The 10 Essential Absolute Truths. #3

by Igotsunshine

Last week I continued the discussion about the absolute truths regarding Christianity. Let me recap here briefly what I said. First the absolute truths regarding Christianity deal with 4 primary areas:
1. God
2. Creation
3. Man
4. Salvation

The Fundamentals of the Christian Faith are the non-negotiables that define true Christianity. In order to be called a Christian let me continue to outline the The 10 Essential Absolute Truths. Now we got through 2 of the 10. Number one being the inspiration and authority (sole authority) of the Bible. Being number one is not arbitrary. If you do not believe this first essential absolute truth then the rest of this discussion is quite useless. Number 2 was the creation of man by the direct act of God. And now I move on to number 3 namely:

The incarnation and virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I see the word incarnation is what does that word mean?
So here I find something close to an explanation in Wikipedia on Christian Incarnation: (here I only include part of the explanation)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that the second person in the Christian Godhead, also known as God the Son or the Logos (Word), "became flesh" when he was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Mary while she was a virgin.
The Incarnation is a fundamental theological teaching of orthodox (Nicene) Christianity, based on its understanding of the New Testament. The Incarnation represents the belief that Jesus, who is the non-created second hypostasis of the triune God, took on a human body and nature and became both man and God. In the Bible its clearest teaching is in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”
In the Incarnation, as traditionally defined, the divine nature of the Son was joined but not mixed with human nature in one divine Person, Jesus Christ, who was both "truly God and truly man".
This is central to the traditional faith held by most Christians.
Basically incarnation is the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ.
I am not willing to go into a debate about the meaning past the definition in the Bible. Namely in the following verses (one that was already included here):

Let’s look at some scripture:

John 1:1-2, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Colosssians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

Here we have --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wesley's Notes
For in him dwelleth - Inhabiteth, continually abideth, all the fulness of the Godhead. Believers are filled with all the fulness of God, Eph 3:19. But in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead; the most full Godhead; not only divine powers, but divine nature, Col 1:19. Bodily - Personally, really, substantially. The very substance of God, if one might so speak, dwells in Christ in the most full sense.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Again I allude to the useful purpose of Wesley’s Notes:
Therefore - Because you despise me, and the sign which I now offer to you, God of his own free grace will send you a more honourable messenger, and give you a nobler sign. A sign - Of your deliverance. But how was this birth, which was not to happen 'till many ages after, a sign of their deliverance from present danger? This promised birth supposed the preservation of that city, and nation and tribe, in and of which the Messiah was to be born; and therefore there was no cause to fear that ruin which their enemies now threatened. Immanuel - God with us; God dwelling among us, in our nature, John 1:14. God and man meeting in one person, and being a mediator between God and men. For the design of these words is not so much to relate the name by which Christ should commonly he called, as to describe his nature and office.
John 8:58 “I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
I like this short discussion from the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary:
Before Abraham was, I am-The words rendered "was" and "am" are quite different. The one clause means, "Abraham was brought into being"; the other, "I exist." The statement therefore is not that Christ came into existence before Abraham did (as Arians affirm is the meaning), but that He never came into being at all, but existed before Abraham had a being; in other words, existed before creation, or eternally (as Joh 1:1). In that sense the Jews plainly understood Him, since "then took they up stones to cast at Him," just as they had before done when they saw that He made Himself equal with God (Joh 5:18).

Further in the New Testament part of the Bible we have:
Matthew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (or Emmanuel)--which means, "God with us."

In further explanation let us look again at Wesley's Notes:

They shall call his name Emmanuel - To be called, only means, according to the Hebrew manner of speaking, that the person spoken of shall really and effectually be what he is called, and actually fulfil that title. Thus, Unto us a child is born - and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace - That is, he shall be all these, though not so much nominally, as really, and in effect. And thus was he called Emmanuel; which was no common name of Christ, but points out his nature and office; as he is God incarnate, and dwells by his Spirit in the hearts of his people. It is observable, the words in Isaiah are, Thou (namely, his mother) shalt call; but here, They - that is, all his people, shall call - shall acknowledge him to be Emmanuel, God with us.

Using the Bible as the inspiration and sole authority to me clearly states the incarnation and virgin birth of Jesus.

I will end with this…

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ


"You will be with child and give birth to a son ...'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:34-35).
The virgin birth is an essential doctrine of historic Christianity. Christ did not have a sin nature. To be the perfect sacrifice, as Jesus was, required that He be free of sin. Yet, Christ had to be fully man. The virgin birth solved both of these requirements: Christ was born of a woman so as to be fully man; yet was born as result of the miraculous intervention of God, by means of the Holy Spirit -- the result of which was that Adam's sin nature was not passed to Jesus.
The Old Testament prophesied the virgin birth: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Those who deny the virgin birth often claim this text should be rendered "A young woman will be with child." That interpretation would render the passage meaningless since the birth was to be a sign. A virgin bearing a child is a sign; a young woman bearing a child is not a sign.

The Apostles recognized Isaiah's sign as applying to Jesus -- they affirmed the virgin birth. "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:22-23).

Most cults deny the virgin birth. Some claim that Christ's conception and birth was no different than that of any other person. At least one claims that Jesus' birth was the result of sexual relations between God and Mary. All deny the clear teaching of Scripture that this was a miraculous intervention by God the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth is an essential of the faith and must not be compromised.