This week’s word is virginity, which is potentially one of those most awkward words for teenagers. Virginity can be a hot topic so to speak; are you a virgin, or have you lost your virginity, and how? In case anyone reading this is very sheltered and has no idea what I’m talking about, a virgin is a person who has not yet had sexual intercourse.
Anyone who is no longer a virgin probably has a story to tell about how they lost their virginity - though leaving out every detail is probably a good idea! For some, it may have been something they did not intend at that point in their life but it just happened. For others, it may have been an intentional decision at the time that they regretted later on. For still others, it may have been a plan for their wedding night to give the gift of their virginity only to their spouse.
You have probably heard of a woman in the Bible named Mary. She was a young girl, and still a virgin at the time, though she was betrothed (think “engaged”) to a man named Joseph. Still having her virginity, it’s impossible for her to become pregnant, right? Well, nothing is impossible with God! God chose Mary to be the woman to give birth to His Son, Jesus, into the world. We don’t know the details of how this happened, but essentially God’s Spirit impregnated Mary, while she was still a virgin. Naturally, Mary was curious about it too; in
Luke 1:34-35 we see her conversation with the angel about what would happen: “‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
Why was it important that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus? To fulfill God’s plan to redeem His creation, someone who was fully God and fully human had to die for the sins of all mankind. Being born from a human woman, Jesus was fully human; but being conceived by God’s Spirit, He is fully God. If Mary had sexual intercourse with a man, then that man’s genetics would also be in the mix, which wouldn’t work for God’s plan.
Because of Mary’s virginity and her willingness to be used by God, we can receive God’s grace and be saved from our sins. While every person’s virginity is an important aspect of their life, you could say that Mary had the most important virginity of all, since it helped bring us our salvation.
2 comments:
Mary's genetics were divine but Joseph's weren't? Odd.
Ted,
Did someone say that Mary's genetics were "divine"? I just re-read Katie's excellent post to make sure and I did not see that anywhere. She pointed out that Mary was CHOSEN by God to fulfill the prophecy from the Isaiah. She was chosen not because her genetics were divine, but because she would be obedient and allow God to use her to fulfill the prophecy. And yes, it is "odd" to the world. But when God promises something and does it exactly as He promised, there's nothing odd about it for those who believe.
Post a Comment