Christianity and Liberalism

A century ago, a new, “modernist” liberal theology was infiltrating Protestant seminaries throughout the United States, transported primarily from Germany. J. Gresham Machen, an opponent of this new liberal theology, wrote a volume entitled Christianity and Liberalism in which he argued that historic Christianity and “modernist” theology were incompatible systems. To Bible-believing Christians like Machen, certain “fundamentals” were non-negotiable for authentic Christianity, such as the inspiration of Scripture, the deity and virgin birth of Jesus, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the literal Second Coming.

The Virgin Birth: A Mystery to Be Cried Aloud

The virgin birth refers to Mary’s miraculous conception of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, without any male participation, so that, though the birth process was not unlike that of other humans, Mary was still a virgin when Jesus was born. This Biblical doctrine should be distinguished from the Roman Catholic tenets of Mary’s immaculate conception and her perpetual virginity (Erickson, 179). The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception According to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Mary was “preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Ott, 199).

The Impeccability of Christ

Introduction Our topic asks the question, “Was it possible for Jesus Christ to sin when He was tempted during His earthly ministry?” Those who answer, “yes it was possible for Him to sin, though He did not choose to sin” are teaching the peccability of Christ. Those who answer, “no, it was not possible for Jesus Christ to sin” are teaching the impeccability of Christ. A Presentation of the Doctrine It is my purpose to show that Jesus Christ was and is impeccable, i.e.