What is the importance of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible highlights the virgin conception and birth of Jesus as central to His identity and mission. Isaiah 7:14 announced a sign: a virgin would conceive and bear a son called Immanuel, and Matthew explicitly links this promise to Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23). Luke reports that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by a man, emphasizing the miracle at the core of His arrival (Luke 1:34-35; Luke 2:1-7). This testimony demonstrates that the eternal Son genuinely took on real humanity while remaining fully divine (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-7). It also places Jesus in David’s royal line through Joseph’s legal fatherhood, fulfilling God’s promise to David’s house and throne (Matthew 1:1-16; 2 Samuel 7:12-16). Since all in Adam inherit sin and death, Jesus’ holy conception sets Him apart as the sinless second Adam who can save His people (Romans 5:12, 18-19; Hebrews 2:14-17). As Paul explains, in the “fullness of time . . . God sent forth His Son, born of woman, . . . to redeem those who were under the law” (Galatians 4:4-5). In this way, the virgin birth serves as God’s clear validation of the Messiah and forms a foundation for the gospel.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Long before Jesus’ arrival, God promised a special sign of the coming king: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). In Isaiah’s day, that sign reassured the fearful house of David that God was with them, while also pointing beyond the immediate crisis to a greater child who would embody God’s presence. This expectation of a miraculous conception became a marker by which Israel could recognize the true Messiah.
• That promise rests on an even older hope. After the fall, God said to the serpent (Satan), “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Referring to the fight being between the serpent and the seed of a woman pointed toward a deliverer arising from the woman’s line in a unique way, because normally descendants were considered to be from the man (e.g., Genesis 5:1).
• Isaiah said that this child would bear divine authority. He wrote, “to us a child is born, to us a son is given … and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6). Calling the promised son “Mighty God” goes beyond any ordinary royal birth. It set the expectation that the son would also, somehow, share God’s nature. A virgin conception fits that expectation: God coming near in a real child.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament records the fulfilment of the Old Testament promises. After Gabriel, an angel, told Mary that she would bear the promised king in David’s line, she asked, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34b). Gabriel’s answer was, “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). The way Jesus was conceived shows both His true humanity (from Mary’s line) and His divine sonship (from God).
• Matthew’s account indicates that Joseph was concerned about Mary’s faithfulness to him, but an angel revealed to him that Mary’s pregnancy was from the Holy Spirit, not a man (Matthew 1:20b-21). Matthew then commented, “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)” (Matthew 1:22–23). By preserving Mary’s virginity until Jesus’ birth, God made it clear that no human father was involved.
• Jesus’ unique conception highlights His holiness and His freedom from Adam’s guilt. All of Adam’s descendants share in sin and death, but Jesus entered the human family outside the ordinary means and was consecrated by the Spirit from the start (Romans 5:12, 18-19; Luke 1:35). That does not make Him less human; it means God provided humanity a second Adam who, being also fully God, could perfectly obey and be a sacrifice for sinners (Hebrews 2:14-17; 1 Peter 1:19).
• Jesus had to be fully human to die for humans. Though conceived by the Spirit through Mary, Jesus was fully human. Hebrews explains, “therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15). was born, grew older, experienced hunger, suffered, and even died.
• The virgin birth also fits with the New Testament’s confession that Jesus is God. John wrote, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Paul wrote that, though Jesus “was in the form of God,” He “emptied himself” by taking “the form of a servant” and being “born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7). The virgin miracle was the means that the eternal Son of God could add on humanity to save us.
• Of Jesus, Paul said that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). Being “born of woman” highlights His true, albeit unique, birth whereas being “born under the law” points to His obedience in our place. By His life, death, and resurrection, He secures redemption for all who trust Him.
• The miraculous birth did not break Jesus’ connection to David. Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1 shows that Joseph’s line traces back to David (Matthew 1:1-16). Under the laws of adoption, Jesus was considered the legal son of Joseph and, thus, also a descendant of David. Many readers take Luke’s genealogy as intended to trace Mary’s ancestry (Luke 3:23-38), which also leads back to David. In this way, Jesus is both miraculously conceived and the promised Son of David.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The virgin birth matters because it safeguards the truth that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. Born of a woman, He entered into our human experience, facing weakness, sorrow, and temptation, yet without sin (Hebrews 2:17–18; 4:15). As the eternal Son of God, He also has divine power and authority to forgive sins, give new life, and reconcile us to the Father.

Because Jesus is truly human, He can empathize with your struggles. He understands what it means to hunger, grieve, and be tempted. Because He is truly God, He is capable of bearing the weight of sin and defeating death through His resurrection. Both truths are essential for the gospel to be good news.

Denying the virgin birth undermines the foundation of salvation. Scripture shows Jesus as the holy Son of God who became man for our benefit. In Him, you find a Savior strong enough to redeem and personal enough to walk with you through every trial. The proper response is to trust Him—resting in His death and resurrection for forgiveness and walking with Him confidently knowing He is both your Lord and your compassionate High Priest.

UNDERSTAND

• Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, proving He is fully God while also fully human.
• The virgin birth preserved Jesus’ sinless nature, qualifying Him to be the perfect Savior.
• The virgin birth fulfilled God’s promises, establishing Jesus as the promised Son of David and Messiah.

REFLECT

• How does knowing Jesus was fully God and fully human affect the way you understand your relationship with Him?
• How does the virgin birth strengthen your trust in Jesus as the perfect Savior?
• How does recognizing Jesus as the promised Son of David shape your understanding of God’s faithfulness and promises in your own life?

ENGAGE

• How does the virgin birth reveal God’s power and plan in ways that human reasoning cannot fully explain?
• Why is it important for Jesus to be both fully human and fully divine for salvation?
• How does the fulfillment of Old Testament promises through the virgin birth build the foundation of our faith in God’s ongoing plan for the world?