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born of a virgin

28-12-2014 - Posted by Andre Piet

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Son of God

Among modern theologians, it may be controversial, in the Bible it is quite clear that Jesus was born of a virgin. In Matthew (1:18), but especially in the description of Luke (1:27 ff), this fact is strongly emphasized. Not through intercourse with a man, but because “the power of the Most High” overshadowed Mary, she became pregnant. It is for this reason that Jesus, in a unique sense, is called “the Son of God”.

And answering, the messenger said to her, “Holy spirit shall be coming on you, and the power of the Most High shall be overshadowing you; wherefore also the holy One Who is being generated shall be called the Son of God. -Luke 1:35-

Only one man in the entire history of the world is conceived without the intervention of a man and that is why He is called “the only begotten Son of God” (John 1:14; 3:16,18; 1John 4:9), i.e. the only man, who by birth is the Son of God. The expression, “Son of God” as an indication that He is the Messiah, is indeed, no New Testament invention. Already in Psalm 2, is the Messiah prophetically addressed by God as: “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (Ps.2:7). That is an ambiguous statement, because it refers, both, to Jesus’ virgin birth, as well as to the fact that God has raised Him from the dead (Acts 13:33).

premarital child

Because the Jews rejected Jesus as Messiah and it was known among them that He was a premarital child of Mary, the rumor went round, among them, that He was born of fornication. In John’s evangel account, the leaders of the Jewish people suggestively say to Jesus “we are not born of fornication” (John 8:41), that is to say, you are. Thus, the Talmud tells of a Miriam, who married a carpenter, but who had a son, Yeshu, allegedly fathered by a certain Pantera, a Roman soldier.

God the Son?

However, let’s not believe that within the Christian tradition, the truth of Jesus’ virgin birth would be kept safe. What do you think of the dogma that Jesus, already, before His birth, was “God the Son”? This means that He, consequently, did not become Son of God by His conception in Mary. It has no Biblical basis, for the term “God the Son,” we will not find anywhere in Scripture. This is in contrast to the very common expression, “God the Father”. And since Scripture emphatically declares that there is only “one God, the Father” (1Cor.8:6; Eph.4:6; John 17:3), it is, of course, out of the question, that there can be a “God the Son”. Mary did not give birth to “God the Son”, but to “the Son of God.” That is a world of difference! Would she have given birth to “God the Son”, then she would be “the mother of God, but as well-known as both terms are, in theology, they are ever so strange to the language of Scripture.

still a virgin?

Another error is the Catholic teaching that Mary would always have remained a virgin. Within the Catholic Church, Mary is still, in prayers, frequently addressed as “the Holy Virgin.” Aside from the fact that this is pure spiritualism (=calling upon the dead), it also fails to recognize that Jesus is Mary’s “firstborn” (Luke 2:7). Maria had, after Jesus’ birth, namely in her marriage to Joseph, given birth to several children. At various places in the Bible, there is reference made to Jesus’ brothers and sisters (Matt.13:55; Mark 6:3). Behind the doctrine of Mary being “the Holy Virgin”, hides the (despicable) idea that sex is unholy. And with that idea, they have come up with the mandatory celibacy of the clergy.

the seed of the woman

Paul wrote…

Now when the full time came, God delegates His Son, come of a woman, come under law. -Gal.4:4-

Since the first human pair had to leave the garden of Eden, mankind has known of “the seed of the woman” that would come (Gen.3:15). A curious expression, because seed usually (naturally) is associated with a man. Yet, He, who would crush the head of the serpent, is called “the seed of the woman.” It is a subtle reference to the birth of the Messiah, apart from the involvement of a man. Since time immemorial, the constellations also bear witness to this. The Zodiac begins (see the Sphinx) with the Virgin to finish with the Lion (of Judah). Including the intermediate constellations, we see that it portrays God’s plan, from start to finish. The Evangel is also written in the stars! As it was not a man, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, so it was not a man, either, who begat Him in Mary. Therefore He is called, by right, “the Son of God.” Not merely, so to speak, but literally!

Delen: