perpetual virginity” since she was from the
“East.”
d)
Lk.
1:28 – This is passive (Mary received grace—she did not
distribute/give it).
e)
Lk.
1:42 – Blessed are you ____________ women instead of blessed are you
_____________ women.
f)
A
somewhat related doctrine is the “assumption of Mary.”
g)
Supposedly
Mary died 3-15 years after Jesus ascended; she was “surrounded by the
apostles.”
h)
This
was in Jerusalem or Ephesus and the apostles were “transported” there
miraculously.
i)
Her
tomb was opened at a later time and it was EMPTY! People assumed she had been taken to heaven.
j)
A
7th century legend says Mary “dropped her girdle from heaven” as
proof (several paintings portray this).
k)
The
garment was tossed to Thomas since he was not originally present at Mary’s
death.
l)
1
Cor. 15:44, 47, 50. Mary’s “assumption”
is a holiday in many countries.
VIRGIN BIRTH – CLASS 4
1)
Based
upon all the above information, what was “natural” about Jesus’
conception/birth? ____________________.
2)
What
was “not natural?”
_________________________________________.
3)
If
both “natural” and “unnatural” items accompanied the conception, we would expect
this to be true later in life.
a)
Some
seem to have a “superman” view of Jesus – bullets bouncing off the chest and
“x-ray vision.
b)
Jesus’
earthly nature felt earthly things, two of which were ___________ (Mk. 10:14)
& ___________ (Mt. 9:36).
c)
How
did Jesus feel in Jn. 11:35?
____________. Who did He love
(Mk. 10:21)? ______________.
d)
What
did Jesus learn to do (Mt. 4:2)?
___________________. Now we must
think about the “2 natures.”
4)
If
someone truly has “two natures,” we might expect one of the two natures to
_______________________.
5)
Is
“two natures” equal to “two persons”?
What do we mean by “schizophrenic”?
6)
1
Tim. 3:16 tells us what?
______________________________________________.
7)
We
might think of Jesus as having a “human consciousness” and a “divine
consciousness.” Jn. 10:30 & Jn.
19:28b.
8)
How
many “wills” must Jesus have had?______________. How would they have differed?
_________________.
9)
Is
there any parallel to “His wills” and our situation today? _________________________________. Gal. 5:17.
10)
Heb.
10:7 - ________________. How can we
better prepare ourselves to do the will of God? ___________________
11)
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
12)
*Neither
of Jesus’ natures was altered by the other. Human death could not “kill off” the divine nature.
13)
Being
in a human body and thus confined in time and space would not have interfered
with being omnipresent.
14)
List
other examples of this:
___________________________________________________________________.
15)
Do
we see “both natures” in Mk. 5:30?
___________________. What about
Mk. 11:11-14? _________________.
16)
Jn.
11:34, 44:
_____________________________.
17)
Relate
this also to some titles such as “redeemer” – appropriate for God, but not for
any man. __________________.
18)
Consider
this too: What makes God deity? ______________________.
19)
What
if Jesus had “lost” one or more of those characteristics? ____________________________________.
20)
Cross
references for these two points include Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17.
21)
Study
of Jesus’ sinless nature is related to this night’s lesson – interesting
comments by Bildad in Job 25:4-6.
a)
When
do we often first see rebellion in children?
What forms does it take? Typical
“first sins”?
b)
Is
disobedience taught or learned – explain.
It has been said, “to err is human.”
True of Jesus?
c)
2
Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5.
d)
What
may be the easiest way for someone to sin?
Jas. 3:2, 8 - ___________________.
Jesus guilty? _______.
e)
When
Jesus was tried and executed there were eleven statements about His being
innocent:
f)
Mt.
27:4 - _______________________________.
g)
Jn.
18:38 - _____________, Lk. 23:14 - _____________,Lk. 23:22 - ___________, Jn.
19:4, 6 - _____________,
h)
Mt.
27:24 - _____________ (these six declarations were ALL made by ______________
and in this order).
i)
Lk.
23:15 - _____________, Mt. 27:19 - _____________, Lk. 23:41 - ___________, Mt.
27:54 - _____________.
j)
Jesus
taught His disciples to pray for forgiveness,
__________________________________.
k)
Did
Satan recognize the “dual nature” of Jesus?
Mt. 4:2-3: __________________.
l)
Does
the answer to the previous question tell us anything? ___________________________________.
m)
Some
struggle with the concept of Jesus being deity but having the ability to
sin. Adam had something similar.
n)
Too,
in Jesus, one nature had to control the other:
the human control the divine or the divine control the human.
o)
If
this is difficult, think of it as testing gold. Gold may be tested and tested.
If it is really gold, it will pass all tests.
Virgin birth – class # 5 –
final lesson
1) Many churches have “creeds,” and a common part of creeds is “born of the Holy Ghost and the virgin Mary.”
2) What is an overt problem with creeds? ______________________. Jas. 2:19.
3) The existence of creeds, however, does indicate something—what is it? __________________.
4) When we think of the virgin birth we have a Bible illustrations of what virgin means:
a) Mt. 25:1, 7, 11; Acts 21:9; Paul distinguished between a wife and a virgin (1 Cor. 7:34).
b) An even stronger illustration is found in Rev. 14:4. Spiritual faithfulness is compared to virginity in 2 Cor. 11:2.
c) Matthew (1:22-23) quoted Isaiah, and the use of “virgin” shows he meant more than “young woman.”
5) In view of all we have studied, we might think about the “why” of the virgin birth.
6) One possible reason is found in 1 Tim. 1:17 – discuss - _____________________________.
7) Ps. 19:1 says, ___________________________________________________.
8) God made man and all else; why didn’t God become something else that He had made?
9) Why not become a _______________________________________________________?
10) It was only by becoming a _______________ that God ____________________________.
11) Talk about “substitutions” and then read Heb. 1:1-2.
12) Bildad once asked an interesting question – Job 25:4a - _____________________________.
13) What did Paul discuss in Rom. 3:26? ___________________________________________.
14) What picture do we see in Rev. 5:1-4? _______________________________________.
15) What cleanses from sin – Heb. 9:22? ________________________________________.
16) What price was necessary for buy the church (Acts 20:28)? _____________________.
17) How could “God offer His blood?”
18) Jesus was unique in other ways.
a) The messiah was to be a (Deut. 18:15) - _______________________.
b) He was also to be a (1 Sam. 2:35) - ___________________________.
c) Ps. 24:5-7 – He was also to be a ________________________________.
d) What tribes did priests come from? _____________________.
e) What tribe did Jesus the king come from (Rev. 5:5)? _________________.
f) How was it possible to be associated with two tribes? ________________________.
19) The virgin birth is not an academic discussion; it affects all our spiritual hopes.
20) Special comments on Isa. 7:14 – does the Hebrew word alman mean “virgin” or “young woman”?
21) This term is used 9 times in the Old Testament: Gen.24:43 (compare verse 16); Ex. 2:8 (this describes Miriam, the lady who later died in the wilderness—she may have been about 15 years old at the time in Ex. 2); 1 Chron. 15:20 (used at the end of the verse and probably a musical term); Ps. 46:1 (in the Psalm title); Ps. 68:25; Prov. 30:19 (appears to describe a wedding night); SoS 1:3; 6:8; Isa. 7:14.
176: 7:14 literally says, “Behold the pregnant virgin is bearing a son and she calls His name Immanuel” – AMAZING!
1) The New Testament without miracles would be much easier to believe. Without them, would it be worth believing? Machen.
2) Why is necessary to believe in the virgin birth? How might Satan feel about the virgin birth?
3) Why does liberalism so despise the virgin birth?