0:03
you. And for that reason, the holy child shall be called the son of God. There's that idea of the the hovering, the the brooding, the coming and the coming upon, but the the brooding aspect of the
0:16
overshadowing. Um again um looking back at the creation days where the spirit hovered over the face of the deep. Uh the same
0:30
kind of thing is here. But but in here I I think it it spells out the the real function. Um and or
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if you prefer the not the only purpose, but it it seems to be the the emphasized purpose by by the
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language that Luke uh uses in that verse 35 of Luke chapter 1. um the Holy Spirit would come upon her
1:05
and the power of the most high will overshadow her. And then he says, "For that reason the holy child shall be called the son of God." Um
1:37
again, not the son of the Holy Spirit, but the son of God. But in in here,
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that the Holy Spirit's function was to sanctify Christ. to set him apart as the word uh is
2:04
defined to ensure the holiness the sinfulness the guiltlessness of Christ
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and it's a deep deep deep thought to try to uh at least for me to wrap my head around that but it seems again the
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language that that Luke uses for for the this reason that in the wisdom of God the three in one
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causing the causing the um the Holy Spirit to efficiently effectively uh bring about the sanctification
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the sanctification and uh so that's kind of where I'm I'm going to try to bring some points to why that is so. And
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uh again to me these things are when the more that I read the more that I see the the uh
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the arguments or the questions that that come up in my mind uh or come up in the reading that enters my mind is um
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over the years for example there are those who who question the virgin virgin birth. Was the virgin birth historical?
3:33
And I think we need to answer also the question um
4:00
is it necessary that we believe that Um first on the the question of the historical um and I didn't do a lot of
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research um but there is an argument for the mythological tradition that the early writers of the New Testament um
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were influenced by um both Egyptian uh andor uh andor uh Greek mythology where Um
4:33
where Um the the story is based on their their tendency to um link divine encounters with human women with women to produce
4:48
some extraordinary some extraordinary child uh some extraordinary offspring. Um, and I guess what amazed me was uh
4:59
trying to justify that by scripture uh that they did that. Um, and they go to Isaiah chapter 9. Uh, this will be familiar to most of you. Um it says for
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a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty
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God, eternal father, prince of peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government of or of peace on the throne of David
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and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Um, I was not able to
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link up link up what the historians told me was the link up of those who believe this mythological origin. Um, I don't know
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that I see that in that verse where they would get that. What I did see was when I looked at the Egyptian myths and the Greek myths,
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they're none of them have a virgin birth. All All of the ones that I could see were ones they were previously married or they were stolen from their husbands.
6:31
And it was like, okay, I'm I'm lost with this one. So, I'm going to, you know, some of the historians among you might might help. Um, the the Augustinian
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view, uh, a few centuries later was that that a sinless Lord was, uh, required a a virginal
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conception that it it Augustine's answer was was yes, this was necessary. But again, um I'm not sure where the
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mythological comes from except people trying to uh justify uh their I don't know their view or opinion that well this this is all a
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myth and they were trying to uh to show us that um it's no different from other other views of the Egyptians or the
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Greeks. But again, I I don't see how they can link Isaiah with with their view. Um, so I I just admit um I'm a little confused how they
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get there. Um, and yet nevertheless it is unique. I if there are in mythology there's no virgin
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birth again, what was the necess necessity for that? Um
8:09
trying to think I I believe yeah one of the commentators I I looked at uh takes us back to um John 1:13. So
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context there, of course, is is John's prologue to his gospel. And he's talking um I've always taken it as talking about uh those who believe in Christ. And he
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he adds in verse 13, who were born or begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
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God. And uh some of the theologians will say, but that also has to apply to to Christ. It it was not by the will of
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man. uh it was not by the will of um of of human wisdom and thought but of God.
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his gospel chapter 1 uh verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy
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Spirit. Again, Spirit. Again, her role in that um was passive. She was found to be with child by the Holy
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Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
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appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child has been conceived or again begotten in
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her uh who has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. So, um there's nowhere in in scripture that that I know
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of anyway where there's a recording of a a virgin birth. Um from the mythologies, I don't see it in the scriptures. I don't see it. This this is a unique
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thing. But um it it is a mysterious action of the Holy Spirit. It is something again that um
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I have a except by faith um Sinclair Ferguson uh wrote this the active contribution of humanity in
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providing salvation providing salvation meaning salvation through Christ in this manner is nullified that that um
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Christ's human nature was inherited through Mary through Mary but as I say I believe that it had to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
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Uh John Calvin puts it this way. So that Jesus would not be addicted to so many wretchednesses. Um and Spellcheck doesn't like that word
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wretchednesses, but he's trying to to point out the the difference. Uh
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Romans 8. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin,
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he condemned sin in the flesh. Um Jesus would suffer pain. We we know that uh he suffered temptation. Um he suffered from
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uh deprivation of food. Um what does he say? the son of man has no place to lay his head. Uh deprivation of what we would consider the creature comforts. Um
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and yet through all of that the the reviling, the um ill treatment, the the questioning, the
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um even the early attempts on his life. um he was he remained sinless. And um
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And um Owen says uh this is John Owen's uh commentary, being not begotten by natural generation, the human nature of Christ derived no taint of original sin
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or corruption from Adam. Um, that's to me why it was necessary
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that if he were to be um well um I saw something on the the internet this week that uh people who quote other people
14:04
just do that because they don't know how to say anything. Well, maybe But the scripture says it better than I can. And I'll just admit, um, in that
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they're right. Um, the scripture says it better than I can. Hebrews chapter 7. For it was fitting for us to have such a
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high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Fitting doesn't just mean, well, that
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was a really good thing. Vitting to me says it was necessary that in order for him to bring
14:46
sinners to glory to present us to God, to bring us into God's presence, he had to be holy. And the way that he was
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the Holy Spirit. that that power that came um upon Mary was the conception of of Christ. Um and this is um
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again this is echoing back to Luke or sorry Isaiah 11. And the emphasis um
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many put on this is the the chute or the branch um in the the language of Isaiah showing
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that that he's coming he will be human but It's from the spirit working. He's Isaiah 11, I think
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this is verse one. Then as a chute will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from its his roots will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest
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on him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. Um, here's to to
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sorry I've got them backwards. John 1 and then Luke 2
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the Holy Spirit brought in this sanctification. the um the sanctifying of his mind, his will, um his soul
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um and affections uh creating some someone pure uh innocent, undefiled
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innocent, undefiled um and it was by the immediate work of the Holy Spirit. And then we read in in Luke chapter 2, and I wrote the reference, but I forgot to type it out
17:52
here, but what we see is, and this is kind of a little ahead of where we'll be today probably, but you know, you're
18:03
familiar with the the passage in Luke 2:52. He kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. But even before that he says, "And the
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child uh this is verse 40 of chapter 2 that the child continued to grow and become strong increasing in wisdom
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or being continually filled with wisdom filling filling. He was filled it seems to be to be and the grace of God was was upon him. I
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that to me seems as and maybe I'm reading the Greek wrong, but um it wasn't that he was continually being filled with grace as he was with wisdom,
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but he came he was born full of grace. Um and that to me is the
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from Yeah, I've heard that argument and uh I'm trying to think is it James or I think is where I read that. Um Sinclair Ferguson says he doesn't see
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it to me the the mystery um it is the fact that he's born from a woman. Does that mean as Jerry has said that the sinful nature of every person born uh after Adam is from the the male? I
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Yeah. I'm still Chuck. you have a I know you've I would just say that it's a good and necessary
21:28
influence. Um yeah, I I I don't know. I I'm I'm not with you yet.
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So you may not remember all the particulars here that I found and I is brief but um
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adoptionism does not affirm the virgin birth at all. that Jesus was born a man and at some point and they apparently cannot agree at what point, baptism,
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resurrection or ascension, God the father adopted the human person Jesus and made him his
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son, declared him his son. And uh I just finished um I I've I've read one of Tom Holland's uh books
24:37
called PAX the the uh the golden age of war and peace in uh of Rome. Uh roughly
24:48
from Nero up through Hadrien. Uh so it covers the uh siege of Jerusalem and all of that. And um the many of those um Roman emperors
25:02
toward the end of their lives believed that they were gods and that god the gods were adopting them and promoting
25:16
them to a special place and um perhaps I I don't know again more mythology or
25:26
something in here. But that's that's adoptionism. Yes, adoptionism. Yes, it's incorrect. it's incorrect. But we do have some passages like Psalm 2 that is that is then repeated
25:52
Paul says in first great mystery of godliness. was revealed in the flesh. This is mysterious and somebody can take a passage like that and and rejecting the unity of the two
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natures in one person come up with this view. It wouldn't necessarily have to come fromological sources
26:17
Yeah. Appears to be justification for a point in time at which the father declared Jesus to be his son. Yeah, I don't agree with it. Yeah, that's
26:28
Yeah, that's it's tough to practice. Yeah, it is. Um and I I don't mean to rattle cages at all. I just I think
26:38
in our world um and not just our world, but through history, we you will have challenges. Why do you believe what you
26:49
believe? And I I guess, you know, perhaps I'm I'm raising more questions than I'm answering here. Uh but these are things that I found I I need to
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think these these through. Uh did you have Okay, go ahead. John is speaking
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John develop that in the next talks from above
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right belongs to the earth who comes from heaven allenimas.
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But no, no, that's that's good that you saw. Um I didn't see it at first and then yesterday it was like wait a minute because I had typed John 3. Truly, truly
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I say to you, you you unless you were born of water and the spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. He's speaking that as he said to Nicodemus.
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But John the Baptist goes on to expand that as you have have just read further down the line. And Jesus says in in
28:28
other places and I'm not sure I wrote those down but um it's um yeah John John chapter 8 uh echoes that
28:52
And in the same um well let me just read it. So the Jews Jews were contesting him uh and and wondering to themselves about him. They said surely he will not kill
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himself will he? Since he says where I am going you cannot come. And Jesus was saying to them you are from below. I am from above. And then
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tells us that his conception had to come from the godhead, had to come from um the work of of the trinity together. Um
29:41
so yes, thank you for pointing that out that out. Um so let me go to this and then we'll we'll do some more here. But um this dynamic um monarch monarchianism
29:57
uh as I say is about divinity. It it does not affirm Jesus as distinct divine person.
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But there's one God, the father. There's Jesus, a man. And the He was born of the virgin, but empowered by God's own divinity
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through the spirit and raised to unity with God. with God. And so really what what they're denying
30:57
So against what we would say 100% God, 100% man. 100% man. um Athanasius and I I could not find the direct uh quote uh but this is 3 century
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AD um and I'm paraphrasing. If Christ was merely adopted as God's son, he is incapable of saving humanity
31:21
from sin because this exchange requires that the mediator be both fully divine and fully human. Um
31:36
in an article entitled Jesus the eternal son uh answering subtitled answering adoptionist Christologology uh the author Michael Bird. So this is a 2017 article. He writes to say that Jesus
31:49
became the son through merit promotes salvation by works undermining the heart of the gospel. In order to articulate the gospel with
32:00
power, it is necessary that Jesus be the eternal son of God who brings salvation through being fully man and fully God.
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So um So um that's why that's why going back to John 3 and John 8, Jesus says I I am from above. I I I am not of
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of the earth. I am not of this world. Um, and uh, it it is interesting that um,
32:34
in that passage that you read, I I'm not sure where you stopped, but to me, one of the key phrases in John 3, um, John uh, John the Baptist's ter
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testimony uh, is in verse 34 where he speaks of Jesus as the one who speaks the words of God. He says, "For he whom God has sent
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speaks the words of God, for he gives the spirit without measure."
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kind of bring together the idea that the fullness of grace, the sanctifying or the setting aside, the sinlessness, the
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guiltlessness um without measure. Um the father loves the son and has given all things into his hand. And he who believes in the son has eternal life, but he who does not
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obey the son will not see life, but ha the wrath of God abides on him. Uh John's testimony there is very powerful um and and lays out the gospel. um as
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his had his encounter with Jesus uh the one that he says the thong of his sandal I'm not even unworthy worthy to untie
34:27
questions comments got three hands who okay I'll abe I'll abe I was just thinking about number two
34:58
Yeah. So it is to contemplate my faith. because it comes from God. It doesn't
35:08
come from me, right? So, I guess I get really upset about anybody who
35:37
right. Right. But you're you're agreeing with John chapter 1. Not by the will of man. Not but by the will of God. Yes. Just that sometimes we can delve into
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Well, I I would be with you there. Um, but yet ignoring that other people believe certain things I think is also
36:22
trying to think how to say that. Um, it's been my attitude especially as a a young believer when things would come up like this just stick my head in the
36:34
But it has also caused me to go back to the scripture and say, well, what do I do? What do I believe? So, yes, confuting them. There are people who have those
36:44
skills who can draw them out and point those things out. I'm not one of those apologists, but uh knowing what I believe is is an anchor of the soul for
36:57
me. Uh going back to scripture. Yes, Jerry. Uh let's see. We we'll go we'll go from the back to the front. Jerry and
37:37
right but but again knowing the word when you hear something that goes clunk, you know, or makes you go um Yeah. Then I mean it's important.
38:41
you know I think you answered before my second part of my question was more about like is this do you see your role as let me present some of the things I know some of you may talk about it rather than trying to knock everything down. And at what point
38:52
do we just um the analogy I think is that for instance when they they try to identify train people for
39:03
identifying that which is counterfeit currency they don't show them tons of counter and teach them how to identify they show them the original so that they
39:15
play how we approach Yeah, I need to I just want to understand your perspective on what's for us when it comes to
39:26
philosophical systems to identify something that I can't really explain. Yeah. Um well the second part the only it may sound too simplistic but going
39:39
back to the source to the original and then when you hear somebody saying something you like the the people looking at the the money. I remember going to the mint
39:51
in Washington and watching those sheets of 20s and was like can I have like three of those sheets? Um but um that's what they teach him is if you know the
40:01
original, you know the the authentic, then you can spot the inauthentic or the false. Um and the word but um the word
40:12
is so deep. Um we keep having to be you know that's why the scriptures keep telling us keep be being filled Galatians says with the spirit be being
40:24
uh growing in those things. Um, and the first part, yes, you'll you'll hear people say, uh, you'll in response to something that you might
40:35
say, well, my God's not like that. And it's like, well, I'm trying to read the God who has revealed himself in scripture. So, to me, the first part of
40:47
what you said is yes, our own arandisement. This is this is what I think. Um, but does it comport with scripture? So yes, I these are how much
40:58
do we wrestle with these things? Um I don't encounter people, you know, hadn't seen this at all, but being able to recognize something that goes, well,
41:09
wait a minute. Let me let me see how that comports with scripture.
41:22
But God is a god of logic and reason for reason. for reason. for us in a
42:18
Right. So that's one thought. Um another thought is just that great men of the church wrote and
42:28
contested these issues for our sake. Yes. And and we owe we owe debt to those like Aanas who would wrestle with these
42:41
things. Yeah. things. Yeah. Because these are these are still issues. Well, and Well, and yeah, this is what I was thinking of is you're going to be tested on some level.
42:51
It may just be by your own children. You know, mom, why? Or dad, you know, can you explain this to me? Or why do you believe this? Or Johnny down the street
43:04
said his mom said, um, and you need, you know, we we need to to wrestle or even by our own reading when we come
43:14
across a passage like Jesus baptism, you're my son today. What does that what does it mean?
43:28
read 14 declares to be the son of God. Yeah. I think I think in my opinion this is not evangelistic.
43:39
I don't think we should even think of it as something. Yeah. Somebody about Yeah. This is scripture. It seems to me that we need to we need
43:52
to emphasize the humanity of Christ to the point that it seems like we're denying his divinity and then turn around and emphasize the divinity of Christ. It seems like we're denying his humanity.
44:04
Yeah. This is the mystery of godliness. This is glorious. Yeah. This is Yeah. There have been a lot of heresies and we need to be prepared in the church to ward off those
44:15
philosophies that lead to unbelief. need to know the scripture. We the idea of of the treasury inspectors, that's a
44:25
bit of an urban myth. Those men and women are also way up the scale on methods of counterfeiting. They know what it's like hackers and and
44:38
you know internet what do they call them? Firewalls. Yeah. They know the tactics of their enemy. There's nothing new under the sun.
44:49
So heresies involving the dual nature of Christ have fallen into patterns. Those are just names of those patterns.
44:59
Okay? Just a name. That's not the point. The point is this is miraculous. This is amazing. This is This is this is super rational.
45:10
And and we are called in the church to defend this not against the world but within our own flock. These heresies want to come in to the
45:21
church, right? Yeah. So, well taken point. Um, yes. These the mystery of of godliness and the mystery of how
45:32
the godhead works together too. Yes. Just one small point on that, especially theistic value of knowing these things. We all of
45:42
us have different gifts and God brought us as a church to mutually support one another in the mission to spread the
45:54
knowledge of God across creation. So each one of us has his own gift from Yeah. Doesn't mean that all of us need to know all of these things all the time.
46:05
Yeah. But but I think certainly for the sake of a healthy body, it is good that some of us do.
46:17
Yeah. Sometimes I I I get I get surprised un unawares um just again naive about uh sometimes how the world thinks and uh need to educate myself
46:30
some more on what what's out there. Um but knowing that I have uh the scripture and uh the Holy Spirit
46:43
to guard us and guide us in these things. Um two things seem to be emphasized here. Um
47:15
So we see that in the um in Romans 5, therefore just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin and so death spread to all men because
47:27
all sin all sin So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation of all men,
47:38
but even so, through one act of righteousness there resulted in justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience, the
47:49
many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteousness.
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I don't know if this is a word, but I'm going to write it.
48:20
It doesn't take long in any given day to see this.
48:31
So also, this is uh Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. Corinthians 15. So also it is written, the first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a lifegiving spirit. However, the
48:43
spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy. The second man is from heaven. Um, again, I just
48:58
reading the scripture and uh rejoicing in these things that that God has done. um to try to wrap up this idea the
49:09
thought of the conception and may hopefully next week we'll get to um again what one of the theologians called the the hidden years uh Christ growing
49:21
up and uh developing um the trinity the trinity is father son and holy spirit together
49:31
obviously but the the conception from what I can read in the in the scriptures is um
49:51
God's uh authority, his um his um design, designation design, designation as the son of God.
50:01
Um we talked last week quite a bit about uh Jesus volunteer yeah voluntary assumption of that body
50:14
that nature took on that nature and then the Holy Spirit executing the
50:43
this wording seemed to resonate with me just divine efficiency um the Holy Spirit at work. Um, so I'm going to end by reading uh quickly just
50:54
some passages of scripture that um somebody uh brought this up at the end of one of the sessions uh from from Hebrews 10. The writer says
51:08
uh of uh of uh Jesus coming into the world, it says when he comes into the world, he says sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but a body you have prepared
51:20
for me. for me. And as I looked at some other passages, just this body
51:32
this body was necessary the way it was created in human life and two passages and we'll end 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24 about
51:44
that body. that body. and he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his
51:56
wounds you were healed. And in Colossians 1, and although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has
52:09
now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond
52:21
reproach. That's amazing. Let us pray. Our heavenly father, we do acknowledge these things are mysterious to us. They're
52:33
they're hard to to grasp in any sort of fullness. And I hope that we are never satisfied with the wisdom
52:45
and uh understanding that we have today. but we would continue to grow in wisdom, grow in faith, grow in grace as by your
52:56
Holy Spirit you lead us into these things, into all the truth. And so we ask, Father, that you would continue to do these things. And we would continue to be um
53:08
faithful to read your word, to study, to sit under teaching and preaching, and to see if these things are so. and to live
53:20
a a life that is pleasing to you in our belief, but never never being satisfied or settled that we
53:33
we know all. And so we ask that you would again do these things. Please, Father, we we ask that you would build your church. In Christ's name we pray.
