The Gospel of Christ’s Virgin Birth-1

¹⁰ 천사가 이르되 무서워 말라 보라 내가 온 백성에게 미칠 큰 기쁨의 좋은 소식을 너희에게 전하노라 ¹¹ 오늘날 다윗의 동네에 너희를 위하여 구주가 나셨으니 곧 그리스도 주시니라 ¹² 너희가 가서 강보에 싸여 구유에 누인 아기를 보리니 이것이 너희에게 표적이니라 하더니 ¹³ 홀연히 허다한 천군이 그 천사와 함께 있어 하나님을 찬송하여 가로되 ¹⁴ 지극히 높은 곳에서는 하나님께 영광이요 땅에서는 기뻐하심을 입은 사람들 중에 평화로다 하니라. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luk 2:10-14)

²⁶ 여섯째 달에 천사 가브리엘이 하나님의 보내심을 받들어 갈릴리 나사렛이란 동네에 가서 ²⁷ 다윗의 자손 요셉이라 하는 사람과 정혼한 처녀에게 이르니 그 처녀의 이름은 마리아라 ²⁸ 그에게 들어가 가로되 은혜를 받은 자여 평안할찌어다 주께서 너와 함께하시도다 하니 ²⁹ 처녀가 그 말을 듣고 놀라 이런 인사가 어찌함인고 생각하매 ³⁰ 천사가 일러 가로되 마리아여 무서워 말라 네가 하나님께 은혜를 얻었느니라 ³¹ 보라 네가 수태하여 아들을 낳으리니 그 이름을 예수라 하라 ³² 저가 큰 자가 되고 지극히 높으신 이의 아들이라 일컬을 것이요 주 하나님께서 그 조상 다윗의 위를 저에게 주시리니 ³³ 영원히 야곱의 집에 왕노릇 하실 것이며 그 나라가 무궁하리라 ³⁴ 마리아가 천사에게 말하되 나는 사내를 알지 못하니 어찌 이 일이 있으리이까 ³⁵ 천사가 대답하여 가로되 성령이 네게 임하시고 지극히 높으신 이의 능력이 너를 덮으시리니 이러므로 나실 바 거룩한 자는 하나님의 아들이라 일컬으리라³⁶ 보라 네 친족 엘리사벳도 늙어서 아들을 배었느니라 본래 수태하지 못한다 하던 이가 이미 여섯 달이 되었나니 ³⁷ 대저 하나님의 모든 말씀은 능치 못하심이 없느니라 ³⁸ 마리아가 가로되 주의 계집종 이오니 말씀대로 내게 이루어지이다 하매 천사가 떠나가니라. ²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.      ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." ³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" ³⁵ And the angel answered her, "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 called holy-- the Son of God. ³⁶ And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God." ³⁸ And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Lk. 1:26-38)

FCF: People tend to disregard the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

주제: 그리스도의 동정녀 탄생은 하나님의 정하신 바이기에 그분의 동정녀 탄생을 믿어야 합니다.

Theme: Because God ordained Christ’s virgin birth, we must believe in His virgin birth.

Introduction: God has graciously brought us to this final month. I feel as if January were yesterday. Believe it or not, we are in the middle of December. Surely, God is good all the time. We had a great Thanksgiving break. Though our students have their final exams, they are about to finish up this semester. They have been running hard toward their destination. In one or another way, we have reached this point of the year by God’s grace. Looking back, we can testify God has been good, gracious, and faithful to all of us. We have less than a month left before we get into 2023. If you feel time flies, it may indicate that you are pretty old. As you know, Christmas is around the corner. What are some critical issues we face as we get into the final stretch of 2022? These may be some examples: “How can I reverse financial red tape into black? How can we survive this high inflation? How can I finish this semester well? Or how can I solve some unresolved problems? How can I stay healthy? How can I get over my weaknesses or sicknesses? Where I can find my job? On and on! But the one key question is, “How are we to finish this year well?” If we are running the final round of race, then the umpire will ring a bell signaling that we are at the final round. Indeed, we have already run the eleven rounds of the track. Now we are running the twelfth round. Tomorrow, our students begin to take final exams tomorrow. No doubt all of you want to do well. You, small business owners, are busy trying to make extra gains. You, parents or grandparents, are busy shopping for your kids. Kids are excited about winter break and Christmas gifts. Surely, people are busy doing things and at the same time are ready to enjoy the festive mood of Christmas. They are trying to be in high spirits during this holiday season.

As we are approaching the end of this year, however, some are already tired out, desiring to forget about finishing up this year well. Knowing they have failed to accomplish what they planned at the beginning of January, others feel afraid of getting into another new year. They feel wearied of repetitive annual cycles. They feel tired of the truth everything is vanity and there is nothing new under the heavens. While struggling with a sense of emptiness, some are very pessimistic, not happy about aging without accomplishing anything. Some may feel like pulling themselves up to finish the twelfth pull-up on the monkey bar. Or some young people are excited about getting one year older or their timely Christmas break. No doubt, weariness or nothingness permeates our bodies and souls. But we can’t give up our race this year. We must move on to the finish line. Now, the question is, “How can we have a good finish this year for God’s glory? Well, I have found an answer in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we all know, we have one final holiday throughout the world, which is Christmas on December 25. If we spend this whole month in the true spirit of Christmas, we will have a good ending in 2022 and we will be ready for a new beginning in 2023. In joyous anticipation of the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can tackle all the responsibilities well before we receive another year from Him.

Thus, I will be sharing Christmas messages with you for the next three weeks, in order for us to prepare ourselves for finishing this year well and starting another year well. Today, I would like to touch on the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, one of the cardinal truths of Christianity. Generally speaking, the world doesn’t care about the arrival of the Savior of the world. Even some Christians today don’t really appreciate the importance of Christ’s virgin birth. Some do not think His virgin birth holds any significance for their faith. Others flatly deny the historicity of Christ’s virgin birth as secularists do. However, the virgin birth of Christ is a cardinal tenet we can’t compromise because the Bible teaches it. Without it, the doctrine of salvation would be seriously flawed or discarded. Wayne Grudem, a renown systematic theologian, said, 그리스도의 동정녀 탄생은 구원이 절대로 인간의 노력으로 오는 것 아니라 하나님 자신의 역사임에 틀림없다는 점을 명백하게 상기시켜 줍니다. “The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort, but must be the work of God himself.” Affirming it is essential for salvation. The passage today shows how Mary came to believe that she would give birth to Jesus Christ. Gabriel announced that she would conceive and bear Jesus the Messiah. Instead of distrusting God’s Word, she trusted it, saying, 주의 계집종 이오니 말씀 대로 내게 이루어지이다. "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (v. 38). This is what we want to learn from Mary, that is, humbly trusting God’s Word. The whole narrative teaches that because God ordained Christ’s virgin birth, we must believe in His virgin birth. Let us look into how Mary came to believe that she would give birth to her Savior and Lord. First,

      I.         하나님의 특별한 계시를 믿으라

Trust God’s special revelation

Mary was first given God’s revelation about what would happen to her. God sent Gabriel His archangel to deliver His message to her. Before He would do something significant in salvation history, God made its announcement for Himself or through His heavenly messengers to His earthly servants. Not only to show what He would do but also to encourage His servants’ faith, God often sent His angels before He would accomplish His purposes. For example, God said to Noah that He was about to judge the whole world by flood before He covered it with water. God sent His three angels to Abraham to confirm his wife Sarah would give birth to a son in a year. Through His messengers, He also revealed His intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. God appeared to Moses and said He would bring His people out from the bondage of Egypt through him. The angel of the LORD appeared to Joshua and encouraged his faith before Joshua led the Israelites to destroy the city of Jericho. Old Testament prophets were God’s mouthpieces that brought the messages of salvation and judgment to the people of God. All these examples illustrate God reveals His purposes to His servants so that they would be encouraged and prepared for events God would bring to pass. 

We read in Luke 1 two birth stories; one is of John the Baptist and the other is of Jesus Christ. Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to announce the good news of the birth of John the Baptist. In the same way, He appeared unto Mary and foretold she would conceive and bear Jesus the King of Israel. Luke records the time, place, and recipient of God’s special revelation as follows: 여섯째 달에 천사 가브리엘이 하나님의 보내심을 받들어 갈릴리 나사렛이란 동네에 가서 ²⁷ 다윗의 자손 요셉이라 하는 사람과 정혼한 처녀에게 이르니 그 처녀의 이름은 마리아라. ²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary (v. 26). The time of Gabriel’s appearance to Mary is depicted in comparison to the gestational month of Elizabeth Mary’s cousin. Luke records the specific time of Mary’s encounter with God’s archangel. Notice the subject of this sentence is God. God is the Sender of His messenger. He sends him to a specific person in a specific location at a specific time.

Luke gives us some details about Mary. First, she is a virgin. Second, she is engaged with Joseph who was of the house of David. Third, she lives in Nazareth. All this concrete information tells us something about the way God would work. All this information indicates God has prepared Mary as His vessel to bring His Son into this world. And God foreordained Mary’s virgin birth to bring the Savior, that is, Jesus Christ, into the world. Luke quotes or alludes to OT prophecies about the virgin birth and His everlasting throne and kingdom. For example, about 700 years before this event, God foretold the virgin birth of Jesus Christ to Isaiah this way: 그러므로 주께서 친히 징조로 너희에게 주실 것이라 보라 처녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳을 것이요 그 이름을 임마누엘이라 하리라. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isa. 7:14). Unfortunately, Ahaz the king of Israel in those days, to whom the prophet Isaiah delivered the message, refused to believe God’s prophetic word. Isaiah prophesied another message of Christ’s throne as follows: 그 정사와 평강의 더함이 무궁하며 또 다윗의 위에 앉아서 그 나라를 굳게 세우고 자금 이후 영원토록 공평과 정의로 그것을 보존하실 것이라 만군의 여호와의 열심이 이를 이루시리라. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:7).

Luke seems to allude to the basic idea of Christ’s everlasting kingdom: 그에게 권세와 영광과 나라를 주고 모든 백성과 나라들과 각 방언하는 자로 그를 섬기게 하였으니 그 권세는 영원한 권세라 옮기지 아니할 것이요 그 나라는 폐하지 아니할 것이니라. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:14). Verse 37 is basically the same with Gen. 18:14: 여호와께 능치 못한 일이 있겠느냐. “Is anything impossible for the LORD?” As he converses with Mary, Gabriel apparently mentions of OT messianic prophecies such as Isaiah and Daniel. We see here the fulfillment of some of the Old Testament messianic promises. Even though hundreds of years elapsed, God’s prophetic words were not forgotten. As Paul says, ⁴ 때가 차매 하나님이 그 아들을 보내사 여자에게서 나게 하시고 율법 아래 나게 하신 것은

⁵ 율법 아래 있는 자들을 속량하시고 우리로 아들의 명분을 얻게 하려 하심이라 (Gal. 4:4-5 KRV) “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). 

            Surely, the virgin birth of Christ is the fulfillment of the first gospel in Gen. 3:15, that is, the Seed of the woman. Mary is the woman who gave birth to the Son of God through the Holy Spirit. Nothing frustrated the certainty of God’s messianic prophecies. Christ’s virgin birth proves this point well. This is what we are called to believe. Science is not against faith. Rather, it supports. Even though faith goes sometimes beyond reason, Christ’s virgin birth is against our reason but beyond human understanding. As Martin Luther said, 그리스도께서 우리와 같이 육신을 입으시고 태어나셨다는 신비는 인간의 모든 이해를 뛰어넘습니다. “the mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.” The fact Christ’s mysterious, supernatural birth is beyond our rational understanding doesn’t necessarily imply it is impossible with God. It is impossible with us, but it is possible with God. We need to take God into consideration concerning the probability of Christ’s virgin birth.

In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000" (one hundred quadrillion). Stoner suggests that "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own wisdom." 

Faith goes beyond science, but not against it. Faith and science do not contradict each other. Faith supports science, but it is not bound by it. Faith may utiltize scientific findings to show the world was created by God. Distinguished Christian scientists believe in the creationism of God, disregarding humanistic, secular, materialistic evolutionism, which many believe to be a science. Ungodly scientists try to disprove God, faith, or Christian truths. We must listen to the words of Isaac Newton: 성경의 신앙에서 어느 과학이든 잘 증명된다. “No sciences are better attested in the religion of the Bible.” Mocking at the virgin birth of Christ, the inspiration of the Bible, or the doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ alone, etc., is foolishly challenging the authority of God. 

‌We must have faith. We don’t need to apologize for our faith. A. W. Tozer said, 믿음은 지식의 기관으로 과학의 모든 발견물보다 궁극적인 실체에 대하여 우리에게 더 많은 것을 말해 줄 수 있다. “Faith is an organ of knowledge and can tell us more about ultimate reality than all the findings of science.” Surely, we are not opposed to science, but we recognize its proper limitations and refuse to stop where it is compelled to stop. Tozer also said, “The Bible tells of another world too fine for the instruments of scientific research to discover. By faith we engage that world and make it ours. It is accessible to us through the blood of the everlasting covenant. If we will believe we may even now enjoy the presence of God and the ministry of His heavenly messengers. Only unbelief can rob us of this royal privilege.” Faith is essential for a proper understanding of things of this world and another world.  ‌

Surely, it is hard to believe it unless we trust God’s almighty power. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, hesitated to believe God’s message that his wife would be pregnant. Sarah Abraham’s wife at first didn’t believe the word of God’s messenger that she would give birth to a son in a year. Who would believe today a hundred-year-old husband and a ninety-year-old wife would have a son? During the famine in Samaria, the army general of the Northern Kingdom refused to trust the word of God given through Elisha. Listen to the following passage: 엘리사가 가로되 여호와의 말씀을 들을찌어다 여호와께서 가라사대 내일 이맘때에 사마리아 성문에서 고운 가루 한 스아 에 한 세겔 을 하고 보리 두 스아 에 한 세겔 을 하리라 하셨느니라 ² 그 때에 한 장관 곧 왕이 그 손에 의지하는 자가 하나님의 사람에게 대답하여 가로되 여호와께서 하늘에 창을 내신들 어찌 이런 일이 있으리요 엘리사가 가로되 네가 네 눈으로 보리라 그러나 그것을 먹지는 못하리라 하니라. But Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD: thus says the LORD, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." ² Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, "If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" But he said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it" (2 Ki. 7:1-2). God’s warning exactly happened to the general.

The Bible is filled with such miracles. So, many today deny the reliability of God’s Word. Christ’s virgin birth is ridiculed today. Years ago, I attempted to share the gospel of salvation with one of the guys I encountered on board the plane. When I said, “You need to trust Christ for your salvation.” He stared me in the eyes and said, “How can I believe in the falsehood that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary?” You are saying, ‘I should believe in such nonsense to be saved.’ We are living in a scientific age. Such stories in the Bible are myths. We should deny them that we can live a good, reasonable life.” Surely, those of the world regard us as superstitious and uneducated. But we choose to believe in the absolute truthfulness and reliability of God’s Word. We shouldn’t base our faith on our temporary feelings, uncertain hunches, capricious consensus, or scientific knowledge. Rather, we should base our faith on the word of God. We must approach God’s special revelation, that is, the Bible God’s Word, by simple faith.

G. Campbell Morgan, a British evangelist, had grown up in a Christian home, never questioning that the Bible was the Word of God. But in college, his faith was severely challenged and he began to entertain doubts. “The whole intellectual world was under the mastery of the physical scientists,” he later said, “and of a materialistic and rationalistic philosophy. Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, Spencer, Bain. There came a moment when I was sure of nothing.” In those days, opponents of the Bible appeared every Sunday in great lecture and concert halls across England, attacking Christianity and the Bible, and these brilliant atheists and agnostics troubled the young student. He read every book he could find, both for and against the Bible, both for and against Christianity, until he was so confused, so riddled with doubt that he felt he couldn’t go on.

In desperation, he closed his books, put them in his cupboard and turned the lock. Going down to a bookshop, he bought a new Bible, returned to his room, sat down at his desk, and opened it. He said, “I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be—the Word of God. But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself.” As he looked into the book before him, studying its form and structure and unity and message, he was amazed. He later said, 성경이 나를 발견하였습니다. 1883년, 나는 성경을 읽고 공부하기 시작했습니다. 그 후로 나는 성경을 공부하는 학생이 되었습니다. “That Bible found me. I began to read and study it then, in 1883, and I have been a student ever since.”

We must believe in the virgin birth of Christ because God foretold it and fulfilled it through the Holy Spirit. We find the story of Christ’s supernatural birth in the Bible. God’s special revelation of Christ’s virgin birth was given to Mary. Mary could have run away from the messenger of God because she couldn’t understand or bear the message. However, even though she didn’t understand it fully, she decided to trust it as Gabriel answered her question. Gabriel helped Mary trust the message through his explanation. J. I. Packer said, "Without God's explanatory word, God's redemptive action could not be recognized for what it was. The clearest revelation of God (the incarnation) is nevertheless the most opaque to man.” We need faith whereby we learn to trust whatever He says in His Word.

Fortunately, Mary simply trusted the Lord’s message as it was given, though she wondered how that would happen to a virgin like her. Miracles in the Bible are conceivable and believable only when we trust the almighty God. We must trust God’s Word is absolutely reliable. God does what He has promised. God is so good and faithful that He fulfills His Word. As Mary took God at His Word “대저 하나님의 모든 말씀은 능치 못하심이 없느니라. For nothing will be impossible with God (v. 37). The same word was given to Sarah, though she laughed at the prospect of her giving birth foretold by God’s messengers. What matters is not whether or not we intellectually understand the probability or difficulty of the fulfillment of God’s seemingly impossible word, but the certainty of God’s word.

Isaiah exhorts us to hold unto the surety of God’s Word as follows: ⁸ 여호와의 말씀에 내 생각은 너희 생각과 다르며 내 길은 너희 길과 달라서 ⁹ 하늘이 땅보다 높음 같이 내 길은 너희 길보다 높으며 내 생각은 너희 생각보다 높으니라 ¹⁰ 비와 눈이 하늘에서 내려서는 다시 그리로 가지 않고 토지를 적시어서 싹이 나게 하며 열매가 맺게 하여 파종하는 자에게 종자를 주며 먹는 자에게 양식을 줌과 같이 ¹¹ 내 입에서 나가는 말도 헛되이 내게로 돌아오지 아니하고 나의 뜻을 이루며 나의 명하여 보낸 일에 형통하리라. ⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, ¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isa. 55:8-11). The recipients of Isaiah’s prophecy were to choose whether or not they would trust Yahweh’s promise that He would deliver the Judean exiles from the tyranny of Babylon and bring them back home to Jerusalem. Under God’s providential grace, Mary trusted God’s special revelation given through Gabriel. Of course, we should affirm all the words recorded in the text. Not only so, but we must also trust the entirety of God’s Word because God cannot lie.  

Let’s come back to the prophetic announcement to Mary. In light of this prophecy, we notice that God is about to fulfill His redemptive purpose. God’s revelation doesn’t happen in a void. God deliberately chooses His servants in history to fulfill His own purpose. God reveals His purpose to special people at a certain place and time. We see here nothing happens without God’s foreknowledge and foreordination. The virgin birth of Christ is not God’s afterthought. It is God’s way of bringing the Savior into the world for His people. Therefore, no one could frustrate or hinder the virgin birth of God because God would bring it to pass through the Holy Spirit. We should neither disregard nor distrust the historicity of Christ’s virgin birth. In fact, Christ’s virgin birth is inevitable because Christ is our perfect, sinless Sacrifice for atonement. Again, all this is clearly explained in the Bible. Thus, we must unwaveringly affirm the blessed doctrine of Christ’s virgin birth for our salvation. Trusting God’s Word implies willing submission to His Word. Faith submits to the authority and truthfulness of God’s Word.

As Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce her virgin birth of the Savior, so I stand here to proclaim the virgin birth of Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. But some of you may say that the message of Christ’s virgin birth is neither scientific nor relevant to this scientific age. Today, it seems to make no sense at all. You may refuse to take Christ’s virgin birth as God’s special revelation for your salvation. Others of you may argue that the early church created the doctrine of Christ’s virgin birth to deify Jesus. You may mention that there are a lot of founding myths to support or justify the origins of their countries. You may say that there is not much difference between Christ’s virgin birth in Christianity and “Dangoon Myth” in Korea. In other words, you regard Christ’s virgin birth as a myth. However, in contrast to Dangoon Myth, Christ’s virgin birth is historical, factual, and supernatural. Dangoon Myth tries to explain how the first nation “Kojosun” in Korea started off. The mythical, imaginary elements are obvious.

Christ’s virgin birth is historically factual as we read in the book of Luke. However, you may argue Christ’s virgin birth was a concoction of the apostles to justify and establish their Christian movement. No matter what you say, you choose to believe what you think to be reasonable. However, God decided to bring His Son into this world through the body of the Virgin Mary to protect Him from the curse and sin of Adam and make Him a sinless Sacrifice for the remission of our sins.  

We are living in the Greenville area in 2022. On Dec. 11, we are in the middle of the 11:00 worship service. We are listening to the specific message of Christ’s virgin birth. In short, God tells us of His special revelation from the Bible about the specific way that His Son would come into the world. As we prepare to finish 2022 and begin 2023, we are receiving the good news of Christ’s coming into our midst. As a matter of fact, the revelation of our Savior’s birth is the greatest knowledge we must possess. We may wish to receive special knowledge or revelation about how to make fortunes, win a lottery of tens of millions of dollars, stay healthy for hundred fifty years, or how to succeed and become famous. However, the revelation of Christ’s birth is much more important than such passing knowledge. Without it, we will perish forever.

The news of her virgin birth of Christ must have been most shocking and yet completely untrustworthy in her life. She was a young virgin, probably fourteen or sixteen years old. How could such a young girl handle such terrifying news? How would she respond to it? We can’t fully imagine how terrified she was at the revelation of God. She humbly responded to it by faith. She was different from Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, King Ahaz, Sarah Abraham’s wife, and many others in the Bible. Most modern people laugh at the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. They quote medical science to show us why Christ’s virgin birth is a human concoction. Indeed, they proudly deny the historicity of Christ’s virgin birth on the basis of their reason and scientific knowledge. It is all because they do not know God and His power. God created the whole universe by word. They have chosen to put trust in the incomplete, insufficient knowledge of science, whereas we have chosen to put trust in God’s perfect knowledge and absolute power. We are to trust the good news of Christ’s virgin birth pronounced to the virgin Mary.

There are a lot of artificial substitutes available on the market today. Don’t settle for anything less than the best, the Word of God. We must bind our hearts with the word of God. Martin Luther said, “My conscience is bound to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is … dangerous to act against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me! Amen.”

There are things that try to shake our faith. There is so much news throughout the year that has grabbed our whole attention. Russia invaded Ukraine. They are still fighting each other. High inflation hit hard the markets. Triple-demic put people into fear. The world cup is still going on. People around the world are fascinated with some shocking world cup news. The media pour out economic, political, international, or entertainment news every day. We spend much time keeping ourselves updated with the passing news of the world. Indeed, we tend to immediately respond to such passing news because they pander to our interests and help our boredom. We often skip the most important news while paying attention to insignificant, trifling, crap news or fake news. In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their "flying machine" off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: "We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas." Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, "How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas." He totally missed the big news--man had flown! 

What news do you pay attention to? If you analyze the type of news that you read every day, you may realize what interests you or what is in your heart. During the Christmas season, we must give our hearts to the news of Christ’s birth. How do you respond to the good tidings of Christ’s coming? Well, at least you must not ignore or overlook it. You must press “Pause” to think about it. The only proper answer is to respond to it by faith as Mary did. You must rejoice in the good news of the birth of your Savior and believe in His virgin birth for your salvation. You must rejoice in God’s great work of salvation in Christ His Son’s birth. Don’t assume that God’s blessed message would be given to you on and on if you refuse to believe it. God is still gracious to you so that you have time to believe it as the gospel of Christ’s virgin birth for your redemption. If you don’t believe in His virgin birth, you can’t believe in His crucifixion, resurrection, and second coming. You must believe everything about Jesus Christ from His birth to His Second Coming. You can’t pick and choose only what you want to believe about Christ. Some choose to believe in Christ’s love, not Christ’s judgment. Remember you must believe in all things the Bible tells you about Christ.  

Conclusion: Do you welcome the coming of your Savior into this world? If your eyes are on the splendor of this passing world, you are missing the greatest blessing of God. You must turn your eyes to the glorious birth of your Savior. Surely, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is the greatest news given to sinners sitting under darkness. It demands you to believe. As you trust it, you must rejoice in the birth of Christ. The joy of salvation comes from God.

Let’s not forget how Mary responded to the breaking news of her virgin birth of Christ. It is not hard to imagine how terrified she became when she heard she would conceive without sleeping with Joseph. She could have been killed if people had mistaken her conception for an act of adultery. She risked her life as she gave herself as God’s instrument to bring the Savior into the world. In spite of all this, Mary trusted God’s special revelation. As a result, she experienced one of the greatest miracles of God. Likewise, we must respond to the good news of Christ’s virgin birth by faith. We must trust God’s special revelation of Christ’s virgin birth. If we trust Christ’s virgin birth, we will experience God’s work of salvation. We will experience the joy, peace, and power of God as we brace ourselves for another new year.

Christ’s virgin birth reminds us of the birth of Isaac whose birth seemed impossible with aged Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah trusted God’s seemingly impossible promise. The apostle Paul records their faith as follows: ¹⁷ 기록된 바 내가 너를 많은 민족의 조상으로 세웠다 하심과 같으니 그의 믿은바 하나님은 죽은 자를 살리시며 없는 것을 있는 것 같이 부르시는 이시니라 ¹⁸ 아브라함이 바랄 수 없는 중에 바라고 믿었으니 이는 네 후손이 이같으리라 하신 말씀대로 많은 민족의 조상이 되게 하려 하심을 인함이라 ¹⁹ 그가 백세나 되어 자기 몸의 죽은 것 같음과 사라의 태의 죽은 것 같음을 알고도 믿음이 약하여지지 아니하고 ²⁰ 믿음이 없어 하나님의 약속을 의심치 않고 믿음에 견고하여져서 하나님께 영광을 돌리며 ²¹ 약속하신 그것을 또한 능히 이루실 줄을 확신하였으니 ²² 그러므로 이것을 저에게 의로 여기셨느니라. ¹⁷ as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"-- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. ¹⁸ In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." ¹⁹ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. ²⁰ No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹ fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²² That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." (Rom 4:17-22). Like Abraham, Mary firmly trusted God’s promise of Christ’s virgin birth. Likewise, we must trust Christ’s virgin birth for our salvation. Trusting God’s Word about His Son’s miraculous birth for our redemption, let’s end 2022 and begin 2023 by Christ’s enabling grace and love.

Benediction: ²⁴ 능히 너희를 보호하사 거침이 없게 하시고 너희로 그 영광 앞에 흠이 없이 즐거움으로 서게 하실 자 ²⁵ 곧 우리 구주 홀로 하나이신 하나님께 우리 주 예수 그리스도로 말미암아 영광과 위엄과 권력과 권세가 만고 전부터 이제와 세세에 있을지어다 아멘. ²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)

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