{"id":4495,"date":"2023-12-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegateway.press\/?p=4495"},"modified":"2023-12-25T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T19:00:00","slug":"the-christmas-couple-joseph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/the-christmas-couple-joseph\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Couple: Joseph"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Character matters. God wants us to develop and demonstrate qualities which reveal our values and convictions. Character counts as the sustaining force which enables us to make an impact over the long haul \u2013 more than intelligence, skills, or education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When God selected the Christmas couple \u2013 Mary and Joseph \u2013 he chose two people with sterling character, including traits which qualified them to be Jesus\u2019s earthly parents. While the Bible contains scant details about their appearance or proficiencies, it emphasizes the kind of people they were \u2013 their character traits \u2013 as the reasons for their selection for their all-important roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph found himself in an awkward situation. The Bible describes him as a \u201crighteous man\u201d who obeyed the law of God (Mt. 1:19) but who wanted to divorce Mary. Why? Well, you know why! She was pregnant. And since Joseph knew what caused that, and also knew he wasn\u2019t the father, he wanted out of the relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, Joseph\u2019s love for Mary was evident in his hesitancy to go through with the divorce. The Bible says he \u201cdid not want to expose her to public disgrace\u201d (Mt. 1;19) so he was considering ways to end the relationship quietly. Then God sent an angel with a very clear message \u2013 don\u2019t do it! The angel gave him the details \u2013 the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit, his name will be Jesus, you will marry Mary, and your son will save people from their sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a startling message that must have been! But Joseph\u2019s response reveals the depth of his convictions and desire to obey God \u2013 \u201che did as the Lord\u2019s angel had commanded him\u201d (Mt. 1:24). Joseph obeyed God, continuing to live as a righteous man by obeying the new insight he now had into what it meant to be righteous. It was not about following the Law, but about obeying the new direction God provided through the angel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One more aspect of this story has always intrigued me. The virgin birth is an important fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and an essential part of orthodox Christology. Joseph was the key person in making this happen since \u201che did not have sexual relations with her (Mary) until she gave birth to a son\u201d (Mt. 1:25). Note this key distinction. Jesus conceived in a virgin was God\u2019s miracle; Jesus being born of a virgin was Joseph\u2019s responsibility. The virgin conception was caused by God. The virgin birth was assured by Joseph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God chose Joseph because he lived by convictions. He obeyed God, end of story, no matter how difficult it was. He set aside his rights and privileges to do what was right. As you reflect on the Christmas couple this Christmas season, draw strength from Joseph and live by your convictions in obedience to God\u2019s directions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n \n Theology\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n Posted by: Philip O. Hopkins<\/span>\n |<\/span>\n April 7, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Iran: Further Reading<\/a>\n <\/h3>\n

Read through this helpful bibliography of resources on Iran gathered by Dr. Phil Hopkins.<\/p>\n

\n Read Article<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Philip O. Hopkins<\/a>\n
Professor of Missions<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Philip O. Hopkins is a professor of missions and chair of the Missions and Intercultural Studies Department at Gateway Seminary. He earned Ph.D. in applied theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a second Ph.D. in Iranian history from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). He is also the associate editor of the IRAN: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies.<\/div>\n
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\n Posted by: Daniel M. Gurtner, Ph.D.<\/span>\n |<\/span>\n March 26, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Protected: Book Excerpt – Engaging the First Christian Historian<\/a>\n <\/h3>\n

Read an excerpt from Daniel M. Gurtner’s article in this festschrift in honor of Dr. Steve Walton<\/p>\n

\n Read Article<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Daniel M. Gurtner, Ph.D.<\/a>\n
Professor of New Testament Studies<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Dr. Gurtner has a passion for making Christ known through careful, deliberate, and worshipful study of the Bible, and training students to do the same.<\/div>\n
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\n \n Theology\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n Posted by: Philip O. Hopkins<\/span>\n |<\/span>\n March 4, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

\n Persecution and Protection of Iranian Christians<\/a>\n <\/h3>\n

A closer look at the history of Christianity in Iran may be helpful in understanding the current war in Iran.<\/p>\n

\n Read Article<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Philip O. Hopkins<\/a>\n
Professor of Missions<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
Philip O. Hopkins is a professor of missions and chair of the Missions and Intercultural Studies Department at Gateway Seminary. He earned Ph.D. in applied theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a second Ph.D. in Iranian history from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). He is also the associate editor of the IRAN: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies.<\/div>\n
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\n \n Read more by Philip O.\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Character matters. God wants us to develop and demonstrate qualities which reveal our values and convictions. Character counts as the sustaining force which enables us to make an impact over the long haul \u2013 more than intelligence, skills, or education. When God selected the Christmas couple \u2013 Mary and Joseph \u2013 he chose two people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":4500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[411,139,452,453,454],"class_list":["post-4495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ministry","tag-character","tag-christmas","tag-conviction","tag-joseph","tag-obedience"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raincrossdev2.com\/gateway\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}