Volume 35, Number 48                                           

December 19, 2010

Myth Conception?

   To a growing number of people, inside and outside the church, the virgin birth of Jesus is well, inconceivable.

   According to one poll, 61 per cent of Americans believe it really happened, compared to only 34 per cent of Britons. No Canadians were surveyed but its safe to assume the number here would be somewhere in between.   

   Skepticism is nothing new. In fact, Americas third president, Thomas Jefferson, put together a version of the New Testament in which he deleted the virgin birth and all other miracles, including the resurrection. Recent critics have called the divine origin of Jesus theological fictionand an insult to modern intelligence.

   But what you think about the virgin birth will be determined largely by your views on three wider questions:  Does God exist and can we know him?  Are miracles possible?  Is the Bible the Word of God and not just a human book?  Though its far beyond the scope of this limited space to address each of those in any detail, theres solid evidence for an affirmative answer to each of those key questions. The good news is, you dont have to kiss your brains goodbye to be a Christian.

   Despite the recent attention garnered by the new atheistslike  Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, theres a compelling, intelligent argument for belief in God, and the material is widely available to anyone willing to examine both sides of the complex issue. But the truth is, neither skeptics or believers can prove their premise. Ultimately, it comes down to faith, and I would submit it takes more faith to believe God is not there, based on available evidence.

   Since most Canadians still believe in a supreme being, let me make a point that gets to the heart of the matter. If we can believe God is real and actively involved with humanity, miracles are not only possible but probable. Thats because, if theres a God, hes all-powerful and not bound by the physical laws he set in motion. Though some philosophers assume the laws of science cant be broken, that line of reasoning makes those laws more powerful than the One who put them in place. If God is truly God, hes free to change or set aside his own rules, anytime, to reveal himself through miracles.

   A skeptic once said to Christian author Paul Little, I find it very hard to believe a man could become God. So do I, Little replied. But I can believe God became a man. And that, of course, is the whole point of the virgin birth. As the angel said to Joseph, about Mary, The child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son and youre to name him Jesus [The Lord saves] for he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:22)

   In other words, the story of the stable is pointless without the tale of the empty tomb. Both the virgin birth and the resurrection were meant to show that Jesus really was the Son of God. So I have absolutely no trouble believing that a Being with limitless power and love could make a woman conceive miraculously, raise Jesus from the dead, and oversee the writing of a special Book to ensure his will for our lives was preserved for all time. Exactly how hard would any of that be for an almighty God?

   Ultimately, scientists, like the rest of us, should question whether Bible miracles are reliable, but they have no reasonable grounds to dismiss even the possibility of supernatural events. Today, many supposed miracles have been exposed as frauds and hoaxes but, as one observer once said, the discovery of counterfeit money doesnt mean all money is fake. Ask around and youll find almost everyone has had experiences that defy natural explanation. When it comes to miracles, we need to be skeptical, not cynical. 

   Even the Bible says that if miracles like the resurrection didnt happen, faith is useless and were  more to be pitied than anyone in the world (1 Cor. 15:19). And if miracles are pure myth, all prayer is pointless because God cant, or wont, intervene. But if its true that with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26) including the virgin birth your life is absolutely pregnant with possibilities.

By Rick Gamble.  Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a request to info@followers.ca