On the Miracle of Christmas

Stories have the power to communicate profound truths and teach us something different each time we hear them. Such is the case with Charles Dickens' famous novel A Christmas Carol.  I am currently reading this work for the third time and each year I do I am impressed with Dickens' brilliance and Scrooge's dramatic transformation.

However, the danger in reading or hearing a great story multiple times is that the story can become commonplace. Before we know it, the story that used to move us so becomes routine and ordinary and we are no longer moved by it. In hearing the story repeatedly, the account seems to lose the wonder it once held. However, the story hasn't change.

This loss of wonder is the danger the follower of Jesus Christ faces when hearing the account of His virgin birth. The countless Christmas cards, Nativity scenes, and decorations that consume so much of the Christmas season can slowly and subtly create the false assumption that the virgin birth is no more factual than Scrooge's redemption.

However, the Bible not only claims the virgin birth occurred, but that it is vital to the redemption of mankind!

In Luke's gospel, he provides us with not only the account itself, but also communicates his desire to tell the truth about the life, events, and ministry of Jesus Christ:

“Insomuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4, ESV, Emphasis mine).

It is also important to remember that Luke provides us with a very unique perspective of Jesus’ story and claims when one considers that he was a Gentile, a physician, and the first historian of the Early Church. 

Sir William Ramsey, an eminent archaeologist, once held that Luke's writings were not historically sound. His own subsequent investigation of near-eastern archaeology forced him to reverse his position and conclude that "Luke is a historian of the first rank." [1]

Further, as on philosopher notes, “Ramsey spent twenty years of research in the area Luke wrote about. His conclusion was that in references to thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities, and nine islands Luke made no mistakes! That is a record to be envied by historians of any era.” [2]

Luke was a reliable source who paid great attention to detail!

However, can a thinking person really believe in miracles?  I think so.  Science has revealed that the universe exploded into existence out of nothing at some point in the past. Most often referred to as the “Big Bang,” this is when all matter, time, and space came suddenly into existence out of nothing. Logically, the cause of the big bang could not have been within nature because nature did not yet exist when it occurred, therefore, whatever brought nature into existence must be outside of nature and this is precisely what supernatural means! This is indeed what led agnostic astronomer Robert Jastrow to say:

“That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.” [3]

Einstein contemporary Arthur Eddington echoed Jastrow’s conclusion:

“The beginning seems to present insuperable difficulties unless we agree to look on it as frankly supernatural.” [4]

Therefore, we can conclude from science itself that miracles are not only possible, but we have good scientific reasons to believe that one has occurred.

So we are offered an account from a "historian of the first rank" that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. Furthermore, we have seen that miracles are not only possible, but necessary to explain the existence of our universe.  Therefore, a thinking person can indeed believe in miracles and the virgin birth of Jesus Christ!

From creation to the cradle to the cross to the empty tomb, God demonstrates His love for us.  

Courage and Godspeed,

Chad

Footnotes:

1) W.M Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament p. 222; quoted in Bruce, F. F. The New Testament Documents - Are They Reliable?, p. 91.

2) Norman Geisler, Alleged Errors in Luke, Bake Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, p. 431.
3) “A Scientist caught between Two Faiths: Interview with Robert Jastrow", Christianity Today, August 1982.
4) Arthur Eddington, The Expanding Universe, p. 178.