During the early part of the twentieth century, many of the fundamental issues of Christianity came under attack, not only from outside the church, but from within the church. One of those fundamental beliefs was the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Liberal scholars claimed that the virgin birth narrative was merely a rehash of the old religious myths. These same liberal scholars bolster their claim on two fronts. First, they claim that since only two gospel account refer to the virgin birth it was not universally accepted. Two, they purport that the supposed lack of Pauline evidence for the virgin birth undermines its legitimacy.
Mary’s virginity is not merely necessary from a biological perspective, but from theological perspectives. The virgin birth of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. Regarding the vitality of the virgin birth, John MacArthur states, “The virgin birth is an underlying assumption of everything the Bible says about Jesus. To throw out the virgin birth is to reject Christ's deity, the accuracy and authority of Scripture, and a host of other related doctrines that are the heart of the Christian faith. No issue is more important than the virgin birth to our understanding of who Jesus is. If we deny Jesus is God, we have denied the very essence of Christianity.”(1)
As well, Millard Erickson states,“If we do not hold to the virgin birth despite the fact that the Bible asserts it, then we have compromised the authority of the Bible and there is in principle no reason why we should hold to its other teachings. Thus, rejecting the virgin birth has implications reaching far beyond the doctrine itself.”(2)
ENDNOTES:
Mary’s virginity is not merely necessary from a biological perspective, but from theological perspectives. The virgin birth of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith. Regarding the vitality of the virgin birth, John MacArthur states, “The virgin birth is an underlying assumption of everything the Bible says about Jesus. To throw out the virgin birth is to reject Christ's deity, the accuracy and authority of Scripture, and a host of other related doctrines that are the heart of the Christian faith. No issue is more important than the virgin birth to our understanding of who Jesus is. If we deny Jesus is God, we have denied the very essence of Christianity.”(1)
As well, Millard Erickson states,“If we do not hold to the virgin birth despite the fact that the Bible asserts it, then we have compromised the authority of the Bible and there is in principle no reason why we should hold to its other teachings. Thus, rejecting the virgin birth has implications reaching far beyond the doctrine itself.”(2)
ENDNOTES:
- R.C. Girard & Larry Richards, The Life of Christ, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2007), 8.
- Albert Mohler, Must Christians Believe in the Virgin Birth?, Ligonier Ministries, Retrieved: December 11, 2017 <http://www.ligonier.org/blog/must-christians-believe-virgin-birth/>
RSS Feed