The Virgin Birth refers to the fact that Jesus was conceived in his mother’s womb while she was a virgin, and he did not have a biological human father.
This event fulfils the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head and the serpent will strike his heel. It becomes clear that the seed of the woman refers to Jesus who was born of the Virgin Mary.
700 years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah 7:14 prophesied “the virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel” which means God with us. Matthew 1:22-23 concludes that the prophecy in Isaiah is fulfilled by the birth of Mary’s son Jesus.
Why is the virgin birth significant? It is significant firstly because it tells us that Jesus is a very special Person. No other human being is ever born of a virgin. Thus the virgin birth is compatible with the fact that Jesus is the Second Person in the Trinity – He is God.
Jesus is fully God and became fully Man to save sinners. In order to save us, He had to die. In order to die, He had to be fully human. In order that His death could atone for the sins of all human beings, He had to be God.
Secondly, the virgin birth tells us that Man cannot initiate any plan to save himself. The initiative must come from God. And only God can cause the Virgin Birth to happen. We are saved by the grace of God, i.e. salvation is a free gift from God.
Thirdly, John 1:12-13 compares the Virgin Birth with the New Birth by which a man can be born again and receive new life through believing in Jesus. The virgin birth is a miracle, and so is every New Birth.
As we meditate on the Virgin Birth, we are indeed grateful to God for His marvelous grace and love which caused Him to send Jesus to save all those who are willing to believe in Him. If you have not yet received Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, you can do so right now by praying to Him and receiving Him into your heart.
May you receive the New Birth.
Elder Dr Ng Hwee Hin
