Why We Believe Mary Had a Virgin Birth

All girls who have babies have had sex with a boy or man.  That's the only way the human race can increase.  No girls or woman can, within herself, produce a baby girl or boy.

Except!  Mary the mother of Jesus!  God the Father, and the Holy Spirit caused Mary to have God's Son be placed inside Mary's womb!  Miracle of miracles!  There is no way man can explain that.  Jesus was full sized man sitting on a throne in eternity past with a full size Heavenly Father.  The Holy Spirit is also full sized.

Yet, how Christ could be a sperm inserted into Mary's womb is a miracle of miracles!  There is no way man can explain that miracle.  And a miracle it was!

He grew as a fetus!  He was physically born!  He grew into manhood!  He died on a cross!  He arose!  He sits with God the Father as a full size man!  But He sits there as our Saviour!  He's coming back to get you and me!  Praise His name!

Why Are We Tempted?

I Corinthians 10:13 says to us, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

It seems that all of us are tempted, one way or another, at some time or other.  Temptation is, according to the above Scripture, common to mankind.  You are tempted.  So are all of us.

But God is faithful.  He knows our weaknesses.  He knows how strong we are.  He knows what weakens us the most.  And in this we are all different.  What weakens you may not weaken me.  What weakens me may not cause you to yield.  Male and female, we are each different from one another in temptation.

Yes, God lets us be tempted, according to this verse.  But God also said he will see that we are able to resist the temptation that come to us.

You see, temptation can be in many forms.  It can be in bodies.  It can be in dress, or in what we wear.  It can be in love and sex.  It can be in association with our friends.  It can be in our influence with certain other people.  It can be in knowledge, and displaying what we have learned, and know!

But some things would lead us astray.  So, God, with the temptation, also puts in our minds a way to escape the temptation which would lead us into sin.  God says we may be able to bear or endure the temptation without sinning.  That is our helpful God!

Jesus Christ, the God-Man

There have been many who were human beings but claimed to be the Son of God.  They were simply human males.  They were not the Son of God or one of God's Sons.  They thought that idea by themselves.  They said it to themselves first and liked the sound of it.  Then they announced it before others and met on opposition.  They announced it again and met no opposition.  Then they claimed to be God's Son every time they appeared in public.

They knew they were not God's Son.  They knew they were lying unless they were mentally off balance.  If they were mentally sane they knew they were trying to deceive others who would acept their statements.

There were lots of people who, in their minds, disbelieved these men and discussed it at home with their wives or with other men.  But, it seemed that no one seemed to challenge them,, expecially if these men were powerful leaders of groups of people.  Thus the men and women who did not think that way kept their mouths shut for fear of being beheaded.  Thus the leader kept saying he was God's Son.  Soon others repeated what he said.  History books wrote about it.  It became known that "so and so" said he was God.

But he could not stop a storm like Jesus did.  He could not heal diseases as Jesus did.  He could not rise from the dead as Jesus did.  He could not reappear to people as Jesus did.  He could not ascend into heaven as Jesus did.  So they lied.  They were not Gods.  Only Jesus was truly God because he did prove it.

By-Product of Faith

1.  "Whom having not seen, ye love...." (I Ptr. 1:8).  Love seems to be our first by-product of faith.  We love him because he first loved us.  We can continue our love for him.  Yet, our love can grow cold, but love never leaves us completely.  We love Christ.

2.  "...though now ye see him not, yet believing..." (I Ptr. 1:8).  We continue believing.  That's what caused us to be saved.  But we continued to believe, and our faith in him became one of our early by-products of faith.  We never lose that, even though we may backslide.

3.  "...ye rejoice with joy unspeakable..." (I Ptr. 1:8).  I've never met a new believer that was not happy since he or she was saved.  God gives us that.  We enjoy it.  It's just one of those automatic by-products of our salvation.  Even today aren't you happy you are saved?  This is our by-product.

4.  "...what things ye desire, when ye pray..." (Mark 11:24).  Prayer is one of the earliest by-products of being saved.  And we pray the rest of our lives.  We pray when we are happy.  We pray when we are sad.  We pray between these.  We just pray.  And prayer is one of our by-products of being saved.  Be glad we pray.

5.  "For the Scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Rom. 10:11).  We may think or say or do some things about which we are ashamed.  But we can ask forgiveness from God and he will forgive us.  For this and many other things we are not ashamed.  For everything in life God gives us.  For these we are not ashamed.  Praise the Lord!