Sometime back our oldest son was doing some research into the Hodges family lineage. When he called one night to give Susan and me an update he prefaced his report with, “Are you sitting down?” That's not the best way to begin a discussion of your family tree! Like many families, the further back you go with the Hodges the more surprises you are likely to discover.
In many ways the family tree of Jesus is no different. The Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus’ family tree. Beginning with Abraham, the words “the father of” describe every relationship in the chapter except one. In verse 16 we read “and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.” (Matt 1:16) Rather than being described as the father of Jesus, Joseph is described as Mary’s husband.
The explanation for this difference comes next:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matt 1:18-23)
Matthew’s point is that the birth of Jesus is different. It is not like any other birth. It is divine. It is supernatural.
There is a story that one day C.S. Lewis was sitting in his office in the English department when a friend, who was an unbeliever, wandered in. There were carolers below in the courtyard singing Christmas carols and as the two were speaking, they could hear them singing a Christmas carol that contained words about Jesus’ virgin birth. His unbelieving friend said to C. S. Lewis, “Isn’t it good that we now know better than they did.” C. S. Lewis said, “What do you mean?” “Well, isn’t it good that we now know more than they did.” “I am afraid that you will have to explain,” Lewis said. “Well, isn’t it good that we now know that virgins don’t have babies.” C.S. Lewis looked at him incredulously and said, “Don’t you think that they knew that? That is the whole point.”
Really? Is that the point? Is the Biblical account of a supernatural conception one we should accept? Many “experts” and “scholars” would say “No!”
Several years ago Nicholas Kristof wrote a column in the New York Times entitled “Believe It or Not”. Kristof pointed to belief in the Virgin Birth as evidence that Christians who believe this doctrine are "less intellectual." He wrote, "The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time". He also said, “The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine America's emphasis on faith because most Biblical scholars regard the evidence for the Virgin Birth….as so shaky that it pretty much has to be a leap of faith.”
So what are we to do with the doctrine of the virgin birth? Are we being “less than intellectual” if we hold to the Biblical account of this event? Can we ignore it? Must we believe it?
What follows are five questions and answers concerning the doctrine of the Virgin Birth.
1. Since the Bible says so little about the Virgin Birth, is it OK if I don’t believe it?
Some have said that since the virgin birth is only mentioned in two gospels, that undermines its credibility. This is not true.
In his Systematic Theology, Millard Erickson wrote, "If we do not hold to the virgin birth despite the fact that the Bible asserts it, then we have compromised the authority of the Bible and there is in principle no reason why we should hold to its other teachings. Thus, rejecting the virgin birth has implications reaching far beyond the doctrine itself."
We have no right to weigh the validity of biblical teachings by how often we find it in scripture. Even if the Virgin Birth was taught by only one biblical passage, that would be enough to obligate us to believe it. We cannot claim to believe that the Bible is the Word of God and then turn around and pick and choose which parts of it we will believe.
2. Does someone have to believe in the Virgin Birth to be saved?
No! Believing in the virgin birth is not necessary for someone to receive salvation. The Gospel message is simple. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). And it is deep. The point is not that we must believe in the virgin birth to be saved, but rather, our salvation is confirmed and strengthened as we progress in our faith and grow in our understanding of God and his word. Believing in the Virgin Birth is not the root of our salvation – but it is fruit of someone trusting in God and growing in his word.
3. What does the Virgin Birth teach me about Jesus humanity?
If Jesus had not been born of a human, we would have reason to question his full humanity. “It probably would have been possible for God to create Jesus as a complete human being in heaven and send him to descend from heaven to earth without the benefit of any human parent. But then it would have been very hard to for us to see how Jesus could be fully human as we are, nor would he be a part of the human race that physically descended from Adam.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p 530)
4. What does the Virgin Birth teach me about Jesus’ divinity?
If Jesus had been born through the same physical union of a man and woman as any other human we would have reason to question his full divinity. Again, “it probably would have been possible for God to have Jesus come into the world with two human parents, both a father and a mother, and with his full divine nature miraculously united to his human nature at some point early in his life. But then it would have been hard to understand how Jesus was fully God, since his origin was like ours in every way.” (Grudem)
Thus, the virgin birth is an unmistakable work of God, and the supernatural means God chose to come into the world. In so doing we have the perfect unity of humanity and deity in one Person. The angel said so to Mary, who by the way, was the first one to question how this could be so:
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. (Lk 1:31-35)
5. Why is it a big deal that Jesus did not have an earthly father like all of us?
I have many characteristics that were passed on to me by my father. One of these is my sin nature. My dad got it from his dad, and his dad got it from his dad, and his dad, ………you get the picture. Scripture teaches us that sin came into the world through one man, Adam. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5:12). So from our first father, Adam, all humans have inherited a sin nature and the guilt that goes along with it. But because Jesus did not have a human father that line of sin’s corruption and guilt was not present in him. Again, this is confirmed by the angel Gabriel’s statement to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
So here, I believe, is the bottom line: Jesus is our perfect Savior because he is perfectly human and perfectly divine (Hebrews 2: 14-18, 4:15, 7:26-27). This truth would not be so were it not for God’s gracious intervention on our behalf through the virgin birth.
This certainly doesn’t cover every important facet of this important doctrine. You may have other questions - if so pass them on to me and I will try to get you an answer.
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