Is the Virgin Birth Believable?
Is it possible in today’s age to believe that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ actually happened? Is it scientifically possible? Many have reason to be skeptical of such things, as we just don’t see things like this happening every day. While I don’t have any evidence to present that specifically supports the virgin birth, because of much of the other evidence I have been presenting here on the blog, I find the virgin birth very believable.
The Evidence of Creation Makes it Easy for Me to Believe
As I have presented in many posts, I believe that there has to be a satisfying reason why the universe, in it’s amazing complexity, exists. The evidence strongly favors the idea that there was a beginning to the universe, meaning there was a time when there was nothing, and then the universe (time, space and matter) came into existence. This had to have a cause. What’s more, this cause had to be outside of time, space and matter and it had to have the power to bring the universe into existence. It, or he, also had to have the intelligence to design the universe in the way that would make life in it possible. As I have presented before, there is a slim set of possible conditions that all have to be met for life to be possible.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough to show the need for a creator, this creator also had to be able to bring life into existence from non-life. Everything we know from science tells us that life does not just spontaneously generate from non-life. What’s more, reason tells us that the amount of information in DNA, the instructions for the building of all living things, could not have come about from a non-intelligent source. The evidence is clear to me that there was a designer and creator of life.
The Evidence of the Resurrection Makes it Easy for Me to Believe
As I have also presented in many posts, the evidence is strong that Jesus Christ actually died by crucifixion, was buried, and rose again from the dead. This idea isn’t just wishful thinking, a nice myth that makes us feel better and more hopeful. When you examine the historical evidence with an open mind, it presents a very strong case. To me it’s a convincing case. The alternative theories fail to account for the five minimal facts of the resurrection. If the evidence was just that the tomb was empty, for example, the theory that his body was stolen might be satisfying. But that’s not the sole piece of evidence. You also have to explain why the disciples clearly believed that they had witnessed the risen Jesus, and gave their lives defending that belief. You also have to explain why an enemy and a skeptic also came to believe in the risen Jesus, and give their lives for their new found belief.
Dead men don’t often come back to life, but a God who can bring life out of non-life can certainly handle bringing a human body back to life.
The God of Miraculous Life
If God can bring life into existence from nothing and bring a dead human body back to life, then why should we find it difficult to believe that he could bring about a virgin birth? Just as God brought hope to the world through the miraculous child who has been born for us, he can bring new life to you when life seems hopeless. He came for you. God loves you so much that, even though we have all turned out backs on him and thought we could do life just fine without him, he sent his only Son to come for us. Jesus is God and he was born miraculously all so that he could give his life for you and I. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that we can be forgiven and enjoy life as God intended it, in relationship with him. And then after he died for us, he rose again from the dead and forever lives as the bridge between God and man.
That’s what we celebrate at Christmas. It’s my prayer for you that, if you haven’t yet, you will receive God’s Christmas gift to you, the gift of new life in Christ. Tell him that you believe and that you want to be forgiven and know him, both now and for eternity. Merry Christmas to All!
This is because in Greek, the language of the New Testament, “Christ” is spelled as you see to the right, in red. It is pronounced Kris-toss (short o). The first letter is a Chi, pronounced Kī (long i). Because of this, scribes and scholars have used a Chi (X) to abbreviate “Christ” for at least 1,000 years.
