24 Dec, 2007

All of the Christmas Story is true!

Do you believe in the virgin birth?

Most Americans Believe in Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ

The majority of Americans believe the Biblical story of Jesus Christ being born to the virgin Mary literally, according to a survey released last week.

Three out of four adults (75 percent) said they believe in the gospel narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ, found a nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group.

Out of the sixty population subgroups in the research, there was only one group where a majority of respondents did not take the virgin birth literally. The exception was atheists and agnostics – among whom only 15 percent said the event happened literally.

Surprisingly, a solid majority of self-described liberals on political and social issues (60 percent) believed in the biblical view of Christ’s birth.

The Christian polling organization surveyed over 1,000 adults on a half dozen biblical stories to find out if they view those stories to be factually accurate or to be narratives that were not factually accurate but rather meant to teach principles.

Most of the respondents indicated that they accepted five of the six stories – the virgin birth story being the most widely accepted.

picture courtesy images.google.com & story courtesy christianpost.com, 12/18/07

Matthew 1:18

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (ESV)

After reading today's God's Story scripture, why is the virgin birth part of the Christmas story so important to our faith in Jesus?

Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes answer this question in the following way:

Jesus Christ, God's Son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam. Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without any trace of human sin. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15, 16). Because he is God, he has the power and authority to deliver us from sin (Colossians 2:13-15). We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are now, and he has the ability to help.

The Biblical fact that Jesus was born to Mary "before they came together" is essential to our putting together how Jesus was both human and God's Son at the same time.

How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?

  • Thank God for the truth that His ways are perfect and important, even in every detail. Thank Him that the Virgin Birth is evidence that Jesus was born completely human and divine! Ask His Spirit to use these truths to help you live in obedience and trust, because Jesus understands and knows what you are going through. Ask Him to give you opportunities to use the subject of the Virgin Birth as a conversation starter to share your story of faith in Christ with others.
  • Check out the other scriptures that relate to the Virgin Birth (Hebrews 4:15-16 and Colossians 2:13-15).
  • Share the poll results with your pastor and/or youth leader or with your small group.

How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?

Use the results of the survey about beliefs about Jesus as a conversation starter with your friends and family. It's an opportunity for you to use the virgin birth part of the Christmas story to tell more of your story. Let others know what you learned in today's DAILYBIDE. Explain why you can trust Jesus to meet your needs every day.

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God's Story is brought to you by Youth for Christ. YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been with YFC for over 30 years and has served as Campus Life Staff, in leadership for DCLA, and as an author and speaker. Byron is available for speaking at youth or adult events and conferences. For booking, write to byron@3Story.org.

Byron and his wife Linda live in Minnesota and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, a grandaughter, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.