“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:18-21 [emphasis added]
As we’ve been refreshed, encouraged, and have grown in our knowledge of God in our most recent series, we’ve been blessed to consider the truths of propitiation and expiation in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ, along with His role and work as the only Mediator between God and man, the hypostatic union of Christ being the God-man, along with many other wonderful realities that are true of our triune God. Today, I’d like to meditate for a few minutes on Christ being conceived by extraordinary generation, which is connected to the doctrine of the necessity of the virgin birth.
It’s true that Christ’s incarnation was a unique and historical event. The Apostle John teaches you this in John 1:1-18, as does the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5-11. It’s also true that Christ taking on human flesh is a permanent reality. He didn’t put the flesh on in His incarnation and then put it off in His ascension. This is confirmed in the angel’s testimony to His disciples in Acts 1.
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:9-11
Indeed, Christ rose from the grave bodily, ascended bodily, is seated on His throne bodily now, will return bodily on the last day, and will keep His body forever. He will forever remain “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). But when Jesus came in His first advent, why was He conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary’s womb? Why was Jesus not just a blessing from God through the union of Joseph and Mary in their marriage? These are good questions with important answers that provide you with a rich historical and theological foundation.
First, know that the miracle of the conception of Christ by the Spirit in the virgin Mary’s womb was foretold by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Matthew confirms the fulfillment of this prophecy through the angel’s command and instruction to Joseph in regards to what His name would be in Matthew 1:22-23.
Know also that there have been many skeptics of the virgin birth over the centuries. Of note in the early 20th century and the rise of theological liberalism, there were and longstanding efforts remain to this day attempting to deconstruct the person of Christ, among other things, trying to make a separation between the “Jesus of history” and “Christ of faith”. These efforts were emphasized by the school of German higher criticism, with their sights set on the doctrine of the virgin birth. In the midst of the rise of liberalism in the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy, J. Gresham Machen and others stood as committed to the true and pure faith of the Bible, defending the necessity of affirming the doctrine of the virgin birth. In fact, in 1930, Machen wrote a focused and helpful book on the subject entitled, “The Virgin Birth of Christ”.
Though skeptics and critics have made false claims over the years that Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb was merely a product of infidelity, though many claim that you can deny the virgin birth, or remove the virgin birth and Christianity won’t lose its essence, they couldn’t be more wrong. The holy Scriptures, which cannot lie, testify yet again in Matthew 1:23 through the Greek word used to describe Mary- “parthenos”. The meaning of this word is “virgin”. Clearly, this is how the New Testament uses the term. You see this true as the angel makes it plain to Joseph that the child in Mary’s womb was not the product of infidelity. It was truly a miracle, a work of God- not by ordinary generation, but by extraordinary generation.
Know also that Mary wasn’t a perpetual virgin as the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox claim. This is very clear in Matthew 13:55-56, as the list of Jesus’ brothers and sisters, born to Joseph and Mary, is given there. Remember how Mary and Jesus’ brothers were together, wanting to speak to Jesus in Matthew 12:46. There is a lot more that can be said in defense of this truth. Suffice it to say that the false teaching of the perpetual virginity of Mary can’t be drawn from the Scriptures. It has to be forced on the Scriptures.
Further, the Apostle Paul teaches you why extraordinary generation was so essential. For Christ, the sinless Son of God, was conceived by the Spirit, miraculously born of a virgin, therefore marvelously not inheriting Adam’s guilt. He was born of a woman, taking a human nature, being made like His brethren, yet without sin. (Galatians 4:3-5, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 4:15) Jesus is the second Adam, who through His “righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life”. (Romans 5:12-21) Such extraordinary generation was essential so that Jesus would be your perfect substitute and sacrifice to accomplish your redemption.
Beloved, Christ’s conception by extraordinary generation, the reality and doctrine of the virgin birth isn’t a small matter that isn’t worth your study and defense. For if you deny the virgin birth of Christ, you deny an essential truth about His person. If you deny it, you deny His incarnation. Therefore, study Christ well. Know your Savior well. Study this doctrine well. May the Spirit of the living God give you strength, clarity, and conviction to proclaim and defend it to the end!