The Virgin Birth

“And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God”” (Luke 1:34-37).

Throughout time, men have desired to deny the virgin birth. Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus by the Supreme Being as his father, in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” However, for those of us who believe in the Son of God it should come as no surprise that His birth took place miraculously. The same God who brought life from dust (Genesis 2:7), brought life to the dead (2 Kings 4:34-35), and gave life to those beyond childbearing age (Genesis 21:5-7), can surely bring a child into the world without the assistance of a man. God is not dependent upon His creation for life. Indeed, it is the Spirit who gives life, but the flesh which profits you nothing (John 6:63).

In this article, I want to consider a few reasons to have faith in the account of Mary’s pregnancy through the power of the Spirit.

Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14).

Certainly medicine has developed significantly since the time Luke practiced as a physician. And yet, since the time of Adam, man has understood that children are conceived through man and woman. Therefore, it ought to give us pause that one so close to the medical profession would willingly agree to speak falsely so as to embellish the birth of Christ. If his better judgment had thought the event ludicrous, not to mention against the laws of nature, his likely conclusion would have been to not include it in the scriptures. The fact that a physician does include the event in his history ought to lend credence to its validity.

Joseph remained faithful to Mary, not knowing the father.

Joseph’s trouble with Mary’s pregnancy did not stem from a lack of knowledge concerning conception. On the contrary, he believed she had been unfaithful to him. However, in her honor, he decided to put her away quietly, “not wanting to make her a public example” (Matthew 1:19). If Joseph and Mary gave birth to this child through natural means, how is it that Joseph knew not who the father was? If Luke and Matthew’s recording of the virgin birth is not to be believed, then we must accept that their history of Joseph’s handling of the situation is also not entirely true. Either Joseph’s own sin, or some other man’s sin, was covered up by the writers (which they were not accustomed to doing: see Matthew 14:30-31, 16:21-23, 20:20-28; Luke 22:54-62) or the events recorded are exactly as received by them in truth.

The prophets said it would happen this way.

There is indication in the words of God in Genesis 3:15 that Eve’s Seed would bruise the head of Satan. It is peculiar to this passage that the woman is spoken of as having seed (cf. Jeremiah 31:27, Daniel 2:43, and Acts 13:23). In general, seed is of the male and is brought to life through fertilization in the womb of woman. The fact that this passage clearly shows the seed to be that of a woman may well hint at the fact that God would supply the seed within Mary. It would not be the seed of man.

In Isaiah 7, the prophet is speaking directly with king Ahaz. Ahaz shows no use for God or the prophet, and yet God offers him a tremendous prophecy of hope for his kingdom. The prophecy is provided in Isaiah 7:14-25, with verse 14-16 focusing on the birth of a child from the virgin. The passage seems to indicate that in short order the enemies of Ahaz would lose their thrones due to the Assyrians. Matthew 1:23 helps us understand the later and greater fulfillment. God was with us.

Promiscuous behavior does not lead to the Savior.

If the virgin birth is not to be believed, then we must accept that God chose to allow the Savior of men to be born out of a sinful relationship. This is inconsistent with God. The sin of David did not result in the line of Christ; it resulted in death. Rather, it was the forgiven and God-condoned marriage to Bathsheba that brought forth Solomon and Nathan. It was not Rahab’s harlotry that brought her into the line of Christ, but her faith in God. God did not allow an illegitimate son to bring legitimacy to mankind. Rather, of the Holy Spirit came the glorious seed which was born of a woman. Galatians 4:4-5 exclaims, “But when the fullness of the time had come, GOD sent forth HIS Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

It was of God that His Son came into this world. He was Immanuel: God with Us. Isaiah proclaimed it (Isaiah 7:14), the

Holy Spirit performed it (Luke 1:35), and Mary testified of it in praise (Luke 1:48-49).

Praise be to God for blessing Mary with child. For God brought His Son into this world with great joy and peace. And through faith in His name, we receive life. “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9)