The Virgin Birth Of Christ
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ and His Deity are inextricably bound together. Linked in Scripture with His identification as Immanuel (meaning God with us) and as the unique Son of God is the declaration of His virgin birth. Either both of these facts are true or neither of them is true. If Jesus was not virgin-born, the Bible errs. If its accounts of Christ’s birth are false, He is not the Saviour. No other conclusion can be drawn.
The Old Testament Predicts Christ’s Virgin Birth
In one of the earliest chapters of the Bible a prophecy is made concerning the virgin birth of the Redeemer. In the Garden of Eden the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because thou halt done this (tempting Eve)… I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed; He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:14-15). Observe that the seed referred to is not that of the male, which would be the normal biological process, but the seed of the woman, “her seed.”
Seven centuries prior to the nativity of our Lord the same Isaiah who predicted He would be born of a virgin affirmed His Deity when he wrote, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Father of the Ages, The Prince of Peace” (9:6). The Old Testament foretells the virgin birth of Christ and His Deity.
The New Testament Announces Christ’s Virgin Birth
The very first chapter of the New Testament records the genealogy of Jesus through Abraham and David. Again and again it is stated that So-and-so begot So-and-so. There follows the account of the conception and birth of Mary’s Child, beginning, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise…” (Matthew 1:18). “Now” is translated from the Greek word de which here might better be rendered “but” or “on the other hand.” “Abraham begot Isaac…Isaac begot Jacob…Jacob begot Joseph… On the other hand the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way.” The evangelist goes on to tell how the Angel Gabriel told Joseph, Mary’s fiance, that she would give birth to a Son who would be conceived by the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit, and that this Jesus would save His people from their sins. Matthew states that this was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.
Luke’s account of the annunciation records that Gabriel, speaking to Mary about Jesus’ birth, told her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that Holy One who shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The Apostle Paul placed his seal on Christ’s virgin birth when he wrote, “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman…” (Galatians 4:4). The New Testament affirms that Christ was virgin-born.
The Importance of Christ’s Virgin Birth
If Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin, then He entered the world by the same process as other men and women and therefore inherited from His parents a sinful nature. In such a circumstance He Himself would have needed a saviour. But He was born in a miraculous way. There was no sin in Him. He Himself never sinned but was completely spotless before God and men. (See e.g., John 8:28, 46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19). Bear in mind that, in order for Christ to be mankind’s Redeemer, it was necessary that He, the eternal Son of God, should take on human form. Only as a man could He die for other men. Perfect in His Deity, Christ Jesus was also perfect in His humanity. For this to be so, His birth had to be supernatural, as indeed it was.
From every consideration — the revelation of the Scriptures, the sinlessness and perfection of Christ’s Person, and logic itself — there can be no explanation about His birth other than that which is declared concerning Him: Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
This is the One who was born to die. He came to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He was able to die for you and me to redeem us from our sins. Make Christmas a day of committal to Him in every conceivable way.
— E. Schuyler English
in The Pilgrim