Must Christians believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?

On Dec. 17, 2006, our question in Bible study was "Must Christians believe in the virgin birth?" With no introductory remarks, stories, Scriptures or comments of any kind, students were asked to use the Bible, commentaries, the web - any resource available - to answer the question. After time for research, there were arguments made for and against the need to believe in the virgin birth with a majority saying that it is necessary for Christians to believe in it.

Some comments mentioned in class in favor of believing the virgin birth were:
Since the Bible teaches it, we should believe it.
It's taught in Matthew and Luke and prophesied in Isaiah, so we should believe it.
It's necessary for the understanding of Jesus as being fully God and fully human.
It's been a part of every major Christian creed from the Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed, Westminster Confession, etc. up through the Baptist Faith and Message, so it is historically a doctrine of the church.

On the other hand, some comments were made supporting the idea that Christians don't have to believe in the virgin birth:
The story is only told in two of the four Gospels, and the angel appearances in those accounts are different.
Paul doesn't preach about it, so it must not have been important to him.

After hearing what students had to say in answering the question, I read the following article by Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville: "Must We Believe the Virgin Birth?". It is an excellent, soundly biblical and well-stated discussion of the question. The following several quoted paragraphs are portions of what Dr. Mohler says:

"What are we to do with the Virgin Birth? The doctrine was among the first to be questioned and then rejected after the rise of historical criticism and the undermining of biblical authority that inevitably followed. Critics claimed that since the doctrine is taught in "only" two of the four Gospels, it must be elective. The Apostle Paul, they argued, did not mention it in his sermons in Acts, so he must not have believed it. Besides, the liberal critics argued, the doctrine is just so supernatural. Modern heretics like retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong argue that the doctrine was just evidence of the early church's over-claiming of Christ's deity. It is, Spong tells us, the "entrance myth" to go with the resurrection, the "exit myth." If only Spong were a myth."

"Now, even some revisionist evangelicals claim that belief in the Virgin Birth is unnecessary. The meaning of the miracle is enduring, they argue, but the historical truth of the doctrine is not really important."

"Must one believe in the Virgin Birth to be a Christian? This is not a hard question to answer. It is conceivable that someone might come to Christ and trust Christ as Savior without yet learning that the Bible teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin. A new believer is not yet aware of the full structure of Christian truth. The real question is this: Can a Christian, once aware of the Bible's teaching, reject the Virgin Birth? The answer must be no."

"Even if the Virgin Birth was taught by only one biblical passage, that would be sufficient to obligate all Christians to the belief. We have no right to weigh the relative truthfulness of biblical teachings by their repetition in Scripture. We cannot claim to believe that the Bible is the Word of God and then turn around and cast suspicion on its teaching."

"If Jesus was not born of a virgin, who was His father? There is no answer that will leave the Gospel intact. The Virgin Birth explains how Christ could be both God and man, how He was without sin, and that the entire work of salvation is God's gracious act. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, He had a human father. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, the Bible teaches a lie."

"Those who deny the Virgin Birth affirm other doctrines only by force of whim, for they have already surrendered the authority of Scripture. They have undermined Christ's nature and nullified the incarnation."

"This much we know: All those who find salvation will be saved by the atoning work of Jesus the Christ -- the virgin-born Savior. Anything less than this is just not Christianity, whatever it may call itself. A true Christian will not deny the Virgin Birth."

Thank you, Dr. Mohler, for such a well-stated defense of the virgin birth. The short answer to the question, then, is "Yes, Christians must believe in the virgin birth."

How has consumerism affected American Christians and churches?

On Dec. 10, 2006, we started our Bible study discussion by reading the article "Leader's Insight: From Christ's Church to iChurch - How consumerism undermines our faith and community." This article goes beyond the typical and appropriate Christian critiques of consumerism that focus on "the temptation to make material goods the center of life rather than God." It also confronts the practice of churches to use modern consumer-driven strategies in "selling" the church to attract and keep the churchgoing "customer." The article ends with this quote: "After all, in a consumer culture the customer, not Christ, is king."

Having read the above article, students were challenged to come up with a biblical response to the situation. Numerous Scriptures were referenced in the discussion: Exodus 20:2-6, Deuteronomy 8:10-14; Joshua 24:14; Proverbs 19:4, Matthew 6:19-34; 21:13, Mark 11:15-17, Acts 8:18-20, 2 Corinthians 8:13-14, Philippians 4:11-12, 1 Timothy 6:10.

We have the responsibility to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. We have the need to be more concerned about speaking the truth of the Gospel in our church than about appealing to anyone as an attractive, fun place to be. When deciding on a church to be a part of ourselves, the criteria must not be influenced by which church is more savvy in promoting themselves. The criteria must center around which church is faithful to the head of the church - Jesus Christ - and his perfect Word.

Is it OK for couples to live together without being married?

On Dec. 3, 2006 our Bible Study discussion centered around this question. We read the Oct. 16, 2006 article "Married U.S. Households Hit Lowest Level Ever" which reports that "for the first time, traditional marriage has ceased to be the preferred living arrangement in the United States." According to the article, less than 50% of U.S. households are represented by married couples.

So what about couples who call themselves Christian? Is it OK for them to live together before marriage or in place of marriage? In short, the answer is No. We cannot claim to be Christian and then ignore what God's Word says on the subject.

There are a number of relevant Scriptures that the students pointed to in support of the "No" position. They are: Ezekiel 23:17, Matthew 5:27, Romans 1:24; 7:14-25; 13:10, 1 Corinthians 6:18ff; 7:36-38, 2 Corinthians 4:2-7, Ephesians 5:3, 1 Timothy 3:12 and 1 John 3:16. We are to refrain from any appearance of evil. Fornication is sexual activity outside of marriage. Adultery includes looking on another with lust. All are sin and no special allowance is given to the unmarried who claim to be in love with each other.

Those who think the popular "try before you buy" practice of living together and engaging in sex outside of marriage will better prepare them for marriage ignore the statistics that show even greater rates of divorce from married couples who first lived together than among those who did not live together first.

Check out the following web sites for additional resources on the topic: www.marriagebuilders.com, www.betweentwoworlds.org.