Thursday, December 20, 2018 – Luke 1:34-35

The Announcement of the Birth of the Son of Man to Mary, Pt. 5,

The Importance of the Virgin Birth!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt8etBxsy1w

Grace Fellowship Church

Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard

www.GraceDoctrine.org

www.facebook.com/GraceDoctrine

The Gospel of Luke  

II. The Identification of the Son of Man with Men, Luke 1:5-4:13.

  B. The Announcement of the Birth of the Son of Man, Luke 1:26-56.

Vs. 34-35

In these passages, we see Mary questioning Gabriel about all that he told her and his response. Mary expresses no doubt in what Gabriel says, but only asks about the conception. She is not asking, “Can you do it?” She is not questioning the validity of her pregnancy. She is asking, “How will you do it?” Her question builds on faith, not unbelief. This is why Gabriel does not rebuke.

Remember that Zachariah too questioned Gabriel about his announcement regarding the birth of John the Baptist in vs. 18, “How will I know this for certain?” There, Zachariah first shows his doubt, and then his second response is a question about the conception, which we can assume was not from a place of faith and inquisitiveness. In addition, based on Gabriel’s responses to Zachariah and Mary, Zachariah’s was done in doubt, whereas Mary’s questioning was done in an inquisitive manner, as Gabriel punished Zachariah with muteness, yet Mary only received more information.

“The youthful village maiden, amid her humble daily duties, shows a more ready faith in the far more startling message than the aged priest in the holy place of the temple in the atmosphere of the sacred incense.”

(The Fourfold Gospel: or A Harmony of the Four Gospels.) cf. vs. 45.

She also states, “since I am a virgin,” which in the Greek is EPEI ANER OUK GINOSKO, which is literally, “since a man I have not known.” The Present Tense of GINOSKO is a retroactive progressive present, which is an action begun in the past that continues into the present, with emphasis on the present time. It means, she has not, in the past right up to this present moment, had sexual relations with a man. Therefore, she was, and still is, a virgin.

Sensing this conception to be near, and knowing that she was a virgin, and her wedding date was month’s away, and that she did not want to break the Law, she rightly inquires “How can this be done.” Clearly, the Lord did not expect her to sin, so Gabriel will tell her in the following verses.

In vs. 35, Gabriel does not attempt to explain the details of this miracle, as I tried to in the Meiosis and Polar Body discussion above. Instead, he tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” HAGIOS PNEUMA EPERCHOMAI. Cf. Mat 1:18-20.

EPERCHOMAI, ἐπέρχομαι that means, “come upon, approach, or overtake,” is used in Luke 1:35; Acts 1:8, regarding the Holy Spirit who “comes upon” those blessed by God. This “coming upon” from above by the Holy Spirit brings “power,” DUNAMIS. In Mary’s case, the power to conceive and in Acts 1:8, the indwelling enabling power of the Holy Spirit for Church Age believers.

This power is from “the Most High,” HUPSISTOS once again, that means from God Himself, who will “overshadow” Mary, EPISKIAZO, ἐπισκιάζω that means, “to shade or to overshadow.” It is used in a metaphysical sense as an obscuring that distorts the true perspective of an object to be known. It was used in the LXX for the cloud pillar that overshadowed the meeting tent of Moses, which was a visible manifestation of God, our Lord Jesus Christ for Israel, Ex 40:35. It also brings to mind Gen 1:2, where the Holy Spirit was “hovering over” the face of the deep in creation. In the NT, it symbolizes the presence of God overshadowing or being with and providing power. In this case, it was the power to create a body for the Lord Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union. It was also the word used at the transfiguration. And, in all five NT usages, it speaks to God’s power and glory, Mat 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 1:35; 9:34; Acts 5:15. Therefore, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God the Father, a body was prepared for God the Son who would be brought forth by Mary.

The Importance of the Virgin Birth by the Holy Spirit.

1. Two categories of omnipotence were involved in the preparation of the true humanity of Christ in hypostatic union: the omnipotence of God the Father and the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.

2. The Old Sin Nature (OSN) resides in every cell in the human body save one, and that is the female egg when released in ovulation. Through Meiosis and Polar bodies, the 23 chromosomes in the egg are free from the Old Sin Nature. The 23 male chromosomes provided in copulation carry the Old Sin Nature.

3. The virgin Mary had an OSN. Both males and females are carriers of the OSN, but only the male can transmit it in copulation. Therefore, God the Holy Spirit provided 23 perfect male chromosomes, meaning they were without the OSN, to Mary’s 23 female chromosomes.

4. Our Lord was born as true and perfect humanity exactly as Adam was created true and perfect humanity. Our Lord was born trichotomous, having body, soul, and spirit; Adam was created trichotomous, having a body, soul, and spirit.

5. When Adam and the woman sinned, they became dichotomous, and spiritual death replaced the human spirit.

6. At our physical birth, God simultaneously imputes human life to our soul and Adam’s original sin to the OSN. Therefore, we are born into the world physically alive and simultaneously spiritually dead. Being spiritually dead means we are totally cut off from God, having only a body and soul.

7. However, our Lord’s physical birth was definitely unique; for the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit fertilized Mary’s egg with 23 perfect male chromosomes. Therefore, our Lord was born without the OSN; therefore, there could be no imputation of Adam’s original sin.

8. Being born perfect and trichotomous with body, soul, and spirit, our Lord was born into the prototype spiritual life. He was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He remained inside the prototype spiritual life throughout His life, even though He was tempted far beyond anything we have ever known.

9. Having no OSN and no sin of His own, He qualified as the perfect sacrifice, “without spot or blemish,” for our sins upon the Cross.

10. Therefore, the virgin birth is a major issue. Without the virgin birth, our Lord was not qualified to become our Savior in true humanity.

Next, we see that as a result of the Holy Spirit’s overshadowing, Mary will give birth to a “holy offspring,” HAGIOS GENNAO. HAGIOS means, “holy,” but also “set apart.” Jesus was set apart for special ministry during His life, as we know. GENNAO is the word used for “begat, begotten, or father of,” in the lineage passages of Matthew and Luke. Therefore, because Jesus would be conceived by “the Most High,” or God, and be “the Holy offspring” or son, He could legitimately “be called,” KALEO, “the Son of God,” HUIOS THEOS.

This is the first time the term “Son of God,” would be used for Jesus, which became a distinctive term for Him. And, as we noted above, in Jewish thought being called, “the son of,” made the offspring equal to the father in essence and attribute. Therefore, Jesus, the Son of God, is considered to be God Himself, which He is as the 2^nd member of the Trinity.

God, through Gabriel, reveals two of the greatest mysteries in the universe: the incarnation and the Trinity. Interestingly, Luke gives us a Trinitarian account in these passages.

1, The Most High = God the Father.

2, He tells us directly of the Holy Spirit.

3, The Holy offspring and Son of God tell us of Jesus Christ.

Gabriel refers to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit each having a part. But it is God the Son who will take on Himself human flesh in the humility of a babe.

Heb 10:5, “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME’.” Cf. Psa 40:5.

Because of the Future Tense, some have interpreted “He shall be called the Son of God,” as implying that He became the Son of God at His birth, thus denying His eternal Sonship. Yet, the Scriptures teach that He was the Son before He was sent; not only was one of the persons of the Godhead sent, but the One sent was the Beloved Son of the eternal Father, 1 John 4:14 “the Father sent the Son.” Many other such verses teach that it was the eternal Son who came,  John 1:1, 14, 18; 3:16, 31-36; 4:34; 5:24, 30; 17:24; Heb 1:1-3; 7:1-3; 1 John 4:9-10.

Because Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, He is the perfect Savior. He needed to be God to supply the righteousness humans could not achieve. He needed to be man to supply to God the sacrifice we owe. So, He became the only mediator between God and man; the God-man, Christ Jesus. He is the only way for men to come to God.

As such, we find three aspects to Jesus being called the Son of God:

1. Because of His eternal, immutable, and unparalleled relationship with God the Father, John 1:1, 14, 18.

2. Because He was born into the world in a supernatural manner; overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.

3. Because by His resurrection He was begotten from the dead, Rom 1:4; Acts 13:33; Psa 2:7, signifying His purpose for coming into the world and His victory won at the Cross, cf. 1 Cor 15:54-57.

Rom 1:4, “Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Hypostatic Union of the God‑man.

1.The pre-incarnate person of Christ is classified as undiminished deity. He is coequal, coinfinite, and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

2. The post-incarnate person of Christ is classified as hypostatic union. He is undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever.

3. Because of the virgin pregnancy and resultant virgin birth, the true humanity of Christ was trichotomous, having a body, soul, and spirit like Adam at creation.

4. Jesus Christ is God, and as God, He is coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. All three members of the Trinity have identical essence. When speaking of the attributes of God, God is said to be one.  But there are actually three persons in the Godhead, all having identical attributes. Each one has coequal, coeternal, and coinfinite sovereignty, holiness, justice, righteousness, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immutability, veracity, etc. So, God is one in essence, but three in persons.

5. But Jesus Christ became different from the Father and the Holy Spirit at the point of the virgin birth, because He now became true humanity; hence, the God‑man. This is the doctrine of the hypostatic union.

6. In the person of the incarnate Christ are two natures, inseparably united, without mixture or loss of separate identity, without loss or transfer of properties or attributes, the union both personal and eternal.

7. In other words, since the incarnation, our Lord Jesus Christ is both true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever. So, Jesus Christ is different from the Father and the Spirit in that He is true humanity. He is different from true humanity in that He is God.

8. Whoever is the mediator between God and man must be equal with both parties. Jesus Christ is both God and true humanity. Therefore, as God He is equal with the party of the first part, God the father. As true humanity, He is equal and superior to all members of the human race, the part of the second part. So, as the God‑Man, He becomes the mediator between God and man.

9. The pre-incarnate person of Christ was Deity. But once His First Advent occurred at the point of the virgin birth, Jesus Christ became the unique person forever, the God‑man in hypostatic union

10. In the Incarnation, no attribute of essence was changed. The union of the Divine and human natures of the incarnate Christ must be considered hypostatic and personal. The Greek noun HUPOSTASIS means, “substance, essence, standing under, taking a thing upon oneself.” Christ took upon Himself true humanity since hypostatic refers to the whole Person of Christ as distinguished from His two natures; Divine and Human also called theanthropic, the God-man, John 1:1-2, 14; Rom 1:3-4; 9:5; Phil 2:5-9.

The False Interpretation of the Hypostatic Union:  Gnosticism.

Gnosticism implies that the deity of Christ is possessed by the humanity of Christ or indwelt the humanity of Christ, saying that the union is only harmony or sympathy. In truth, the union is personal. The two natures have been combined into one essence which is personal and eternal.