Keraia
Glossary

Virgin Birth of Jesus

The doctrine of the virgin birth comes from Matthew 1 and Luke 1–2. It teaches that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. The Incarnation (God becoming human in Jesus) and the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus are based on this historical event. However, rationalists argue that early Christians invented this miracle.

The Old Testament Prophecy

The King James Version of Isaiah 7:14 says that a "virgin" will "be with child and will give birth to a son … Immanuel." Matthew 1:22–23 clearly states that this was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus. This passage has led to much debate, especially after the Revised Standard Version changed "virgin" to "young woman." It does this because the Hebrew word can have more than one meaning.

The Hebrew word ‘almah generally refers to a young girl who has reached puberty and is of marriageable age. Another Hebrew word, bethulah, specifically refers to a woman who is a virgin. However, the Septuagint translators rendered ‘almah as parthenos, which does refer to a virgin.

From these language details, scholars suggest four main interpretations:

  1. The "virgin" (Isaiah 7:14) was Ahaz’s new wife, and the son was Hezekiah. However, Hezekiah was already nine years old when Ahaz became king. This makes it unlikely that the prophecy refers to him. So, the prophecy must point to a future event.

  2. The woman was Isaiah’s wife, and the son was Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Many scholars support this view. They note that the Hebrew text may refer to “the woman” (a specific, known woman). They also note that Isaiah 7:14–16 suggests the prophecy would be fulfilled in Isaiah’s time.

    The difficulty is that Isaiah’s wife already had a child. Because of this, it is unlikely she would be called ‘almah (a young woman of marriageable age).

  3. The prophecy is entirely messianic (about the Messiah, God’s promised king). This is a traditional evangelical view. It points to the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” It also points to passages like Isaiah 9:6–7 and 11:1–5, which describe a divine ruler.

  4. Some evangelicals support a fourth view. This view accepts both a historical fulfillment (in Isaiah’s time) and a future fulfillment. It understands Isaiah 7:15–16 as referring to events in Isaiah’s day. At the same time, it sees the full meaning of the prophecy fulfilled later in the virgin birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:22–23).

The Gospel Records

Neither Mark nor John describes the birth of Christ. Only Matthew and Luke include this event. Both agree that Mary, a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to a son, Jesus.

Matthew’s account is simpler and more direct. It attributes the birth of Jesus to divine origins and emphasizes its importance. Jesus is called the Christ (or Messiah), the son of David (Matthew 1:1), who comes to start God’s kingdom. This is shown by the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Matthew 1:22–23) and by his unique conception (1:18–20). Jesus is God with us. He came to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The scene where Joseph plans to quietly divorce Mary highlights the miraculous conception.

Luke told the Nativity story from Mary's perspective. The angel Gabriel visited her and announced she would give birth to the Messiah (Luke 1:26–38). She conceived miraculously by the holy spirit, as foretold by Gabriel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you … So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). Luke portrayed Mary as devoutly obedient to God's purposes.

Theological Significance for the Church

From the very beginning of the church, the doctrine of the virgin birth became an important part of how Christians understood who Jesus is. Some early church leaders emphasized this event more than any other in the life of Jesus. They saw it as proof that Jesus is both fully God and truly human.

In the early second century, Justin Martyr and Ignatius of Antioch defended the virgin birth against those who opposed it. Even at that early time, many Christians accepted it as an established teaching. In the next three centuries, the virgin birth became an important topic in church debates.

Some groups, such as the Gnostics and teachers like Marcion, argued that Christ came directly from heaven and was not truly human. Other groups, such as the Arians, denied that Jesus is fully God. Because of this, they also denied the virgin birth. They taught that at his baptism Jesus was “adopted” as the Son of God.

The Council of Nicaea in AD 325 affirmed that Jesus was truly God. The Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 stated that Jesus was both human and divine. This is called the hypostatic union (the belief that Jesus has both a human nature and a divine nature).

The Apostles’ Creed developed in the early centuries of the church and reached a stable form by the fifth century. This creed summarizes these teachings about who Jesus is by stating, “I believe in … Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” Many Christian traditions connect the virgin birth with Jesus’s sinlessness, though they explain this in different ways.

From the beginning, as shown in Matthew and Luke and by early church writers, the virgin birth has been a key church doctrine. It symbolizes the dual nature of Jesus: born of the holy spirit and a woman, he is both God and man.

See Christology; Incarnation; Jesus Christ, Life and Teachings of; Virgin.