Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Isaiah 7:14 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
I BELIEVE HE WAS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY
In the Gospel of Luke we are assured that the birth of Jesus was a historical fact, as he places the birth into the history of the day (note the reference to Caesar Augustus and to the governorship of Quirinius of Syria in the opening verses of Luke 2). That Jesus was really born and really lived is a fact that we confess with this phrase in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.
Jesus was born of a human mother just like every one of us, though in much more humble surroundings. In our devotion from John 1 a few days ago we were told that "the Word" (referring to Jesus) "became flesh and dwelt among us." He took on human form, became flesh and blood. God had promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, king David and so many others that the Savior of the world would come from their descendants, and that He would be a real human being. In the garden God promised that the "Seed of the woman" would crush the head of Satan. He would be a real man. Here in Isaiah it is foretold that the Savior would be conceived by a virgin and would bear a Son -- a real person, true man in all things. This Son of the virgin was Jesus -- His life on this earth is told in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These men tell the story of a true human being just like us. This Jesus was a real man. He needed to eat and drink, he needed to sleep, and went through the same human emotions that we go through. He was sad, he cried, he showed compassion and mercy.
This Jesus is our deliverance from sin who came to carry out God's magnificent rescue operation of salvation. Praise be to God that He did carry out this promise that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son. Thanks be to God for the salvation we have received through that Holy Child, our Savior Jesus Christ.
