Christ is God, by Witness Lee

CHRIST’S BIRTH THROUGH THE CONCEPTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND BY A VIRGIN PROVING THAT HE IS GOD

There are many proofs to show that Christ is God. The first is the way Christ was born on earth. We know that the way a person is born tells much about the person’s origin. Christ was born of a virgin named Mary (Matt. 1:18). He was not born through human conception, but was conceived through the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20). If He had been a mere human being, He would have come to earth in the same way that all other human beings come. Yet Jesus Christ came to the earth in a way that is different from all human beings. All human beings are born of human parents, but Jesus came as a mingling of the Holy Spirit with man. During the past few hundred years many people have tried to overturn the historical fact of the virgin birth by saying that such an occurrence is contrary to scientific law. However, one must realize that science can explain only natural phenomena. All supernatural phenomena are inexplicable by science; they are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. Surely God, the Creator of the universe and the Author of all scientific principles, is not constrained to act within the limits of natural law. It is most reasonable that God should come to earth in a supernatural way different from all other mortals.

The fact that Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a human virgin means two things. First, it means that Jesus bears divinity in His being. A human conception bears the human element, while a divine conception bears the divine element. All humanity bears only the human element. Only Jesus Christ was born with the divine element as well as the human element. This proves that He is the unique God-man.

Second, all human births carry with them the element of sin. But a birth that is different from the natural birth does not bear the human hereditary element of sin. All men are born sinners, but Christ was born a sinless One. He was the sinless God-man—the complete God and the perfect man.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of Christ’s birth by saying, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; and the government is upon His shoulders; and His name will be called...Mighty God, Eternal Father....” (9:6). Approximately seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah foretold that Jesus would be a child born to us as the mighty God and a son given to us as the eternal Father. The prophet Micah also made a startling prophecy about seven hundred years before the birth of Christ. He said that in the city of Bethlehem there would come forth One who was to be Ruler in Israel, and His goings forth would be “from ancient times, from the days of eternity” (5:2). This prophecy indicates that in eternity past God planned to go forth to enter into humanity. Thus, in the birth of Jesus, God stepped out of eternity into time and entered with His divinity into humanity to become mingled with man. Jesus is the very God mingled with humanity!

CHRIST’S DIVINE TITLES INDICATING THAT HE IS GOD

When Jesus was born, His name was called Emmanuel, which means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). This is a title which no ordinary mortal could adopt. Jesus could take on such a name because His coming was God’s coming, and His presence was God with man. None of us can say that we are “God with man,” because we are all merely human. But the coming of Jesus Christ was the coming of God to man.

His name was also called Jesus, which means “Jehovah the Savior” (Matt. 1:21). Jehovah is God’s personal name in the Old Testament. To say that Christ is Jesus is to say that He is Jehovah. He was not ashamed to be called Jehovah the Savior, because He is the very God Himself.

(Christ is God, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)