"We Believe in the Virgin Birth" Luke 1:26-35 Pastor Allan Wooters, D.Min.
Today’s topic of the virgin birth of Jesus is rightly associated with the Christmas season. Jesus’ unique birth is highlighted through emphasis on His mother, the Virgin Mary. This doctrine is so crucial that the Apostles’ Creed places it in its declaration about Jesus. The Creed says, “I believe…in Jesus Christ…who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” Luke puts the matter clearly in our text.
As with some other topics we have considered thus far in this series, the doctrine of the virgin birth is challenged and ridiculed by skeptics. Even within the broader umbrella of Christianity the virgin birth has been dismissed and even denounced as outdated and unimportant. But it is in Scripture, so God had a reason for its presence. As I will show, this teaching has a powerful and encouraging impact on our faith. So, let’s get to this and begin by examining the biblical account of the virgin birth.
The Account of the Virgin Birth
The text is familiar to most of us. Mary, this young peasant girl, is told by God’s angel that she would give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. But more than that, her child would be divine because He would be “the Son of God.” Mary is told this will happen in a supernatural way in that she will give birth to this child while still a virgin.
Two matters stand out in this passage. For one thing, we see here an incredible act of faith on Mary’s part. She, despite all logic, believed what the angel said. Moreover, she believed despite the risk it entailed. After all, she would be seen as having broken her vow to Joseph to whom she was engaged. How would he react? Would he believe? And what about those in her family and the neighbors? Mary was being asked to put herself in a very risky situation. But she accepted.
But second, we see the fact that Jesus was born by a direct act of God. It’s clear that no one was expecting anything like this. Matthew tells us that Joseph assumed the worst until the angel intervened. And Mary is shocked and mystified by Gabriel’s words. The Jews in general had no conception of a baby born to a virgin who would deliver them. It happened because God willed it to happen—and for no other reason. There is no other explanation. It was not a fluke of nature. God oversaw it all and why? It was for our salvation! It was all part of God’s plan to save all who would trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus’ birth in the way it came about was absolutely crucial. But some struggle to believe it. Given that, I want to pause for a moment and consider the assault on the doctrine of the virgin birth.
The Assault on the Virgin Birth
For a long time, some have raised questions about the virgin birth. It’s not just skeptics but believers themselves puzzle over this teaching. The questions raised should be respected and answered. Basically, the challenges to believing in the virgin birth appear on three fronts: the scientific, the mythic, and most surprising of all, within Christianity itself. Let us look first at the religious objection.
The religious objection is heard in the work of the well-known bishop and author John Shelby Spong. Spong says that the virgin birth is most likely fictional, a story invented by Matthew in his gospel. Matthew made up the story of the virgin birth to deal with criticisms in his day that Jesus was an illegitimate child. 1 Another commentator, William Barclay, is more subtle with his rejection of the virgin birth. Barclay says that Jews in those days believed that no child could be born without the Spirit. Father, Mother, and Spirit were always involved in a child’s birth. From this Jewish belief Barclay says:
It may well be that the New Testament stories of the Birth of Jesus are lovely, poetical ways of saying that, even if He had a human father, the Holy Spirit of God was operative in His birth in the most unique and special way. [What that special way is, Barclay doesn’t say]. In this matter we may make our own decision. It may be that we will desire to cling to the literal doctrine of the Virgin Birth; it may be that we will prefer to think of it as a beautiful way of stressing the presence of the Spirit of God in family life.” 2
In a somewhat subtle way, Barclay has downplayed the virgin birth at best and outright denied it at worse. But why would anyone who claims to believe that the God of the Bible exists have a problem with the virgin birth? Would such a miracle be too hard for God to perform? Could it be that God isn’t smart enough to pull of such a thing? He can speak and an entire universe explodes into existence, but a virgin birth is too much for Him? Come on! Let’s be reasonable! Any God who can bring into existence our universe and create something as complex as say the human brain, but can’t pull off a virgin birth? The answer is obvious. So much then, for the religious objection.
But what of the scientific objection. This one seems more formidable. At its simplest this objection says, “Virgins don’t give birth to babies! Everyone knows that. The debate is over.” Well…not so fast! First of all, the scientific objection works only from the belief that our world, indeed, the entire universe, is a closed, naturalistic system. It only operates by natural laws. Miracles in such a universe are automatically ruled out. In other words, there’s no spiritual reality to the universe at all. But the problem here is this naturalistic assumption can’t be proven. It is assumed by many scientists. You see, logically, all a skeptical scientist can do is say a virgin birth is highly unlikely, but she cannot say it’s impossible. Science can’t rule out a one-time, totally unique event which is precisely what the virgin birth is.
That science doesn’t rule out incredibly unique events is seen in the decades-long project known as SETI. SETI is an acronym meaning, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. This project involves scanning the universe listening for radio signals that might be coming from an alien race. Project participants believe that given the massive number of galaxies, stars, and planets in the known universe, the idea that we are alone seems absurd. Odds are that life must exist elsewhere. But here’s the thing; to date no discovery of extra-terrestrial life has been made. There’s no proof of life existing elsewhere but it’s believed by many that there is. That’s faith! Science has its faith anchored in the size of the universe. They have E. Ts, we have the V.B! But we have our faith in the virgin birth grounded in God Himself.
Anyway, the scientific objection isn’t all that strong when it is examined. But there’s one more to touch on namely, the mythic objection. This approach says that Jesus’ birth is just one among several ancient tales of gods fathering children. Critics point to the heroes of Mount Olympus or stories from Ovid’s Metamorphosis. These narratives tell how a god falls in love with a human woman. They have a one-night stand, and she gives birth to a god-man hero. Jesus’ birth is nothing more it is claimed.
But such a view overlooks the radical difference in the gospels compared to such myths. The gospel accounts are not mythic tales but are stories anchored in history. Names, times, and places are noted by the Bible, but this is not the case with myths. You can search this out more if you would like but I will spare you the details here. If you want to read more check out Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for the Real Jesus. His response to this matter is balanced and accessible. But now the question of questions: so what? What is the big deal about the virgin birth? I’m glad you asked! Let me end this message by considering the impact of this doctrine.
The Impact of the Virgin Birth
There are at least four vital truths that touch our life that stem from this doctrine. First, this doctrine separates believers from unbelievers. The virgin birth falls on one of the great fault lines of our faith. It is the “great divide” between those who truly believe the Bible and those who do not. Scripture does not put this doctrine up for debate. It is declared as a fact, as something to be believed, and that’s it. One is free to reject it but then don’t turn around and say you believe the Bible. It is clear such a person does not.
Second, the virgin birth made possible the full deity and full humanity in Jesus. God could have formed Jesus in heaven as a fully human man and dropped Him to earth. But it would be hard for anyone to see how Jesus could be truly human. Also, God could have had Jesus born of two human parents and put divinity into Him at some point in His development. But how then would we see Jesus as fully divine? With the virgin birth there is clear evidence that Jesus is indeed fully divine and fully human. Because of His unique nature Jesus can thus be the eternal sacrifice for our sins. Time fails me to be able to develop this fact, but it is there none-the-less.
Third, the Virgin Birth reminds us of the faithfulness of God. All through the Old Testament, God over and over promised that He would send a deliverer, a Savior to redeem both Jews and Gentiles. The virgin birth shows that God has kept that promise.
Fourth, this doctrine shows us that salvation ultimately comes from the Lord. Just as God had promised that the “seed” of the woman would ultimately destroy the serpent, so God brought it about by His own power, not through mere human effort. It is a reminder that salvation does not come through human effort but is a supernatural work of God. In Galatians 4:4 – 5 the apostle Paul declared, “But when the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
So, far from being a marginal teaching, the virgin birth is essential. Bible scholar Michael Bird, after surveying the biblical teaching declared:
The virginal conception is not up for negotiation, as it is a part of the biblical teaching and a consistent feature of the church’s testimony to Jesus. We are free to raise questions, test interpretations, and offer fresh ones, but we are not free to roll our eyes and move on to other matters if we are to believe in Jesus as Christians. 3
Dr. Albert Mohler agrees stating in no uncertain terms: “A Christian who doesn’t believe in the virgin birth is in eternal peril, for the one in whom he believes is not the One who is testified in the Scriptures.” 4 But for us who do believe, we have a further example of God’s power, love, and grace in sending His Son to us. With that, let us live with joy and confidence.
For Further Reading
God in the Manger: The Miraculous Birth of Christ, John MacArthur