When Jesus visited Mary and Martha – probably not the first time – Mary knew that time spent with the Master would be limited. Both Mary and Martha had the same choice to make.

Mary chose the better option – spending time learning from the Lord Jesus. Martha chose to serve.

Jesus pointed out to Martha that she was “careful and troubled about many things.” Apparently, she worried a lot and had never learned the value of spending time alone with the Lord. This was, of course, the cause of her anxiety.

When we spend time with Christ in Bible reading and prayer, He gives peace and joy. Jesus next statement sums up the benefit of time spent with Christ and shutting out the world for a little while: “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (vs. 42).

We all can cope better with the pressures of the day when we spend time with God in worship and devotions. Have you chosen “that good part,” today, or will you be “troubled about many things?”

Just the other day, I heard someone on radio say that Christmas is all about joy and gladness, etc. While it did not surprise me because I come across this thinking more often, it is still very discomforting.

Although joy and gladness should be a result of the Christmas message – as it was to the shepherds – it must be remembered that there cannot be any joy and gladness without a Savior. The “son” that Mary brought forth was and is the Son of God.

Any Christmas without Christ is not a true Christmas. The world is content to have a holiday without thinking about the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself to die for us. He had to die if we were to be redeemed because God declared that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

There were many miracles that took place around the time of Christ’s birth to reveal that He was truly the promised Child of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” One of those miracles is His Name. No religious Jew would ever refer to a human by a name that belonged to God alone. The name means “God with us.”

Yes, indeed. God did come to live among us for about 33 years and then redeemed us by His death, burial, and resurrection. Praise His Name! Now, those that know Him can know what true joy and gladness are as we remember and fellowship with Him! The fellowship is even sweeter when we can rejoice with other believers in church today!

One of the primary teachings of Biblical Christianity is the virgin birth of Christ. In fact, the validity of the entire Bible stands or falls on this one doctrine. If it did not occur as stated in the Bible – then Christianity is false and there is no Savior.

Christmas is celebrated among Christians so strongly because the virgin birth of Christ means that there is both a Savior and salvation. It means that God has intervened in our plight as condemned and estranged sinners and found a way of redemption.

The virgin birth is absolutely necessary because of two things. First, because every human is born a sinner. Second, because every sinner – every human – falls under the curse: “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans. 6:23).

Since every human is condemned because of sin, then there is no human born of men that is without sin. If Jesus were born of natural conception, he could not save anyone because he would have his own sin to pay for. Then, redeeming someone else would be impossible.

Mary testified to the angel: “I know not a man” (vs. 34). If this were not true – it would be most foolish to lie to an angel of God. The angel does not debate the issue with her – verifying her statement. He then proceeds to explain how it will happen. He says: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Basically, he said – God will do it.

The virgin birth also fulfills a promise made to Isaiah hundreds of years earlier. In Isaiah 7:14, it says: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Since Jesus is the Promised One – the Savior of the world – all must believe on Him for forgiveness of sin. Have you believed on Him to be your only Savior?

Joseph was an honorable man and loved the Lord. When Mary told him that she was pregnant, it shocked him and did not settle well with him. He began thinking about getting a divorce. Even though they were not actually married – only engaged – in Jewish culture of the day you could only break off an engagement with a divorce.

Joseph knew that divorcing her might save his reputation, but Mary would probably be stoned. In fact, they both could have been legally stoned because of it.

In order to save the day, an angel was sent to Joseph to prevent a divorce – and worse. The angel explained the situation and how she became pregnant to Joseph. He also declared Who the Child was and why he needed to proceed with the marriage.

The angel, his name is not mentioned, said that Mary’s situation is in fulfillment of a prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). The angel then quotes the specific verse and revealed that her Child is God in human form: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

In addition to His being God in the flesh, the angel also mentions what this Child will later do as an adult: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Note that His main purpose for coming was not to be a Good Teacher – although He was; or just to do good works – although He did; or to start a new organization (the church) – which He did. His primary purpose for coming was to die for the sins of the world. He is foremost a Savior!

The Bible indicates that, since Joseph was already awake, that he immediately took Mary as his wife. The Bible also mentions that the couple did not have normal marital relations until after Christ was born. Later on, the couple would have several other children together, according to Matthew 6:3.

Christ’s goal in coming was to save the world from their sins. He could only do this by dying on the cross to pay the price that everyone owes to God – because we all have sinned! Do you know Him yet as your personal Savior? Isn’t it time – before it is too late?

In the Bible’s record of how God came to earth, the Luke’s account of the Christmas story reveals that God sent the angel Gabriel to tell the virgin Mary what God was going to do. As Gabriel addresses Mary, he twice mentions (vss. 28,30) that she was “favored” by God. These words refer to grace, and grace is a favor that is given without merit.

It is important to know that although Mary was particularly blessed by God, that she also realized her need to be saved. She plainly says in Luke 1:47, when speaking to Elisabeth, that God is her Savior: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

As the angel reveals God’s plan to Mary, he explains that God has chosen her to bring forth God’s Son (vs. 31). He tells her that she will become pregnant with God’s Son, and that she is to call His Name Jesus.

Gabriel goes on to say that her Child will be the One that will fulfill the prophecies of a coming King given to David. He said: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32,33).

Mary wonders how this will happen since she is not married. She did not ask because of unbelief or because she was not willing to be chosen for this purpose. She was said to be favored, which means she was obedient to God and was likely saved as a child.

It seems that in order to help her faith, Gabriel tells her about her cousin – Elisabeth (vs. 36). Even though she is old and had never had any children, Gabriel tells her that God did a miracle in Elisabeth’s life and she is now expecting a child. This was after she had given up hope.

The angel reveals that God will do it through His power. He then reminds her that “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (vs. 37).

Mary responds with a servant’s heart. She tells Gabriel that she wants God to do His will to her. Her willingness to do what God wants – even though she did not understand how – demonstrates the attitude that God wants all His people to have toward Him.

We also need to be willing to do what God wants. He has a purpose for every believer. Remember that He has all power and He is able to keep us as we obey Him. Are you willing to let Him use you as He sees fit?

You may also want to read:

The Prophecy of the Savior’s Unique Birth

The Chosen Place of Christ’s Birth

Yesterday, we looked at how the Christmas story actually began in the Garden of Eden. This promise was never forgotten and was protected by God Himself to be perpetuated through the ages. Moses – the human writer of Genesis, recorded it.

About 700 years before Jesus was born, God gave the prophet Isaiah more information about the coming Savior. This time, God would reveal that the Savior would not come in the usual way, but the mother would become pregnant miraculously. God said that the unusual pregnancy would be proof – a sign from Heaven that the Child would be the One promised at the beginning of the world.

In the text verse, God promised to reveal His Son by making an unmarried lady have a child without the help of a man. This had never happened since time began! It was something that only God could do!

Because the One that would be born would be the Son of God, He would have a Name that only God could have. He would be called “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” This does not merely mean that God has blessed us, but it means much more. It actually means that Jesus Christ is God and God Himself is with us!

Since the birth of Christ – the Promised One – must be the One that would deliver from the curse and the work of Satan, He must be much more than just a human. Because all humans are under the curse that God passed upon all people, no ordinary human could ever pay for the sins of someone else. Sin meant death to every human because “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Ro. 3:23). Our sins will be punished by God in Hell because “the wages of sin is death” (Ro. 6:23).

Jesus, being the Son of God and without sin (II Corinthians 5:21), could die for us so that we do not need to go to Hell. He came into this world through the virgin Mary – like God promised – to pay the debt we owed.

After He suffered and paid what we owed on the Cross and rose again, anyone can be redeemed by Christ and set free from eternal death in Hell. Once we turn from sin in our hearts and receive Christ as our only Savior, God forgives us and we become God’s children.

Have you met the One sent from Heaven to die for your sins? He wants to save you today. If you have not yet been saved, He only waits for you to ask Him to forgive you of your sin and trust Him today.

You may also want to see:

Where the Christmas Story Begins

The Angel’s Incredible Message to Mary

Here are some Biblical errors that I noticed while reading the above article from the Magellan Times. I have chosen to number my comments based on the section numbers found in the article.

19. Mary and Joseph probably lived with extended family

There is no proof that either Mary or Joseph lived with extended family. Although it may be true, after Mary lived with Elizabeth, the Bible reports that “Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house” (Lu. 1:56). There is no mention of others living with her, although she was probably very young and likely lived with family – even though they are never mentioned or implied. On the other hand, it may also mean that she was older than commonly believed and had “her own house.”

15. Mary was betrothed to Joseph for a full year before they married

Just want to comment on this point. It is true that the argument about God being the father of Mary’s child would hardly be convincing – especially to the liberal Sadducees – because they did not believe in the supernatural. Despite common unbelief, Isaiah 7:14 clearly prophesied that a virgin shall one day conceive and that the Child’s Name (“Immanuel”) would mean that He is “God with us”: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

12. The immaculate conception never happened

This statement is completely contradictory to the Bible and should not be believed. The very possibility that God was not Jesus’ Father destroys the entire message of the Bible and any hope for redemption from sin and of living forever with God in Heaven.

The only way that Jesus could fulfill God’s plan of becoming the Lamb of God that would be slain for the sins of the world was that He must be God and man. All men are condemned to Hell because of personal sin (Rom. 3:10 and Rom. 6:23). Jesus, however, was God – and He took on human flesh so that He could become the Sacrifice for all. There was no other way for man to be redeemed. The first chapter of the Gospel of John makes this abundantly clear: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jo. 1:1); and “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jo. 1:14).

One more important verse that proves that Jesus was God in the flesh is found in I Timothy 3:16: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

The enemy of all truth – Satan – loves to discredit everything in the Bible that he can to cause people not to believe in Christ and be saved. All that the Bible says about Christ needs to be believed for salvation – whether it is provable by science or history. The Bible has never been proved wrong in either scientific or historical matters. While some things were at first thought to be an error, they were proved correct later.

11. Mary gave birth to Jesus at home in Nazareth

The writer of the Magellan Times article seems to want to discredit the Bible’s account of Christ’s birth. History indicates that a taxing did occur at the time and Joseph and Mary – who both were the descendants of David – had to go to Bethlehem to pay their taxes – as the Bible indicates.

The Bible only needs to say things once to be true. Neither God the Father nor the Holy Spirit – also God – can ever lie (Titus 1:2). Jesus promised that not a jot or a tittle (equivalent to the jotting of an “i” or the crossing of a “t”) would ever be omitted from the Bible (Matthew 5:18). The King James Version has preserved the words of God accurately. Many modern versions are written and edited by people who do not believe the Bible and therefore do not care to preserve the original meaning.

10. Mary was variously cast as a hairdresser and a prostitute at one point

It is hard to believe that these things were brought up at all. It is obvious that they were not brought up by believers.

I repeat, if Jesus Christ was not virgin-born – there is no Savior – we are lost in our sins. No one else was sinless and could die for the sins of others. This is why the Bible says: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The greatest proof that He was Who He claimed to be is found in several things:

1. His miracles
2. His Words, and most importantly,
3. His resurrection.

After Christ rose from the dead, He was seen by more than 500 people (I Corinthians 15:5-8). When this was written, many of the people that saw Christ after His resurrection were still alive – and could have refuted it if they wanted to – but they did not. Instead, they later risked their lives boldly proclaiming the truth that He lives!

9. Mary spoke Aramaic with a Galilean twang

This is hardly likely. After Christ was crucified, Pilate wrote a sign about Jesus and hung it on the cross above Jesus’ head. He desired to ensure that people knew the truth about Christ and that he was guiltless in the death of Christ.  He wrote the following words – in defiance to the Jewish leaders: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Luke 23:38). The Bible tells us that it was written in three languages: Greek, Latin, and Hebrew – not Aramaic. Since Pilate wanted all to know, he certainly would have included Aramaic – if it were commonly spoken in that area.

Most likely, Mary may have also spoken some Greek, since it was the local trade language.

7. Joseph may have fathered other children and lived to 111

Yes, Joseph and Mary had other children. The Bible indicates that they had several children after Jesus was born. One place these other children are mentioned is in Mark 6:3: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

Two of the writers of the Bible books that bear their names – James and Jude – were the children of Joseph and Mary – the half-brothers of Christ. They did not get saved until after Christ rose from the dead.

There is no mention in the Bible of Joseph having any children before marrying Mary. As far as Joseph living to 111 – it is doubtful since he is not mentioned in Bible passages where Mary is later mentioned.

6. Mary may have been a firebrand

Highly doubtful. She submitted herself to God and her husband.

4. Jesus had a very close relationship to his mother

In this paragraph in the article, it is stated that Jesus learned compassion for the poor from His mother. Although she did have this worthy trait, it is not true that He learned it from her. Because He was God and had existed forever, He merely maintained these same traits after He became human.

If you want to know more about what the Bible says about the Lord Jesus Christ, you can purchase my booklet called “Identifying the Real Christ of the Bible: Do You Really Know What the Bible Says about Him?” Follow this link to learn more.