Was Mary really a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible plainly teaches that Mary conceived Jesus while still a virgin, a miraculous act of the Holy Spirit that marked His entrance into the world as utterly unique (Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 1:34–35). Joseph did not have marital relations with her until after Jesus was born, confirming that His conception was not natural but supernatural (Matthew 1:25). This event fulfilled the ancient promise that “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” called Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22–23). Far from being a misunderstanding, the Gospel writers affirmed this prophecy with confidence, trusting Scripture as God-breathed truth that reflects the character of a God who cannot lie (2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 1:2). The virgin birth reveals that Jesus did not enter the world like any other human being but came by divine initiative and purpose. It also explains how the Savior could enter humanity without sharing in the curse of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). In the end, the virgin birth is not an optional detail of the Christian story but a powerful declaration that the God who created life has personally entered His creation to save it.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Through Isaiah, God promised that Israel’s savior would come through a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 reads, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Not only would this individual be a virgin, but her son would be divine (“Immanuel” means “God with us”).
• Modern, secular scholars attempt to undermine Scripture’s veracity about that point, noting that the word almah isn’t a technical word for virgin, but means “young woman.” But while almah means “young woman,” the evidence available points to it meaning a young woman of marriageable age, which was, by definition, a virgin in that culture. That does not mean that all young women in the ancient Hebrew society remained a virgin until married but that the presumption was that they were a virgin until they were married.
• The word almah is very rare. However, Bible passages that clearly refer to young women who are presumed virgins are Moses’ older sister (Exodus 2:8) and Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac (Genesis 24:43).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Matthew 1:18–23 is the main passage about Mary’s virginity (cf. Luke 1:34–35), which includes a quote of Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” Matthew was quoting from the Septuagint, not the Hebrew text; the Septuagint uses the Greek word parthenos, which means virgin.
• The contention that Matthew was mistaken or misrepresented Isaiah 7:14 is a claim against the inerrancy of the Bible. Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) because the Holy Spirit superintended every word (2 Peter 1:21). Because of this, it has the same character as God Himself who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), so Scripture does not lie. This applies to the virgin birth narrative.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The pages of Scripture are filled with amazing testaments of God's work—creation, parting the Red Sea, scaring off an entire enemy army in one night (2 Kings 7), and more. But often it's one miracle that gives people pause: the virgin birth. Secular scholars dismiss it as they dismiss all miracles. But even some believers find it hard to accept, not because they don't believe in miracles but because the virgin birth seems unnecessary to them. But that is to pit our reasoning against the reasoning of our all-knowing Creator. He has revealed the truth to us in Scripture. Those who don't accept Scripture, won't accept the gospel, which is the basis of salvation.

The virgin birth isn't an optional, disposable doctrine, either. To save us, Jesus needed to enter humanity without being under Adam's curse (Romans 5:12) . God did that through Mary’s virgin conception. The virgin birth reminds us that the God who created all life could, and did create miraculous life within Mary.

UNDERSTAND

• Jesus was conceived while Mary was still a virgin, and both Matthew and Luke describe this conception as a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
• The virgin birth fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy that a child called "Immanuel" would be born.
• Denying the virgin birth challenges the reliability of Scripture, which consistently presents this event as a real, supernatural act of God.

REFLECT

• How does the virgin birth help you better understand who Jesus is and why His entrance into the world was unlike any other birth?
• How can reflecting on the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth strengthen your confidence in God’s ability to accomplish His purposes?
• How should the reality that Jesus entered the world through a supernatural act of God inform the way you think about salvation?

ENGAGE

• How does the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 contribute to the Old Testament expectation of the coming Messiah?
• What linguistic and historical evidence supports the understanding that Isaiah’s prophecy referred to a virgin birth?
• Why is doctrine of the virgin birth so important in Christian theology and in affirming the identity of Jesus as the Son of God?