The Virgin Birth

Date: 15 February 2026

Passage: Luke 1:34-38

Listen below:

The Virgin Birth

42:56

The Virgin Birth Luke 1:34-38

Why the Virgin Birth Still Matters

Few Christian doctrines have been mocked as persistently as the virgin birth. In the modern world especially, it has become a focal point of scepticism and ridicule. Many who are happy to accept other biblical miracles hesitate here, treating it as a step too far. Yet Scripture presents the virgin birth not as a side issue, but as a central and glorious truth. It sits close to the very heart of the Christian faith.

The historic creeds recognised this. In its 18 short lines the Apostles’ Creed deliberately confesses that Jesus Christ was “born of the virgin Mary.” To deny this is not merely to question an isolated miracle; it is to reject the plain teaching of Scripture and the orthodox confession of the church across two millennia.

1.     The virgin birth is a sign

At its core, the virgin birth is a sign. Isaiah foretold it plainly in Isaiah 7:14: a virgin would conceive, and this would be no ordinary event but a divine signal that God himself was acting. The writers of the narrative, as well as the historical characters in the narrative, knew exactly how astonishing a sign this miracle was.

In our passage, Mary asks the question, “How will this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34). She knew the natural order, and that virgins do not ordinarily conceive. So did Joseph, who initially assumed Mary’s unfaithfulness because he knew such a conception was impossible by ordinary means (Matthew 1:19). The Bible writers were not naive about biology. The shock of the miracle is the very point.

This sign tells us something crucial: this one to be born is the Messiah of God. The virgin birth breaks the natural order precisely to reveal divine action. God acts directly in this miracle to fulfil the prophecy and show that the Messiah is finally coming into the world.

2.     The virgin birth is a direct act of God

That leads naturally to the second truth: the virgin birth is a direct act of God. God ordinarily works through natural laws, laws he himself upholds. Life in the womb, growth, and development are already astonishing gifts sustained by his power (Psalm 139:13-16). Yet in this moment, God chose not to work through his usual means, but to act immediately. Like a craftsman lifting his creation off its usual track, God bypassed the normal process without denying it. In doing so, he showed himself unmistakably as the sovereign creator.

Importantly, this miracle is not illogical. Natural laws describe what normally happens. They are not unbreakable logical necessities. There is nothing contradictory about God choosing to act differently within his own creation.

3.     The virgin birth is a mysterious act of the Holy Spirit

The angel’s explanation draws us deeper still. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). This is a mysterious work of the Spirit, fittingly so. The Father sends the Son, the Son came into the world to do the work of redemption and the Holy Spirit is the one whose power brought about the virgin birth. As the Spirit gives new life to believers, he brought about new life in Mary’s womb.

This is a mystery: it is something about which we can learn and apprehend, but we shall not be able to comprehend. We are not invited to speculate beyond Scripture, but to marvel at the holy mystery.

4.     The virgin birth resulted in a real man who is truly God

The Son did not merely inhabit a human body, but assumed a full human nature, body and soul. This is clear from Scripture, which shows Jesus learning and growing as a true man. Nor did the Son exist as man before the incarnation. Though eternally God, he became human at the moment of Mary’s conception, when the Word truly became flesh.

Thus, when Jesus thinks as a man it is God the Son who thinks according to the human mind of Jesus. When Jesus loves as a man, it is God the Son who loves as a man. When Jesus learnt, with his limited human capacity, God the Son learnt. When Jesus was beaten, God the Son smarted. When Jesus was crowned with thorns, God the Son was crowned with thorns. When Jesus died, God the Son died – Acts 20:28, “The church of God, which he obtained with his own blood”. Because the person of Jesus Christ is the person of the Son.

These truths are astonishing and cause true believers to wonder in admiration and marvel in confusion at why God would do something so wonderful for us.