Theology Thursday: Why a virgin birth?

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
The gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke both teach us that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, and the church has broadly affirmed this as a historical event (meaning, the Bible isn’t using poetic or metaphorical language here, this is something that actually happened) for some-2,000 years since. But why does it matter? What difference does it make that the incarnation (the Son of God entering into humanity) is the result of Holy Spirit-powered conception and not traditional sexual union? 

The virgin birth matters for at least five important reasons. 

First, the virgin birth functions as a sign of divine initiative. Salvation is something God begins, not humanity. Jesus’ conception is not the result of human doing; it is a supernatural act of God. In his book What Christians Ought to Believe, Bible scholar Mike Bird highlights that the incarnation does not arise from human effort but from God stepping into history by his own power. This matters for how we think about and understand the purpose of the incarnation in the first place. The virgin birth at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life and the resurrection and ascension at its end constitute a coherent proclamation that God’s work of salvation is, from start to finish, not a result of human achievement, but a gift of grace alone, “...so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:9). 

Second, the virgin birth serves to affirm the true identity of Jesus. Christians confess that Jesus is both fully God and fully man - one person with two natures. The virgin conception bears witness to this union. Born of Mary, he is truly human; conceived by the Holy Spirit, he is truly divine. The virgin birth does not create Jesus’ divinity - he is eternally divine - yet it publicly signals that this child was not merely another human who would become a prophet. The baby in Mary’s womb, then the manger, then the man on the cross, is the incarnation of the eternal Son of God.

Third, the virgin birth stresses that Jesus comes as the new creation. Just as God breathed life into Adam at the beginning, so the Spirit brings about a new humanity in Christ. Bird points out that early Christians saw and emphasized Jesus’ birth as the dawn of new creation life. The virgin conception is the Spirit’s creative act, announcing that through Jesus, God the Father is remaking the world. This resonates with the theological themes of regeneration and renewal, where salvation is not merely forgiveness but the beginning of new creation. As Romans 6:4 says: We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Fourth, the virgin birth underlines that Christ-as-human is untouched by the fall in Genesis 3. You can read more about the doctrine of original sin HERE, but regardless of how you understand the Bible’s presentation of human nature, inherited guilt, and the world’s fallen status, that Jesus was conceived outside of a traditional relational union between husband and wife gives us confidence that he is not marred by the moral corruption ushered into the world by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they chose to reject God’s design for their life and give in to the serpent’s temptation. The virginal conception serves as a theological signpost that Jesus stands apart from Adam’s fallen line even as he becomes fully human to redeem it. Jesus is thus uniquely holy, not in a way that distances him from humanity, but in a way that equips him to save humanity.

Fifth, and finally, the virgin birth affirms the reliability of scripture and the unity of God’s plan. The virgin birth is implied in the Old Testament as early as Genesis 3:15, which promised that "the offspring” of the woman would be the victor over Satan and sin. The prophet Isaiah foretold this event expressly: “…the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel means “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 confirms that this prophecy was fulfilled in Mary. She is also called a “virgin” in Luke 1:27. So, the gospels portray Jesus’ conception and birth as a real historical miracle rooted in Old Testament expectation and fulfilled that first Christmas night. For Christians who uphold biblical reliability and authority, the virgin birth strengthens trust that God acts in history and keeps his promises.

Related resources: 
God's Power or Human Violence? The Meaning of the Virgin Birth
The Virgin Birth is More than an Incredible Occurrence
 
TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.