Anderson: the virgin birth

Tuesday, December 3, 2024
    Commemoration of Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies, Missionary, 1552
Meditation:
    And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
    —Luke 1:26-28 (KJV)
Quotation:
    I have put no emphasis on the virgin birth in the course of this chapter. This is not because I do not believe in it, for I do; but because, as I understand it, the account of Christ’s miraculous birth was given in the Gospels for the sake of those who had already come to believe in him and who wished to know the facts, but was never used as a means of evoking faith in those who were not yet convinced on other grounds as to who he was. After all, a virgin birth would be possible without any implications of deity.
    ... J. N. D. Anderson (1908-1994), Christianity: the Witness of History, Tyndale Press, 1969, p. 59 (see the book)
    See also Luke 1:26-35; Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:22-23; Luke 1:1-4; 2 Cor. 11:2
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, open my heart to the riches of Your truth. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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