WHEN GOD VISITED EARTH (Continued from Page 10)
any thing made that was made” (John 1 : 3 ) ; “ Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus [Saviour] Christ [Anointed] is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2, 3). The coming of Christ into the world is affirmed as of divine creative power, even as the world itself came into being through creative word and power. This is clear by a comparison of First John 1:2 with John 1:14. The supernatural is not only accepted by John; belief in it is made the test of Christian faith. Joseph, the husband of Mary, should be a valuable wit ness in this case. Both Matthew and Luke give us the account of Joseph’s predicament, attitude toward Mary, and final decision: “before they came together, she was found with child” (Matt. 1 :18 ); “ Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily“ (Matt. 1 :19 ); “while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 1 :20 ); “ then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife” (Matt. 1 :24 ); “ And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son; and he called his name Jesus” (Matt. 1:25). Words could not be more clear. Joseph knew that he was not the father of Mary’s expected child. He could not understand her apparent unfaithfulness to him. He considered legal divorce as the only proper solution, but thought to secure it quietly out of consideration for Mary. Note again Edersheim’s comment on the sacredness of Jewish betrothal and marriage, months often intervening between the engagement and the actual marriage, yet betrothal being considered as inviolate as the marriage. Jesus received legal standing through Joseph. His standing by birth came through Mary. The two genealogies, in Matthew and Luke, are the finest records of evidence any rational mind could ask. Mary, the mother of Jesus, should be called to the witness stand. Her testimony is given by Dr. Luke, the physician. How fitting! We do not know how Luke learned the facts, but we do have his testimony as one who had “perfect understanding of all things from the very first” (Luke 1 :3 ). Did Mary tell him the story? Was he the attending physician? We do not know. Dr. Luke wrote to Theophilus that he might know “ the certainty of those things, wherein thou has been instructed” (Luke 1:3, 4). Here then is the account: The heavenly vision and the announcement of Gabriel to Mary are recorded in Luke 1:26-35. Mary’s perplexity, nay bewilderment, is expressed in her own words: “ How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). The answer from Heaven alone explains the “ mystery of godliness” . . . “ The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee . . . therefore also that holy thing which shall be bom of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Mary was the only person who knew the facts about the message of Gabriel. She did not keep this to herself, but visited her cousin Elizabeth who was “ in the sixth month” of expectancy (Luke 1:36). Mary remained with her cousin three months (Luke 1:56). Both Zacharias and Elizabeth, parents of John, prophesied of the son who (Continued on Page 30) ______________________ P£^e_Jjvent^-seven_
or of much importance, the Apostle Paul would have said something about it. This argument from silence is being used in our day to discredit belief in the Virgin Birth of Christ, or in the importance of it; but it vanishes into thin air when we examine the writings of Paul: “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Gal. 4 :4 ); “God sending his own Son in the likeness o f sinful flesh” (Rom. 8 :3 ); “ the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45); “ the first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is, the Lord from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47); “ Christ . . . being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made [caused to be, generated into being] in the likeness [form, resemblance, similitude] of men: And being found in fashion [figure, external condition] as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5-8). Of no other human being can it be said that his coming was fore-announced centuries in advance. Of none other can it be maintained that he was equal with God before he appeared among men. In Paul’s emphasis, Christ is the “ second man” and “ the last Adam,” the clear impli cation being that His coming was by creative power even as the first Adam came by special creation. Paul’s message is not that of establishing the fact of the Virgin Birth of Christ so much as it is the proclamation of eternally vital truths which result from the fact. It is certain that Paul was acquainted with Dr. Luke, to whom he refers in Colossians 4:14 as present with him in Rome. Is it likely that Paul was ignorant of the physi cian’s belief in the Virgin Birth of Christ? What is the mystery of which Paul writes in First Timothy 3:16, “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh . . .” ? The Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension into glory are unmis takably declared in this full passage of Scripture. What then is “ the mystery of godliness” ? Admittedly, Paul declares that God’s appearance among men was marked by the supernatural. Taken all together, Paul’s testimony clearly affirms the emergence of the Son of God into the stream of human life by means above and beyond the ordinary course of nature. The real burden of proof must rest upon those who discard the accumulative evidence that Jesus the Christ was born of a virgin. Yet another witness eagerly awaits summons to the stand—it is the beloved apostle, John. Secular history re cords that John strongly rebuked Cerinthus for his denial of the Virgin Birth of Christ. Further evidence o f John’s conviction is given in several quotations from the gospel and epistles which bear his name: “ for the life was manifested and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us” (1 John 1 :2 ); “and the Word was made [caused to be, generated into being] flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1 :14 ); “ All things were made [caused to be, generated into being] by him; and without him was not D E C E M B E R , 1 9 5 0
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