The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Inbox: Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin?

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Christmas is a wonderful time of year full of family and friends, long vacations, tasty food, joyous music, good cheer, and of course, presents. Beyond all these things that make Christmas so enjoyable, the real reason for the season is about a birthday. Christmas is the birthday celebration of Jesus Christ, God made flesh, born of a virgin.

But, was Jesus really born of a virgin?

The Biblical Account

That the divine Son of God was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit — no male involved — in the womb of a teenage girl who had never had sexual relations with a man, is clearly told in the biblical story of the annunciation of Jesus, found in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26-38). The account goes:

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you.”

The Gospel of Matthew adds more detail (Matthew 1:18-25):

After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Then Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son.

The Prophetic Fulfillment

Jesus had to be born of a virgin in order to fulfill the many ancient messianic prophecies, such as:

  • “And I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed…” (Genesis 3:15). A woman cannot supply the seed — the sperm — only a man can.
  • “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel, meaning ‘God with us'” (Isaiah 7:14). The Angel Gabriel would quote this verse using the Greek word parthenos to designate Mary not just as a maiden, but specifically as a young woman who never had sexual intercourse (Matthew 1:22-23).
  • “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder…” (Isaiah 9:6). A miraculous birth would fulfill Isaiah’s ancient prophecy.
  • “Bethlehem, out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). Bethlehem is where the Messiah would be born, yet interestingly, He already had existed forever.

The Evidence

The evidence that Mary was a virgin can be found not only in her response to Gabriel when she asked, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34), but also in the way she behaved. In the First Century world, where becoming pregnant during the engagement period was considered an act of adultery and was thus subject to divorce or even stoning, Mary did not hide in guilt and shame. Instead, Mary travels to her elder cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zacharias (Luke 1:39-45). As a priest, Zacharias would have been duty bound to report Mary for adultery. Instead, the couple welcomes her and Elizabeth exclaims, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Mary then proceeds to worship God with a magnificent song (Luke 1:46-55).

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ was attested to by many witnesses such as the Hebrew prophets, Dr. Luke, the Apostle Matthew, the Angel Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit, and the Early Church Fathers [Ignatius (110 AD), Aristides (125 AD), Justin Martyr (150 AD), Irenaeus (170 AD), Tatian (170 AD), Clement of Alexandria (190 AD), Tertullian (200 AD)]. Even Jesus Himself affirmed His virgin birth when He claimed to be the Messiah — God in the flesh (Mark 14:61-64; John 4:25-26).

Essential to Christianity

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is absolutely essential to the Christian faith, for if Jesus was not born of a virgin, He could not have provided these seven foundational truths.

  1. Fulfilled Prophecy
    Jesus could not fulfill the prophecies that defined the Messiah.
  2. Deity
    The Messiah could not be God. The identity of the Messiah was tied to being God incarnate (John 1:14).
  3. Kinsman-Redeemer
    Jesus could not claim the role of Kinsman-Redeemer. Jesus had to be a blood relative in order to be able to fulfill the family role of rescuer and become the “Second Adam” as the new head of the human race.
  4. Perfect Sacrifice
    Jesus could not become the perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sins. By having no earthly father, God kept Jesus from inheriting the sin nature so that He would be born pure and holy (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22-24; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26).
  5. Salvation
    Jesus could not provide salvation. If Jesus was not God, then His sacrificial death for our sins would be meaningless, for no flawed man can appease our Creator’s demand for perfect justice.
  6. Eternal Hope
    Jesus could not become the source of mankind’s eternal hope. He’d be just another sinful man incapable of providing the only means of making peace with the Father.
  7. Trust in the Bible
    Mankind could not trust the Bible. If Jesus’ origin was a lie, then nothing in the Bible can be trusted, meaning the whole book should just be thrown out.

The fact is, Jesus was born of a virgin. And, because He is God, mankind can be saved. We may have trouble understanding the “how’s” of it all, but as the Angel Gabriel concluded, “With God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

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ABOUT AUTHOR View all posts Author Website

Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

3 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • I think we should not overlook the miraculous birth of John the Baptist (a Son of God).
    His parents (Elizabeth and Zachariah – descendants of Aaron) were righteous people, totally blameless, walking perfectly in the commandments of God. The archangel Gabriel announced (Annunciation) the coming birth of John to Zachariah next to the Altar of Incense just outside the Holy of Holies (as opposed to inside the Holy of Holies, where the author of Hebrews mistakenly places the Altar of Incense. Zachariah would have been killed inside the Holy of Holies – burning incense daily). Jesus said that there is no person born of women who was greater than John. He is Elijah. He appeared in all his glory with Jesus and Moses at the Transfiguration. Even King Herod believed John to be the Son of God. Herod believed Jesus was John come back from the dead and that is why the miracles were being performed by Jesus. Herod was not far off in his belief. Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was. Some say John the Baptist, others EliJAH, and still others some prophet of old (perhaps Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Moses, etc.). God speaks to prophets through dreams and visions. Not so with Moses. God spoke to Moses face-to-face. Moses was more than a prophet. John the Baptist was more than a prophet. EliJAH was carried to heaven in a chariot of fire. Jesus said no one has ever gone up to heaven except for the Son of Man who came down from heaven. Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead made manifest. “There is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest” Jesus said. The other manifestations of the Son of God are to be honored as Saints, but not worshipped. Ben-Deker (“Son of Piercings” – Isaiah 53, 1 Kings 4) served under King Solomon. Stephen (“Stoned/Crowned One”) may have taken the penalty for the woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus had to go to the cross. He had to postpone dying by stoning. I believe Stephen was the Son of God who bore the stoning penalty in his flesh per the Law of Moses requirement. I believe Jesus wrote a contract in the sand promising to later return after rising from death, to suffer the stoning himself for this woman. “Go, but do not sin again”. Jesus said this to the woman he pardoned. This always bothered me until I realized that if she had sinned again this way (Adultery) before the cross, Jesus would have had to taken her punishment in his flesh more than once (i.e. as Stephen). Bring forth the Royal Diadem and crown him Lord of all.

  • How exciting it must have been to know that there was a Messiah coming to save the world from sin and death during those times and now. John the Baptist was God-appointed to announce the arrival of Jesus, a Preacher whose theme was repentance. Doing what God desires is the greatest possible life investment. John the author and apostle, shows us that Jesus is unique as God’s special Son, yet he is fully God. Because he is fully God, Jesus is able to reveal God to us clearly and accurately. Jesus is God’s Son, we can perfectly trust what he says.

    John the Baptist discloses Jesus identity with his very first words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1. In every chapter Jesus’ deity is revealed. The Word, the One and Only, Lamb of God, the bread, the life, resurrection, vine, And the formulas is “I Am.” I am the bread of life, I am the Light of the World, I am the gate, I am the good Shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life. I am the way and the truth and the life. John 14:6.

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