“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
Central to biblical Christianity is the doctrine of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Progressive liberals continue to reject such outmoded teaching of orthodox belief that has been championed throughout church history by those who take God’s Word seriously. In the face of such apostasy, faithful Christians must stand with resolute biblical conviction by thus reaffirming the virgin birth of Christ. We must do so by understanding what it is and what it is not.
The late Dr. Adrian Rogers clearly understood the importance of this doctrine that is foundational to biblical Christianity. Many years ago, he proclaimed the truth beginning with the following question:
“Did you realize that if you take away the virgin birth, the entire house of Christianity collapses like house of cards? The virgin birth is not incidental; it is fundamental to our faith.”
“If you don’t believe the virgin birth, you have some real problems. You have a problem with the character of Mary. If Jesus Christ were not born of a virgin, she was a harlot. You also have a real problem with the character of Jesus. If Jesus were not born of a virgin, then He was not the Son of God. He would have been a son of Adam, and in Adam all die. If you don’t believe in the virgin birth, you also have difficulty with the character of the Word of God. You have said that God has recorded a lie.”
“Most importantly, you have a problem with your own character. Your character needs repair, regeneration, and renewal. God cannot simply overlook sin. Sin must be atoned [paid-TB] for. Therefore, either we will pay for our sin, or we must have a substitute.”
“Our substitute would have to be a man in order to shed blood since God in Spirit form cannot shed blood. Our substitute must be both sinless and innocent, so no son of Adam could qualify. He had to be truly human, yet He had to be unquestionably sinless. That’s why the virgin birth.”
The Virgin Birth of Christ: What it is NOT
It is NOT the beginning of Christ’s existence (Jn.1:1-5, 14; Col.1:16-18; Heb.1:1-6).
It is NOT a birth that was conceived upon Mary’s first sexual intercourse (Mat.1:18-25; Lk.1:26-38).
It is NOT the result of Mary’s immaculate/sinless character or perpetual virginity (Lk.1:46; 8:20; 1 Tim.2:5).
It is NOT a mythical analogy used to illustrate the purity of Christ (2 Cor.4:3-4; 8:9; 11:3-4).
It is NOT a superfluous detail to theology but…
The Virgin Birth of Christ: What It IS
It is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy (Gen.3:15; Is.7:14; Mat.1:22-23).
It is Christ’s birth through Mary who conceived by the Holy Spirit apart from the agency of a human father (Mat.1:18-25; Lk.1:26-38 cf. Is.9:6-7).
It is historical reality founded upon the objective truth of the Word of God (Jn.1:1-5, 14; 2 Tim.3:16-17; Heb.1:1-6).
It is inseparable from the gospel of salvation because Christ would have otherwise possessed a sin nature and therefore been incapable of providing redemption (Micah 5:2-5a; Rom.1:1-4; Phil.2:6-11).
“When man reaches up to God, it’s called religion. When God reaches down to man, it’s called Christmas.”
