Virgin Birth (Vol.5)

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Vol.5: The Virgin Birth and the Incarnation

Preface

     THERE ARE nine Papers in this volume, all related to a single theme: the redemption of man by the offering of the body of Christ, once for all.
     Since these Papers were first published between 1957 and 1971, much additional information has become available. This new data in no way detracts from the basic thesis presented here. Not a few aspects of the subject which were still unexplored when these papers were being written have now been elucidated in wonderful ways, and some things in this volume that were speculative have now been demonstrated.
     But it was felt better, in view of cross references in the other Papers in this series, to present these essays as they were originally written, except for a few corrections respecting the spelling and some minor re-writing to improve sentence structure here and there.
     The penalty in any field of accelerating research is that almost any attempt to synthesize the data over a broad field is likely to appear "dated" by the time it appears in book form. In due course, my thesis will be updated and further elaborated.*
     The first Paper, "Longevity in Antiquity," is a consideration of the evidence that man was initially created possessing the potential for endless life, continuing without ever experiencing death. In the light of present knowledge there is no longer any reason to doubt that physical immortality is possible. A study of the historical evidence, moreover, bears out the fact that in the earliest periods of human history, even fallen man still retained enough of the initial energy in Adam, as created, to be able to live on for centuries before dying. The traditions of extreme longevity in early times are well-nigh universal and are almost certainly a reflection of a fact.

* See Custance, Arthur C., Seed of the Woman, Doorway Publications, Hamilton, Ontario, 1980, 604 pp.

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     The second Paper, "The Nature of the Forbidden Fruit," deals with the identity of the possible poison which may have entered the bodies of Adam and Eve from the forbidden fruit and introduced death into human experience. Moreover, this poisoning was an acquired characteristic and inherited, a circumstance which tells us some very important things about this mortogenic factor itself. Early Jewish, pagan, and Christian traditions regarding the identity of the Tree of Knowledge shed some further light upon this aspect of man's Fall.
     The third Paper, "If Adam Had Not Died," explores in greater detail the possibility of physical immortality and some of the consequences which would have ensued if Adam and Eve had not partaken of the forbidden fruit, but had lived on century after century -- and their children after them, likewise. Would the world have been buried under the burden of an ever multiplying population of immortals? Or was there another alternative? Particular attention is given to the nature of Adam's temptation as opposed to that of Eve showing that it was, in fact, such a temptation as no other ordinary man has ever faced throughout the course of human history.
     The fourth Paper, "The Virgin Birth and the Incarnation," moves on to the genetic consequences of the acquired character already mentioned, and how God has established laws of reproduction and inheritance to make possible the appearance of a Second Adam as the Redeemer, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is seen that the virgin birth plays an absolutely fundamental role in the plan of redemption.
     The fifth Paper, "The Trinity in the Old Testament," follows next quite logically because it shows how this Redeemer, called Lord, was in fact none other than the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Creator of the world and of man. The existence of more than one person m the Godhead as revealed by many statements in the Old Testament is brought out in a new and wonderful way. Only if the Redeemer was God Himself made man could He satisfy the demands of the role. For He who is to be a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of that innumerable host of the redeemed, must be more than a mere man, how ever perfect such a man might be -- if He is to bear the sins of many.
     The sixth Paper, "The Nature of the Soul," deals with a sensitive issue, but forms an essential part of this study, if we are to achieve some understanding of the chain of events which signalled the birth of the Saviour at the tremendous moment in the history of the

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universe when the Lord came down from His glory and entered that little body so "perfectly prepared" (Hebrews 10:5) and the Word became flesh and dwelt among men. Surprisingly, God has in a wonderful way graciously illuminated that unique moment for us in certain passages of Scripture that are not always linked together as they should be.
     The seventh Paper, "How Did Jesus Die?" moves forward to the fact of the Lord's death, examining the circumstances surrounding it -- not in this case as a theological event, but rather as a biological event, seeking to penetrate into certain factors involved in the Crucifixion which are not usually dealt with in most commentaries. The meaning of this death, which is quite without parallel in the whole of human history, is of special significance because it was a physiological event of absolutely unique character in a very specific way. The title of this paper indicates that the burden of its subject is not the why but the how of the Lord's death.
     The eighth Paper, "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ," naturally deals with the next step in the divine drama, for the work of the Lord's death was not completed until God had set His seal of satisfaction upon it and raised Him bodily from the grave. But other important things depended upon His bodily resurrection and even upon the form which His body took afterwards. The three days and the three nights spent in the grave had special significance also. Nothing was accidental: God's plan is perfect and to the child of God perfectly satisfying and fully reassuring.
     The final Paper, "The Unique Relationship Between the First and the Last Adam," shows how wonderfully all these events really did hinge upon the nature of the two Adams, the First and the Last, thus creating a unique relationship between them both physically and experientially.
     As is seen from other Papers appearing in these volumes, the very universe itself seems to have been designed and created for just such a plan as this.

The reader should bear in mind that each of these Papers was previously published separately by the author, and therefore there is some repetition of material.

Author's Note: In a number of places the author who holds an M.A. in biblical Greek and Hebrew, while relying essentially on the King James Version of the Bible, has changed words where he feels some clarification of the Elizabethan English might be helpful on the basis of his study of the original languages.

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