The Virgin Birth

Have you ever wondered why the virgin birth of Christ is such an important part of the Christmas story? The fact that God had come to dwell with us as a little baby boy is miraculous enough. Do we really need to know that His mother was a virgin? The answer to that question seems to be an irrefutable, overwhelming YES according to God's Word. Here are three basic reasons for this. First of all, the gospel message itself confirms that Jesus Christ was conceived in the virgin Mary. (Matt. 1:18-25) The Apostle Matthew emphatically clarifies the fact of Christ's virgin birth. To deny this miraculous birth of Christ is to deny the truth of the gospel message itself. The second reason for His virgin birth is the many prophecies related to the coming of Christ. If Jesus is the promised Christ, He must be able to fulfill these prophecies. Matthew reminds us of this by noting that the birth of Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 "Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." This virgin birth is a necessary requirement for anyone claiming the title of Christ. But this leads us to the third important reason for the virgin birth of Christ. According to God's Word, every person born naturally into this world is a descendent of Adam and inherits his sin. (Rom. 5:12-14) If Jesus had been born into this world naturally with an earthly father and mother, He would have inherited the sin of our race. Therefore, God determined that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit within the womb of the virgin Mary. Without an earthly father, He was exempt from the sin of Adam. His conception by the Holy Spirit meant that He could not be tainted by the sin of His earthly mother Mary. Being born of a virgin means Jesus is the promised Christ, that He is without sin, and therefore able to redeem sinners. The virgin birth of Christ is essential to the gospel message, and essential to His work of redemption.