Believing the Impossible
Mary went to visit relatives. She was only gone three months. Then again, a lot can happen in three months. Apparently, in Mary’s case, a lot did. Is that a baby bump? “Mary, what have you done? With whom did you do it? Does our engagement mean so little to you? Now what? Do I subject her to public shame? No! I will divorce her privately. Two witnesses will suffice. Then she can get on with her life. And maybe, in time, I’ll get on with my life too. Please Lord, help me sleep.”
And so, he did. Joseph slept. Joseph dreamed. And in the dream Joseph dreamed, there came an angel who commanded him to believe the impossible—that a pregnant woman can be virgin. In Matthew 1:20-21 the angel says, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Really? “Don’t worry, Joe? What’s conceived in your fiancé is from the Holy Spirit”? Right. Of course. How silly of me to think otherwise.
I’m pretty sure Joseph’s first thought after discovering Mary’s pregnancy wasn’t, “No problem, virgins get pregnant all the time.” He wasn’t stupid! Virgins don’t have babies! To think otherwise is to believe the impossible! But that’s exactly what the angel commanded Joseph to do—believe the impossible!
So what about you and me? Do we believe the impossible? On the basis of Scripture, are we convinced that Jesus was born of a virgin? Many aren’t. For them, rejecting the virgin birth is a simple matter of science. And what difference does it make? The virgin birth of Christ is no big deal. Except the Bible reveals it is. In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem tells us why:
First, Grudem reminds us, “The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort. …Our salvation only comes about through the supernatural work of God.” In other words, the miraculous conception of Jesus is a demonstration of God’s power to save!
Second, Grudem explains, “The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. …It helps us to understand how God, in his wisdom, ordained a combination of human and divine influence in the birth of Christ, so that his full humanity would be evident to us from the fact of his ordinary human birth from a human mother, and his full deity would be evident from the fact of his conception in Mary’s womb by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.” This is important. We must know that both the full humanity and the full deity of Jesus is critical to our salvation. If Jesus were not fully human, he could not be our high priest “who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Apart from his humanity Jesus could never have “become sin for us” when he died on the cross (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). At the same time, if Jesus were not fully God, he could never have satisfied the divine wrath that is our due. Only the eternal God can pay the eternal penalty for our sin.
Finally, Grudem explains, “The virgin birth also makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin. …Jesus did not descend from Adam in exactly the same way in which every other human being has descended from Adam. And this helps us to understand why the legal guilt and moral corruption that belongs to all other human beings did not belong to Christ.” Gabriel speaks to this when he tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be call holy…” In other words, born free of a fallen nature.
In the end, of course, Joseph did believe the impossible. He believed his fiancé was both pregnant and a virgin. Matthew says, “When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25).
Today, the ball’s in our court. Do we believe the “impossible” like Joseph believed? Do we rejoice when we remember the supernatural birth of Christ? The virgin birth gives evidence of God’s power to save. It bears witness to the reality that the name of Jesus is, in fact, the only “name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)?
Thanks for reading. If you have comments or questions contact me at deanpshriver@gmail.com.
An Inconvenient Grace
Every children’s Christmas play has its angels. And that only makes sense. In the Bible, angels play a major role in the story of Christ’s birth. It’s an angel who informs Mary she’s about to be a mom. It’s an angel who assures Joseph that, in spite of her pregnancy, his fiancé has been faithful. And it’s an angel—accompanied by an angelic choir—who announces Christ’s birth to shepherds tending their flocks by night.
In the three weeks between now and Christmas, we’ll reflect on each of these angelic visits. As God’s messengers, what did each angel come to say? Who did they say it to? Most important, how does their message apply to you and me today?
We begin with an angel named Gabriel. God sent Gabriel to deliver a message to Mary. So, who was Mary? From a this-world perspective we can only say that she was “common”. Though strong in faith, she hailed from Nazareth—a backwater Galilean village with a bad reputation among the religious purists of the day. It’s almost certain she was a teenager—a virgin engaged to be married to a descendant of King David. Was Mary attractive or plain? The Bible doesn’t say. Either way, it’s Gabriel himself who reveals Mary’s greatest attribute. Addressing her in Luke 1:28-30 the angel announces, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! …Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
So how did Mary find favor with God? Did Mary earn favor with God? Was the Lord with Mary because she was such a “good person”? The Bible says no. While some believe Mary was sinless, the thought betrays her own testimony in Luke 1:46-47. There she acknowledges her own spiritual need in her song of praise, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”
And so, we see that the favor Gabriel assigns to Mary is not rooted in personal righteousness. God’s favor is a gift offered to all. Paul affirms this in Ephesians 1:6 when he describes God’s “glorious grace” using the same Greek wording found here in Luke 1:28. In other words, the “favor” Gabriel refers to is the favor of saving grace!
Can I get personal? If Gabriel came to you today, would he call you “favored one”? Could he rightly proclaim, “The Lord is with you”? In other words, have you experienced God’s saving grace? It’s the grace that comes by means of repentance and faith in Jesus who died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and rose from the grave to share his life with us.
If so, may I remind you of what God’s saving grace meant for Mary in regard to her earthly life. In this world, being favored in Christ will mean being inconvenienced by Christ.
Gabriel’s visit changed everything for Mary. Read Luke 1:26-38. You’ll see it. While glorious, God’s favor wasn’t easy for Mary. Not in this world. For Mary, God’s favor meant being pregnant out of wedlock. Her reputation was tarnished. Her engagement to Joseph threatened. When she came to term, God’s favor meant delivering her firstborn in an animal stall—then fleeing to Egypt under the threat of death. Later, God’s favor meant hearing her sinless son wrongly condemned and watching him die an excruciating death.
Of course, on the day of Gabriel’s visit, Mary could not have anticipated every trial God’s favor would bring. Nonetheless, convinced of his faithfulness, she confidently replied, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
As sinners saved by God’s grace can we not say the same knowing full well “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18)?
Lord, may we trust you like Mary trusted and rejoice in the “inconveniences” we encounter in this world because of the favor you’ve bestowed on us in Christ.
Be the One
Proverbs 19:3 says, “When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord.” It’s strange. Why do we find it easier to blame God than give thanks to Him? Short answer? Our bent towards ingratitude is the fruit of self-centeredness and sin. In our fallenness, we are not inclined to recognize—let alone giving thanks for—the blessings God showers on us.
Luke 17:11-19 drives this truth home. It’s a story about Jesus and ten lepers. Luke writes, “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”
Ten lepers cry out for mercy. Ten lepers obey Jesus when he tells them to show themselves to the priest. And, along the way, ten lepers are healed. But only one stops. Only one returns to Jesus. Only one gives glory to God! The other nine continue on their way—rejoicing but ungrateful. Their bodies restored, their hearts devoid of praise.
On this Thanksgiving Day, consider the goodness of God. If you’re a believer, think of all you possess in Christ. Beyond the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the shelter that warms us, the relationships we enjoy—consider the spiritual blessings that are ours!
Ephesians 1:3-14 proclaim them. In Christ, God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places… God loved you and chose you before you were born (verse 4). In spite of your sin, in Christ, you’ve become holy and blameless in God’s sight. You are an adopted child of God (verse 5). By grace through faith, you have been redeemed by means of Christ’s death on the cross (verse 7). Your sins are forgiven—all of them—past, present, and future. God has lavished his grace on you (verses 7-8). An eternal inheritance awaits you in heaven. You are rich beyond imagination (verses 11 and 14). And if that’s not enough, you are forever secure in your salvation having been sealed with the Holy Spirit who forever lives in you (verse 13).
So let me ask. Are you like the one who returned to Jesus to worship and give thanks? Am I? Or, are we more like the nine who, having been so richly blessed in Christ, ungratefully continue on our way? No praise. No worship. No thanksgiving.
By God’s grace, let’s be like the one! By the work of His Spirit within us, may we always be slow to complain and quick to give thanks to God our Savior. As followers of Christ, let’s make every day Thanksgiving Day!