God in the Manger [Paperback]

John MacArthur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2001

Pastor/teacher John MacArthur unravels the intricacies of the event that changed the face of human history: the birth of Christ. As he examines every angle of Christ's birth-from the heavenly announcement, to the mixed reactions and the powerful ramification-the superiority and preeminence of Jesus Christ will shine through and speak volumes about creation, redemption, and divine destiny.

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CHAPTER ONE:

The Amazing Fact of the Virgin Birth Extraordinary births are certainly not unprecedented in biblical history. As part of the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised to send a son to Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 17:19-22). They were both beyond normal childbearing ages and laughed at the prospect of being parents, yet they ultimately witnessed the miraculous arrival of their son, Isaac (Gen. 21:1-3). In Judges 13, an angel of the Lord told Manoah and his barren wife that they would have a special son. True to the heavenly messenger's words, Samson entered the world and for a time delivered the Israelites from the oppression of the Philistines.

Samuel, the first prophet, final judge, and anointer of kings, also demonstrated in his birth the providential power of God. He was the answer to the faithful, persevering prayers of his godly mother, Hannah, who had remained childless until then. John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth, was also unable to have children until God graciously intervened when she was in her sixties or seventies and made her the mother of the forerunner of Christ (Luke 1:15-17, 76-79). But none of those special births was as amazing as the virgin birth of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

UNBELIEF REGARDING THE VIRGIN BIRTH

Even though the fact of Jesus' virgin birth is clearly and concisely stated in Scripture, the unconverted mind of sinful humanity, as with all essential doctrines of the Christian faith, resists embracing the truth of His unique birth.

First of all, ancient mythologies and world religions counterfeited Christ's virgin birth with a proliferation of bizarre stories and inaccurate parallels. These stories undercut and minimized the uniqueness and profound impact of our Lord's birth. Several accounts illustrate the point. The Romans claimed that Zeus impregnated Semele without contact and produced Dionysus, lord of the earth. Babylonian religion asserted that a sunbeam in the priestess Semiramis conceived Tammuz, the Sumerian fertility god (Ezek. 8:14). Buddha's mother allegedly saw a large white elephant enter her belly when she conceived the deified Indian philosopher. Hinduism teaches that the divine Vishnu, after living as a fish, tortoise, boar, and lion, entered Devaki's womb and became her son, Krishna. Satan has propagated other similar legends, all with the purpose of undermining the nature of Christ's birth and deceiving people into seeing it as just another myth or nothing exceptional.

In addition, the scientific age and the emergence of modern and postmodern theologies during the past two centuries have eroded many professed believers' confidence in the reality of the virgin birth. (Along with that trend has been a noticeable decline in the percentage of "Christians" who believe in the deity of Christ.) But such skeptical thinking is foolish and directly contrary to the explicit teaching of all four Gospels, the Epistles, and the historical testimony of the entire early church that Jesus was none other than the virgin-born Son of God.

Unfortunately, a heart attitude of unbelief concerning Jesus' identity has characterized the majority of men and women since the Fall. The Jews who opposed Christ vividly illustrated that attitude on more than one occasion (John 5:18; 7:28-30; 10:30-39). But such hostility and lack of faith should not discourage us or deter us from embracing and defending the truth of Christ's virgin birth. The apostle Paul reminds us, "For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:3-4, 10:16; Isa. 53:1). The world's opinion, popular as it might be, is rarely a reliable source of truth.

Undoubtedly, therefore, the Holy Spirit acted with significant purpose in devoting an early passage from the Gospel of Matthew, at the front of the New Testament, to establish right away the humanity and deity of our Lord. His incarnation, properly understood, is foundational to Christianity. There could have been no genuine work of redemption apart from the fact of God becoming man and, by being both completely God and completely man, reconciling people to Himself through His substitutionary death and physical resurrection. If Jesus had not been both human and divine, there would be no gospel. (For further discussion on the necessity of believing and proclaiming the truth of Christ's virgin birth and deity, see chapter 8 of my book Nothing but the Truth [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1999]).

Many skeptical New Testament commentators will concede that Matthew and other authors of Scripture sincerely believed and taught that the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus without any assistance from a human father. But such interpreters nevertheless glibly discount the validity of Scripture's claims by immediately asserting that its writers were naive, uneducated, and subject to the myths and superstitions of ancient times. According to the critics, the Gospel writers merely adapted some of the familiar virgin birth legends to the story of Jesus' birth.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Matthew's account, for example, reads as history, but it is history he could know and record only because God revealed it and accomplished it by miraculous intervention. Matthew's words are far superior to the immoral and repulsive nature of the secular stories he and the other writers allegedly drew from. Here is his clear, uncomplicated narrative of the Incarnation:

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Matthew declares Jesus' divine lineage in this passage and reveals five aspects of His virgin birth: its first announcement, Joseph's response to it, the angel's clarification of it, its connection to prophecy, and its actual occurrence.

THE VIRGIN BIRTH ANNOUNCED

Matthew needs only one verse (1:18) to announce the fact of Christ's virgin birth. Such a concise statement, though it doesn't all by itself prove the point, strongly suggests that the notion of our Lord and Savior's virgin birth was not simply a man-made story. A human author, writing strictly on his own initiative, would characteristically tend to describe such a momentous and amazing event in an expansive, detailed, and elaborate manner. But not the apostle Matthew. He does relate additional circumstances surrounding the virgin birth, but the basic fact is stated in one simple sentence: "After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit."

Matthew devotes the previous seventeen verses to Jesus' human genealogy but just this part of one verse to His divine genealogy. As the Son of God, Jesus "descended" from His heavenly Father by a miraculous and never-repeated act of the Holy Spirit; even so, the Holy Spirit chose to announce that astounding truth by just one brief, declarative sentence. As all God's Word does, Matthew's simple statement contains the solemn tone of authenticity. By contrast, a human fabrication would tend to have that false ring of exaggeration to it, being filled out with much more "convincing" material than what this inspired version needed.

Scripture gives us little information about Mary and even less about Joseph. Mary was undoubtedly a godly young woman, probably a native of Nazareth who came from a relatively poor family. Joseph was the son of Jacob (Matt. 1:16) and was a craftsman, probably a carpenter (13:55). Most significant, he was a "just man" (1:19), one who placed saving trust in the coming Messiah.

Most likely Mary and Joseph were both quite young when they were engaged ("betrothed"). She may have been as young as twelve or thirteen, and he not any older than fifteen or sixteen. Such youthfulness at the time of a couple's engagement was standard for that culture. Another standard aspect of the Jewish betrothal was its binding nature-society considered the man and the woman legally married even though the formal ceremony and consummation might occur a year later. The purpose of the engagement period was to confirm each partner's fidelity when the two had little or no social contact with each another.

Mary and Joseph faithfully abstained from sexual relations with one another during the engagement period, as the contract required. That was also in accord with the Bible's high regard for sexual purity and God's commands for sexual abstinence prior to the marriage ceremony and for sexual fidelity afterward. Thus, Mary's virginity was an important indicator of her godliness.

However, Mary's virginity protected something much more important than her own morality and godly reputation. It ensured the deity of Christ and supported the veracity of His teaching and works as the Son of God. Had Jesus been conceived by natural means, with Joseph or anyone else as His father, He would not h...

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849955572
• ISBN-13: 978-0849955570
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,260,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren.
John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by John MacArthur.
John is president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Best-selling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Truth War, The Murder of Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A quick, but thorough study of Christ's birth., November 20, 2007

By 

W. Matthews (Strongstown, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God In The Manger (Paperback)

This book is part of the "Bible for Life" series of study books. It is an easy, fast read.

It is a good read for anyone interested in studying the birth of Christ. It provides details about the significance and meaning of the events surrounding the birth. From the announcement straight through to the actual birth and those that were there and those that missed the birth. Drawing from Hebrews Chapter 1, the book finishes with a view of the birth from God's perspective.

Each chapter has its own set of questions at the end of the book to reinforce the material presented. This would be a great book for someone interested in a Christmas study.

5.0 out of 5 stars A FAMOUS TEACHER/WRITER'S THOUGHTS ON THE NATIVITY STORIES, December 14, 2011

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Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God in the Manger (Paperback)

Popular pastor and author John MacArthur wrote in the Introduction to this 2001 book that he wished to provide a fresh perspective and new insights into the "greatest of all births."

He states that Matthew makes it clear that, although Mary remained a virgin until after Jesus was born, normal marital relations began after that time. He further supports this with the gospel references to Jesus' brothers and sisters (Matt 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark 6:3), which (to him) proves Mary was not a virgin for her entire life. (Pg. 12)

He reconciles the differences in the two genealogies by explaining that in Matthew, the genealogy goes back through Jesus' earthly father, Joseph; while in Luke, the genealogy is going through Jesus' mother, Mary. (Pg. 20)

He criticizes the "seriously erroneous belief" that Mary is the source of immeasurable grace, which she bestows on others. In fact, he suggests that Mary was just like you and me---she was the recipient of grace, not the source or bestower of it. (Pg. 32-33)

He says that since the Bible does not explain or identify the star of Bethlehem, we can't be dogmatic about its character. (Pg. 102-103)

5.0 out of 5 stars MacArthur Is used of God, October 29, 2011

By 

Michael S. Naggar "Mike" (Temecula) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: God in the Manger (Kindle Edition)

Exellent Book. Jesus was/is God. The whole bible is about Jesus being God. MacArthur takes you through it systematically and deep in it his simplicity.