Sunday School Lesson
(Continued from Page 6)
The Virgin Birth and its proph
ecy do not add to this statement
of faith, which is itself authenti
cated by the Holy Spirit. (See
Matthew 16:17.)
When We Disagree
It is apparent that conserva
tives and liberals have many
differences, of which only a few
are suggested here. But many
of these differences are about
the means, not the ends. Both
would agree on the divinity of
Jesus Christ, though they would
disagree over how his divinity
is known.
The conservative would main
tain that the liberal has no right
or authority to say what he will
or will not believe about the
Bible. Once a person adopts
such an attitude (they say), the
Bible can be twisted to deliver
whatever message he (the lib
eral reader) wants
The liberal would say that
though neither his father nor
his wife may be infallible, he
trusts them anyway. He has a
similar attitude toward the Bible
regarding its infallibility. The
captain of an ocean liner or an
airplane may not be infallible,
but he can still bring his pas
sengers in safety to their desti
nation.
Differences in belief have
caused many great tragedies in
the history of the church. In
the name of Christ, Christians
have used unchristian measures,
even persecution and the threat
of death, to try to force their
beliefs on other persons. It is
difficult to believe that such
"Christians" have really under
stood Christ's teachings.
The crusades, for instance,
were supposed to have been or
ganized for the Christian pur
pose of taking the Holy Land
from the infidels. When Jeru
salem was captured, these holy
knights killed every man, wo
man, and child in the city.
In southern France in the
Middle Ages, the church merci
lessly tried to stamp out by
death thousands of Christians
who wanted to follow teachings
different from those of the Ro
man church. During the years
of the Reformation, Catholics
and Protestants fought bloody
wars in defense of their religious
beliefs.
The last war fought for re
ligion was the Thirty Years'
War, which ended in 1648. Only
after thousands had been killed
and much of central Europe de
stroyed by thirty years of war
did people agree not to fight
again over religion.
Though today national armies
do not fight religious battles;
we see many persons who call
everyone who does not agree
with them the "enemy." These
dividing elements are found as
much inside the church as in
the general culture. Many
churches split over building pro
grams or the attitudes the
church should have on social
issues. How tragic to see the
people of God divided! Especially
at the Christmas season we
should grow in charity toward
those who differ with us.
The Meaning of
The Virgin Birth
To return to the teaching of
the Scripture passage for this
lesson. We may more surely
discover its meaning for us if
we can think of reasons why
the writer of the Gospel includ
ed this account of the birth of
Jesus in his Gospel. (Mark must
have had reason not to include
it in his Gospel.) What did he
want others to understand about
the birth and life of this man?
The doctrine of the Virgin
Birth helps us understand the
uniquesness of Christ. According
to this symbol, he was born as
no other human being has been
born. The beginning of his life
was a new beginning and was
not merely the continuation of
the process of human reproduc- ]
tion. The unusual conception ;
and birth have been for the
church an effective way to pro- ;
claim his remarkable place in
our lives.
The Initiative of God
God acts. Man responds. This
is the sequence of divine grace
and human freedom. The se
quence cannot be reversed.
Grace can call forth faith, but
faith cannot call down grace.
God moves first. Man may move
in response. But the initiative
is always God's.
No merely human striving can
force God's hand: His grace is
freely given, but it is never
earned. What man contributes
to' his own salvation is always
secondary. The initial action is
God's. The responsive action is
man's. We are saved by grace, j
not by faith. God himself in
itiates the relationship within
which man finds salvation.
One way to speak about the
initiative of divine grace is to
speak about the Virgin Birth.
The Virgin Birth tells of God's
initiative in salvation by telling
of God's initiative with Mary.
Jesus Christ, the unique one
through whom God offers salva
tion, is not the product of mere
ly human energies and powers.
The Savior does not come into
the world through the agency
of a man, but rather by the Holy
Spirit. God himself initiates the
life of the one who is to be
come the Savior. In this way he
demonstrates that salvation is
of God, not of man.
The Humanity of Oar Lord
When the church tells the
story ol the Virgin Birth, it
stresses the humanity of Jesus
as well as his divinity. Divine
action ("conceived by the Holy
Spirit") and human response
("born of the Virgin Mary")
are here Joined. The Savior who
is born is himself both divine
and human.
What does it mean to say that
' (Continued on Page 10)
HaAUMdilMiHaiiakMiiM
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