Virgin Birth – a sceptic’s view

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Daniel Florien lists five reasons why he no longer believes in the virgin birth of Jesus:-

1. “There is no reliable evidence”.  No DNA samples, for example, and no medical confirmation.  Well it is plain silly to suppose that there might be that kind of evidence.  Florien adds that there are ‘no eyewitness accounts’.  That’s a pretty silly complaint, too: I don’t think that, under the circumstances, it is reasonable to expect there to have been a human witness to Mary not having sexual relations with Joseph (or anyone else for that matter).…

Divine birth stories

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Those who are sceptical of the historicity of the biblical accounts of the virgin birth of Jesus largely base their objections on supposed parallels with other supernatural birth stories in the ancient world.

As long ago as 1796 Charles Dupuis suggested that the biblical account borrowed from the stories surrounding the birth of Krishna.  Early Christians ‘drew on’ such stories, it is claimed, in order to find ways of demonstrating the uniqueness of Jesus.  This idea was popularised by James Fraser, in The Golden Bough (1890, 1912).…

Virgin Birth – meaning and significance

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‘The first and most indisputable fact about the birth of Jesus is that it occurred out of wedlock. The one option for which there is no evidence is that Jesus was the lawful son of Joseph and Mary. The only choice open to us is between a virgin birth and an illegitimate birth.’ (J. A. T. Robinson, Twelve More New Testament Studies (SCM, 1984), 3–4.)

Luke announces the heavenly origin of Mary’s firstborn in unmistakable terms. …

What is the mission of the church?

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This question, argue Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, prompts a whole raft of further questions:

‘The question is deceptively complex and potentially divisive. For starters, what do we even mean by mission? And if that can be settled, we then face more difficult questions. Is the mission of the church discipleship or good deeds or both? Is the mission of the church the same as the mission of God? Is the mission of the church distinct from the responsibilities of individual Christians?

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Jn 5:24-27; Lk 23:32-33; 39-43; Rev 21:1-5 – ‘I believe in…the life everlasting’ (sermon notes)

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“I believe in…the life everlasting.”

‘Who wants to live forever?’ (song by Queen).

How would you like to live to be 1,000?  According to Dr Aubrey de Gray, co-founder of the SENS Research Foundation, scientists are well on the way to ending bodily aging.  The first person to live to be 1,000, he claims, has already been born.

Or how about having your body deep frozen after you die, in the hope that one day science will be able to resuscitate it? …

Holistic mission

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Over the past 50 years, evangelicals have debated whether the church’s mission is, or should be, primarily or even exclusively that of evangelism, or a combination of evangelism and social action.

At the forefront of this debate has been the distinguished evangelical leader and teacher, John Stott.

In The Contemporary Christian (chapter 20), Stott articulates his conviction that

‘authentic mission is a comprehensive activity which embraces evangelism and social action.’

In this understanding, the gospel has a vertical dimension (the salvation of souls) and a horizontal dimension (the improvement of society).…

Mt 3:17/Mk 1:11/Lk 3:22 – What did the voice say?

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The three Synoptic Gospels each record the voice from heaven using different wording.

Ehrman summarises the differences:

Mt 3:17 – “This is my one dear Son; in him I take great delight.”  The voice seems to be addressing the people around Jesus, or possibly John the Baptist.

Mk 1:11 – “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”  Here the voice addresses Jesus directly.

Lk 3:22 – “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.” …

Models of mission

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‘There are’ (writes J.A. Kirk) ‘a number of diverse, but intimately related, models or paradigms of mission. Each is vitally important. By stressing one more than the others, different groups of Christians have tended to see them as alternatives. Ideally, there is no choice. The Christian community’s vocation is to ensure that each is fully implemented in its overall life.

‘(1) The care of the environment. This means encouraging a wise and sustainable use of the natural order created by God, by engaging in the numerous aspects of conservation and the elimination of pollution.…

The Christology of mission

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In The Contemporary Christian (356-374), John Stott outlines a Christological approach to mission under the following headings:

1. The incarnation of Christ – the model for mission

In some ways, the incarnation was a ‘mission’ like that the Apollo space flight to the moon was a ‘mission’.  Each was a daring journey between two completely different places and situations.  But the Apollo astronauts had to bring everything needful with them, whereas Jesus brought nothing but himself. …

Our God is a missionary God

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John Stott remarks that mission is at the heart each of the five parts of the Bible.

1. The God of the Old Testament is a missionary God, calling one family in order to bless all the families of the earth (Gen 12:1-4).

‘The tragedy of the Old Testament is that Israel kept forgetting the universal scope of God’s promises.  They overlooked the fact that God had chosen one family in order to bless all families. 

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