Let me start out by saying yes.....the virgin birth is critical to the Christian faith. Matthew 2:22-23 reads, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel." This was spoken 600 years before Jesus was born by the prophet Isaiah!
We live in a world where the authenticity of the virgin birth is being attacked. Some would say it is a mythological view of the Christmas story, others would say "what difference does it make?" Granted the Christmas story does have some mythological aspects to it. For example, the magi or wise men did not visit Jesus the day He was born. They did come to see Jesus however Jesus was in a house at the time of the visit (Matthew 2:11).
The virgin birth really happened and had to happen for Jesus to be born. Jesus is in perfect unity with the the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus chose to come to earth, being 100% God and 100% man, to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Jesus came to earth to die. And the best, most perfect, and only way for Jesus to come to earth was through a virgin birth. Jesus chose to come to sinful humanity; a humanity that rejects Him, mocked Him, disobeyed Him, added to His law, took away from His law, and did not even recognize the one that created them: so that He could die on the cross, rise from the grave and redeem those whom the Father has given Him (John 6:65). The virgin birth is the only way the King could come to the earth.
This Christmas season I am reminding myself of how Jesus came to the earth. Without the virgin birth we would not have Christianity. Jesus does not have a earthly, biological father. This is seen in the way Matthew describes the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one. When describing the relationship between Jesus and Joseph, Matthew writes, "the Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ." Notice it does not read, and Joseph the father of Jesus!
As we move on in this world, fight for the virgin birth. The Scriptures are very clear on this issue. The world (and even some professing Christians) is going to deny or downplay the virgin birth. As I was reading the birth of Jesus last night, I was reminded of this essential truth, and I am going to fight for the virgin birth!
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