tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11057317.post6291967975095679015..comments2023-05-29T03:05:29.259-07:00Comments on My Prosopopoeia: The Virgin Birth ...jonboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14210549258953756393noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11057317.post-52140124948924615092007-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:002007-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:00My other comment apparently didn't make the mix. I...My other comment apparently didn't make the mix. I also said I appreciate your explanation and especially the reminder about having faith like a child.jonboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14210549258953756393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11057317.post-40781335875393061582007-12-18T15:01:00.000-08:002007-12-18T15:01:00.000-08:00That kind of answers my question, but is there any...That kind of answers my question, but is there any way to give a difinative "yes" or "no" answer to the question: Would a sinless God select the result of an act of sin through which to save mankind from sinfulness?<BR/><BR/>Personally, I just can't see that happening.jonboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14210549258953756393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11057317.post-1519397664846329372007-12-18T13:03:00.000-08:002007-12-18T13:03:00.000-08:00Wow, nothing like being called out! OK, let's star...Wow, nothing like being called out! OK, let's start with observable facts. The two Gospels which include a narrative about the birth of Jesus give every appearance of being written thirty or forty years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Those Gospels (Matthew and Luke) borrow the basic biographical information about Jesus from the Gospel of Mark, which seems to have been written as a primer for new Gentile Christians. It does not mention a virgin birth.<BR/><BR/>Matthew cited a verse from Isaiah predicting a virgin birth for the Messiah. He used the Septuagint (Greek) version of Isaiah which translates a Hebrew word meaning "young woman" as "virgin." Further, he ignored the historical context of the verse which is part of a prediction that came true in the time of Isaiah (eighth century BCE; compare Isaiah 7:13-17 with 8:1-4). But because Luke, a Gentile, accepted and even elaborated on this tradition in his Gospel, there is reason to believe that it was commonly understood as fact by the first-century church.<BR/><BR/>Would it make a difference whether Jesus were born of a virgin or not? The stance of traditional Christianity has been that it does make a difference since Jesus could not have been perfect (and thus the perfect sacrifice for human sin) if he were entirely human. Being born in the ordinary way has been seen as limiting one to non-divine identity. The argument is not entirely solid as even the OT prophet Jeremiah understood God's ability to determine a person's identity and function before birth (Jer. 1:4-5); furthermore, God can indwell whom he will.<BR/><BR/>As to the moral argument ("How could a bastard be the son of God?"), the genealogy of Jesus given by Matthew includes prostitutes and adulterers. Furthermore, one of the key teachings of Jesus was that God does not judge according to preexisting conditions, but according to faithfulness. John the Baptist, primary announcer of Jesus' ministry, declared that God could "raise up children for Abraham" out of the stones (Luke 3:8).<BR/><BR/>When you get right down to it, <B>proving</B> that Jesus must have been born of a virgin is rationally impossible. But then, faith is not about rational proof. The question is not whether I or anyone else can prove unequivocably that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. The question is, do you believe it as an article of faith? Well, I do. ("I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:3)little davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07216663347416536106noreply@blogger.com