Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.-Isaiah 7:14
This past Sunday I had the privilege to preach my very first Christmas sermon. The sermon text for Sunday focused on the virgin birth. There was a lot of information on the virgin birth I wanted to unpack for the congregation but I realized that the majority of people there would have fallen asleep if I spent significant time unpacking Hebrew words for the congregation; therefore, I left a lot of notes scattered around my office and took time today to compile them into this "tough questions" blog examining issues related to the virgin birth.
Is virgin or young woman the correct translation of Isaiah 7:14?
The Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 is "almah," and its inherent meaning is "young woman." "Almah" can mean "virgin," as young unmarried women in ancient Hebrew culture were assumed to be virgins. Again, though, the word does not necessarily imply virginity. "Almah" occurs seven times in the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis 24:43; Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Proverbs 30:19; Song of Solomon 1:3; 6:8; Isaiah 7:14). None of these instances demands the meaning "virgin," but neither do they deny the possible meaning of "virgin." There is no conclusive argument for "almah" in Isaiah 7:14 being either "young woman" or "virgin." However, it is interesting to note, that in the 3rd century B.C., when a panel of Hebrew scholars and Jewish rabbis began the process of translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, they used the specific Greek word for virgin, "parthenos," not the more generic Greek word for "young woman." The Septuagint translators, 200+ years before the birth of Christ, and with no inherent belief in a "virgin birth," translated "almah" in Isaiah 7:14 as "virgin," not "young woman." This gives evidence that "virgin" is a possible, even likely, meaning of the term.
With all that said, even if the meaning "virgin" is ascribed to "almah" in Isaiah 7:14, does that make Isaiah 7:14 a Messianic prophecy about Jesus, as Matthew 1:23 claims? In the context of Isaiah chapter 7, the Aramites and Israelites were seeking to conquer Jerusalem, and King Ahaz was fearful. The Prophet Isaiah approaches King Ahaz and declares that Aram and Israel would not be successful in conquering Jerusalem (verses 7-9). The Lord offers Ahaz the opportunity to receive a sign (verse 10), but Ahaz refuses to put God to the test (verse 11). God responds by giving the sign Ahaz should look for, "the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son...but before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste." In this prophecy, God is essentially saying that within a few years' time, Israel and Aram will be destroyed. At first glace, Isaiah 7:14 has no connection with a promised virgin birth of the Messiah. However, the Apostle Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, connects the virgin birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:23) with the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. Therefore, Isaiah 7:14 should be understood as being a "double prophecy," referring primarily to the situation King Ahaz was facing, but secondarily to the coming Messiah who would be the ultimate deliverer.
Why Is the Virgin Birth so Important?
From these passages, it is certainly clear that Jesus’ birth was the result of the Holy Spirit working within Mary’s body. The immaterial (the Spirit) and the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Mary, of course, could not impregnate herself, and in that sense she was simply a “vessel.” Only God could perform the miracle of the Incarnation.
However, denying a physical connection between Mary and Jesus would imply that Jesus was not truly human. Scripture teaches that Jesus was fully human, with a physical body like ours. This He received from Mary. At the same time, Jesus was fully God, with an eternal, sinless nature (John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14-17.)
Jesus was not born in sin; that is, He had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26). It would seem that the sin nature is passed down from generation to generation through the father (Romans 5:12, 17, 19). The Virgin Birth circumvented the transmission of the sin nature and allowed the eternal God to become a perfect man.
5 Reasons Why The Virgin Birth Is Important:
The most important reason to hold the belief in the Virgin Birth concerns Jesus' identity as God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. If Joseph were His true father, then Jesus would be only a human being. He would not be the Son of God as Scripture clearly states. He would have had His beginning in time rather than eternally existing. As the Bible states,
In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God (John 1:1).
Thus the Virgin Birth is crucial to Jesus being the Son of God.
2. Jesus Had A Sinless Nature
A second reason why the Virgin Birth is important concerns the sinless character of Christ. If Jesus had a human father, then He would have inherited a sinful nature as the rest of us have. The Bible says.
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, . . . thus death spread to all, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).
To the contrary the Scripture states that Jesus never sinned. Peter wrote,
Who [Jesus] committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).
John testified.
And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin (1 John 3:5).
If Jesus were the son of Joseph, then His sinless character would only be a myth.
3. Jesus Was The Perfect Sacrifice
A third reason why the Virgin Birth is crucial to the Christian faith concerns our salvation. Without the sinlessness of Christ there would be no salvation. Christ came, according to the Apostle Paul, to save those who were under the law.
But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4,5).
This echoes Jesus' own statement,
For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
God required a sacrifice that was without blemish, "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (Exodus 12:5). If Jesus were a sinner in any sense of the word, then He could not provide salvation for us. However, because He came into the world by supernatural means and lived a sinless life, He could be that sacrifice for our sins without spot and without blemish. The Bible makes this clear:
For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. It Shows The Uniqueness Of Christ
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.
5. The Bible Says So
The fifth reason to believe in the Virgin Birth is because the Bible says so. If Jesus were not actually born of a virgin then the Bible is wrong. If it is wrong concerning the Virgin Birth, then it is possible that it may be in error about other matters. Once the door opens to the possibility of error in Scripture the eventual and logical result is that the entire foundation of the Christian faith will crumble. The doctrine of the Virgin Birth and the credibility of Christianity go hand-in-hand.
Summary
There are at least five reasons why the virgin conception of Christ is an important doctrine. First, it confirms Jesus heavenly origin. Second, it is necessary for His sinless nature. In addition, the virgin conception was also necessary for Him to be the perfect sacrifice. It also points out the uniqueness of Jesus. Finally, the virgin birth is important because the Bible says that is what happened.
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