Virgin Birth

When Joseph discovered that Mary, his betrothed, was with child, he didn’t know what to do. He believed she was a virgin, and it wasn’t possible for a virgin to be pregnant, and she certainly had not been unfaithful to him. The Lord revealed to Joseph that her child was the promised Messiah, the Son of God (Matt. 1:18–25). The phrase “virgin birth” refers to this miraculous event and informs us that Jesus came into the world having a human mother who bore Him but not a human father who had begotten Him (v. 16; Luke 1:26–56). Joseph was His father only according to the law, but he had no part in the conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb. This was accomplished by the Holy Spirit (v. 35).

Is the doctrine of the virgin birth significant? It certainly is, for it involves three very important matters that affect every Christian believer.

The Authority of the Word of God

The first important matter is the authority of the Word of God. Beginning with Genesis 3:15, which is the first promise of the Savior in Scripture, the major theme of the Old Testament is that the Savior is coming (Luke 24:25–27, 44–45; and see Prophecy). The law God gave to the Jews was to protect the nation and keep it separated from moral and spiritual pollution so it could be a channel through which God could send His Son. Isaiah 7:14 affirms that the Savior would be born of a virgin, and if that prophecy is not true, can we trust any other portion of the Scripture? Matthew and Luke mention the virgin birth in the very first chapters of their Gospels. If they lied about the birth of Christ, can we trust what they wrote about His life, miracles, teachings, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension?

The Deity of Jesus Christ

The second important matter is the deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the Son of God—and He is—then He existed before the creation of the universe and before His mother. The Holy Spirit conceived the Son in Mary’s womb, and the angel Gabriel told her that “the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born [the humanity of Jesus], to us a son is given” [the deity of Jesus]. Jesus Himself taught that He “came down from heaven” and was “sent by the Father” (John 5:23–24, 30, 38–40; 6:32–33, 38, 41–42, 50–51, 58; 16:28; and see 17:5, 24). Each baby born into this world is a new individual that has never existed before. Jesus existed with the Father and the Spirit from eternity (1:1–4).

The Reality of Salvation

Third, the virgin birth is important for the reality of salvation. If Jesus is not the perfect Lamb of God, how could He effectively offer Himself on the cross as the sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Pet. 2:24)? “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” Jesus asked some of His enemies (John 8:46). He had no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), He was without sin (Heb. 4:15; 7:26), and He committed no sin (1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Had He been conceived as any other baby, He would have had a sinful nature (Ps. 51:5); but He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and therefore sinless.

 See: Immanuel, Incarnation, Mary, Messiah, Overshadow, Prophecy