“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
The birth of a child is a miracle. There is no doubt about it. To think of the complexity of the entire process from conception to birth is undeniably miraculous. It is a wonderful divine event that takes two – mother and father. Always has, always will.
Except once.
Approximately 2000 years ago, Jesus was born of a woman who was a virgin. She was not, as some say, just a young unmarried woman. She was an unmarried young woman who had never been in an intimate physical relationship with a man, and she was the woman chosen by God to bear His Son.
Why is the virgin birth so important? Without the uniqueness of the virgin birth, our salvation would be non-existent. This sinful world needed a sinless Saviour, but ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, sin had been passed on to every generation via the fathers (Romans 5:12). A child conceived in sin could never become the perfect holy sacrifice required to redeem all mankind because “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, a virgin conception and birth would exempt a child from the guilt of Adam’s sin, and qualify him to become the Saviour of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 7:26).
In order for this to happen, the Saviour would need a sinless father, but there was no earthly man who could fulfill that requirement (Romans 3:10). The Saviour’s father would have to be God Himself, and to remove any doubt as to the paternity of the child, the woman had to be a virgin. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). And so it was that Jesus was conceived and born of a virgin, which assured that He was truly the Son of God. He was Immanuel… God with us.
There are some who doubt the virgin birth, but think for a moment about the situation surrounding the announcement of this impending birth to Mary (Luke 1). She knew she was a virgin and that there was no way for her to be pregnant until she gave herself to her husband. Although she was betrothed, that time had not yet happened. This is the reason why she questioned the angel’s statement, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). If Mary was simply a “young woman,” she never would have asked, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). Mary herself validated her virginity through her wonder at how she could bear a child in her physical state of purity.
The virgin birth is a vital component of our faith because it clearly shows the heritage of our Lord Jesus Christ. His mother was a Jewish virgin, and His Father was God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. By virtue of these facts, Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, who was born for the specific purpose of becoming our Saviour. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” 1 John 4:14.
This Christmas, as you reflect on the true meaning of the season, take time to thank the Lord for the trusting heart of a young Jewish virgin, who submitted herself to God and became the mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
(from “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr & John Freeman Young)
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1:23-25
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“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37