At this time, it is of utmost importance that we look at the body Christ received and lived in during His time upon the earth.
Jesus Christ Was Born of a Virgin
Perhaps the greatest miracle concerning the birth of Christ is the fact that He was born of a virgin. This fact is a cardinal truth of Christianity, and in no wise can it be compromised. No one who teaches otherwise is a Christian! To claim to believe any other way concerning Christ’s birth is to believe a lie! Look at the scriptures:
Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Matthew 1:22, 23 – “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
I am fully aware that many of the newer versions of the Bible omit the word, “virgin,” replacing it with “young woman.” THIS IS WHY I HAVE PREACHED, AND CONTINUE TO PREACH, THAT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A KING JAMES BIBLE, YOU ARE IN DIRE NEED OF A BIBLE! If the only Bible you possess is a New International Version, a plain-Jane, dog-eared, King James, Gideon Bible would beat your so-called Bible all to pieces!
Yes, I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Mary was a virgin when she brought forth her firstborn son, Jesus Christ. The atheist says, “That’s not scientific!” Well, I’ve got news for the atheist. The same atheist who says that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is not scientific will turn around and say that the first human being was born of apes (or at least a non-human “missing link”). THAT’S NOT SCIENTIFIC EITHER! So, dear atheist, if you are going to discount the Bible because of its miracles, then quit being a hypocrite and denounce the goofy miracles of evolution and the big bang theory (neither of which are scientific).
“What is the big deal about the virgin birth?” you may ask. The virgin birth is of vital importance because it defines clearly who Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ had a Father – but not an earthly father. Had Mary not been a virgin when Christ was born, then Christ’s father would be Joseph. But Christ’s father was NOT Joseph! Christ was not the son of Joseph; Christ was the Son of God!
Luke 1:35 – “And the angel answered and said unto her [Mary], The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
It would be good, at this time, to point out that Jesus Christ, God-in-the-flesh, was Mary’s Saviour! Mary made this claim! Had Mary not had a Saviour, she would have gone to hell. MARY WAS NOT IMMACULATE! Mary herself claimed to have had a Saviour!
Luke 1:46, 47 – “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”
Yes, the body that Jesus Christ received was a product of a virgin!
Christ’s Body Was Like Ours!
Romans 8:3 – “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”
Philippians 2:7 – “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
It is another vital fact that Christ not only took upon Himself flesh, but He took upon Himself flesh like ours! He was made like me and you! He knows what it is to grow tired, to get hungry, to be betrayed by friends, to be mistreated, to be rejected, to pray in agony, to feel alone, to suffer physically, and to be poor. Everything you have ever suffered, whether you can comprehend it or not – our Saviour has experienced it!
Hebrews 2:17, 18 – “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
Hebrews 4:15 – “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
In His body, Christ suffered what we suffer. Yet He suffered it without sin. He suffered it without complaint. He suffered it, providing us an example of victory. His example of a holy life in a human body makes us inexcusable. The same Christ who lived holy in His body can live holy in yours! Two crucial facts concerning Christ’s body while upon the earth – His body was like ours; and in His body He was perfectly sinless!
Understanding that Christ’s body was like ours, we know that Christ was limited. Jesus Christ, the limitless God, voluntarily limited Himself by clothing Himself in a body. It is very difficult for us to grasp – the fact that Jesus Christ humbled Himself in such a manner. Scholars through the centuries have tried to explain this great humility of our Saviour, and most such endeavors are insufficient. Scholars call it the “self-emptying” of Christ. There are many debates concerning HOW Christ emptied Himself; and TO WHAT EXTENT Christ emptied Himself. But let us not forget the important fact – Christ took upon Himself a human body, limiting Himself in the flesh. He who was once omniscient humbled Himself, “increasing in wisdom.” He who was omnipresent confined Himself to one location in a human body.
Oh, how our great Saviour humbled Himself, departing from the ivory palaces of heaven to live in this dark world. No one will fully understand the demotion that Christ took to rescue mankind from our sins. May we stand in awe in His presence, dwelling upon such a great matter as this!
TO BE CONTINUED…
