When you ask how the virgin birth of Jesus could take place you are in good company, for this question was first asked by the virgin herself, a girl named Mary! When God sent the angel Gabriel to give Mary the blessed message of the virgin conception and birth of Jesus, Mary, who knew she was a virgin, asked how also. Her practical question and the miraculous answer are recorded in God’s word, the Bible, beginning in Luke 1:30...
Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:30-37)
Mary asked the “how” question in verse 34, Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" In her question we are informed that Mary was indeed a virgin, she had never been with a man. Here we hear it straight from the virgin Mary herself. The young virgin is being completely real and honest in her very practical question. And beginning in the next verse, verse 35, we see in the above Bible passage the wonderful, miraculous answer.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is the work of God.
It is a miracle (miracle not being man’s idea of a great football catch in the endzone or some other "event" from the world's perspective), but a miracle that is the supernatural work of God.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is the work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is a supernatural, miraculous work of God. For with God, nothing will be impossible, including the virgin birth of God the Son, Jesus.
HIGHER THOUGHTS: You may be thinking right now, "I still can’t get my mind around how a virgin could give birth to a baby boy."
Perhaps it will help to better understand the "how" if one may also ask the "why" and doing so in light of the love of God.
Why did God send His only Son, Jesus, into this world?
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world because God loves you. In God’s love for each of us, when we needed a Savior and we could not save ourselves, holy God sent His only Son Jesus to save us from our sins.
In fact, the name "Jesus" means "Savior" or "the Lord Saves!" As the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph about Mary, we read in Matthew 1:21, "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
How could the virgin birth of Jesus be possible? "For with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37)
Why did God send His Son Jesus? "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
This Christmas, may each and every person receive the greatest gift of all, salvation from sin and everlasting life through God’s Son Jesus Christ.
God gave His Son Jesus. Will you believe and by faith receive Jesus?
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NOTE: Translation NKJV unless noted otherwise.
