Dear reader, God is not concerned about your pious platitudes as you commend the teachings of Jesus in the sermon on the mount. He turns His face with disdain when you speak of the crucifixion as "the martyrdom" of "a good man" who "died for his ideals." There is no way under Heaven that any man can approach God in peace except he come with prayer and praise to Jesus Christ as one who is very God, Creator, Saviour, one to be loved and worshipped, one who answers prayer, one who is worthy of all praises that can fall from human lips! - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 54]
Now, if the baby born that day was to be King and worthy of the gifts of gold, and was to be Deity and worthy of the frankincense representing praise and prayer, but if He were not to be an atoning Saviour, then all of God's plan is gone awry, and mankind is left in darkness and shadow of death! Thank God, when the wise men had given their gold and given their frankincense, they could also bring myrrh, by faith in the suffering, atoning, dying Saviour who paid once for all for man's sins and tore away the veil in the temple so that man could approach God in peace.! - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 58]
And out of the deep treasures of your heart will you give the Lord Jesus His due as God? Will you offer Him all the praises of your heart? Will you name His blessings, will you acknowledge your indebtedness, will you thank Him as Creator and Upholder of all things, the One from whose bountiful hand every blessing flows? This is what the wise men meant when they offered Him the frankincense of praise and prayer. Why not make it the settled policy of your life that your heart will overflow with praise? Whether thanks at the table or a grateful prayer on rising, or public testimony when opportunity affords, or the simple, never-ceasing adoration of a grateful heart - oh, I beg you, give Jesus Christ, our Lord, His due as deity, as God, a good God, a bountiful God, a loving God. - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 59-60]
All who understand the simplest, plainest doctrines in the Bible will understand why the Saviour must be born of a virgin. Men are tainted with sin. The whole race is fallen since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Every child ever born comes into this world with the curse of sin upon him. Every child is born but to die. And if Jesus were to be without the taint of sin, He needed to be conceived and born in a way different from the usual course of mankind. He was conceived and born of a virgin. Jesus had no human father! - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 78]
Christmastime is a time to honor Christ, God's unspeakable Gift to men. Christmastime is a time to praise His name, to glorify Him, to give the dear Lord Jesus the honor which is His due. And no one can give Christ any proper honor who does not admit His virgin birth and, therefore, His deity. - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 81-82]
One who does not believe in the virgin birth of Christ should simply say, "I am not a Christian. I do not believe the Bible. I do not believe in the deity of Christ. I do not trust in His atoning blood. I am an infidel, a pagan." One who denies the virgin birth and pretends to be a Christian is a deliberate deceiver, using feigned words to accept a salary or to maintain a position of honor or to get other gain by this false and wicked pretension of Christianity without a supernatural Christ. At Christmas time, it is well for us to remember that we wish all men well but accept no one as a Christian who does not take Jesus Christ for all He claims to be, the virgin-born Son of God. - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 82]
Immanuel is "God with us." God with the whole human race. In II Corinthians 5:19, the Scripture says, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." There is a sense in which Christ is not only God with Christians, but He is God with mankind. There is a sense in which the whole world is reconciled unto God. Let us say, rather, that a bridge has been made between God and men, a bridge for the whole race to cross upon, if they will. Let us say that all the sinners who reject Christ and go to Hell were loved of God and sought of God and bought by the sacrifice of Calvary the same as the rest of us who have trusted and received the Saviour. - John R. Rice [The Birth of the Saviour, pg. 86-87]
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