Why is the virgin birth very essential?

To say a virgin conceived and gave birth to a child without the concurrence of a man, such wonderful truth does not sound well in the ears of the enemies of Christianity. The virgin birth is a manifestation of the many sided complicated wisdom of God, it reveals not only God's omnipotence, but also his wisdom. The virgin birth is an essential dogma of the Christian faith, because it has biblical basis and it has everything to do with our salvation. The bible is God breathed, it was written by the influence of the Spirit of God, therefore we accept it as true and hold on to the truth revealed to us by the divine Spirit, respecting the virgin birth. 

The virgin birth is as essential as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If you claim to be a bible believing Christian and yet outrightly deny the virgin birth, then of a truth, without any hesitation, I doubt your profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who claims to be a follower of our Lord Jesus, must of a matter of necessity be a strong adherent of the truth of the virgin birth. The virgin birth has also come under severe attack by those who do not believe in what God has revealed in his word. One writer by the name Schofield wrote: "There was nothing peculiar about the birth of Jesus. He was not God incarnate and no virgin mother bore him. The church in it's ancient zeal fathered a myth and became bound to it as a dogma". This biblical doctrine has been hated by many in generations past, up until now. Those who abnegate the doctrine of the virgin birth, do so to their own eternal disadvantage.

Let us by the aid of the Spirit, look at some of the reasons why the virgin birth is of immense significance. One of the reason why the virgin birth is essential is that, it establishes the truth that Jesus Christ was truly a human being, who was born without a sinful nature. The bible says: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but Mary without Joseph became pregnant, for she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months before finally giving birth to him. His birth proves his humanity, it proves that he is not a myth nor a ghostly figure, as some think, but is human just like us. A father begets a child with a sinful nature, but because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was not affected with original sin. If Mary and Joseph had deep intimacy that brought about the birth of Jesus, then he would have been a sinner, but no, he was born without the concurrence of Joseph, but by the Spirit of God and that kept him untainted from sin. His birth substantiates his humanity and his sinless nature substantiates his deity. The miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ was a profound miracle. 

Another significance is that, through the virgin birth, God became flesh. God could have just come down from heaven and dwell among us, but no, he thought it wise to come to this world not in that way and manner, but to be conceived in the womb of the virgin by the power of his Spirit. The bible says: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1: 1,14). God became incarnate only through his miraculous conception and birth.  The primary reason for his incarnation was to give his life as a ransom, for the forgiveness of sins of many (Mark 10; 45). In order for him to perfect the work of our salvation and for his work to carry eternal value, it was requisite that he is both God and Man at the same time. The virgin birth made room for God to be born as a human being, whiles still retaining his nature as God. The miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ was a profound miracle. 

Another reason why the virgin birth is important is that, it was the only way designed by God to be the means of our salvation. The virgin birth was the means God in his wisdom chose for his Son to be made flesh. Without the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ, there will be no incarnation, no suffering, no death and resurrection and even no ascension. We will not have had any hope of eternal salvation. Salvation is the work of God, for that is why we are saved by grace without any merits on our own. Mary and Joseph played no role when Mary took seed, it was the Spirit of God who miraculously conceived Jesus in her womb. Jesus Christ was born as a little baby, he grew up and at age thirty he began his public ministry. He preached the gospel, he healed the sick and casted out devils by the power of the holy Spirit, but the main reason for his birth was to offer himself as a sacrifice to propitiate the wrath of God against us by reason of sin. At a point he was arrested, beaten and was crucified on the cross for our sake, and by his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53). Through his once and for all time sacrifice, we are now beneficiaries of his redemptive work. We are blessed with all the blessedness of the work of salvation which he wrought on our behalf. The miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ was a profound miracle. 

Another significance of the virgin birth is that, it fulfills prophecy. One way to test the veracity of God's word is to check through the fulfillment of prophecies. God is true to his word, when he speaks he always bring to pass whatever he says. About seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah prophesied by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit saying: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14). That prophecy was literally fulfilled at the time when the angel appeared to Mary and gave her the good news: And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:31,34-35). Mary truly conceived when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the most high overshadowed her. The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ was a profound miracle. 

The last reason is that it sets him apart as unique. The conception and birth of Jesus Christ was miraculous, there is none to be compared to it. His birth is one of the many things that distinguishes him from all other religious leaders and from every creature in history. I love how Don Stewart, an excellent writer wrote concerning the uniqueness of our blessed Lord: What the virgin birth does is show the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. No one else has ever come into the world the same way as Jesus. The unique and miraculous nature of Jesus carried on through His entire life. His birth was a miracle, His public ministry consisted of miracles, Jesus miraculously lived a sinless life, He miraculously came back from the dead, and left this world in a miraculous way. From His entrance into this world until His departure, the life of Jesus Christ was a miracle''. The miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ was a profound miracle. God bless you

             A thought to ponder

 God became incarnate only through his miraculous conception and birth

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