The doctrine of the virgin birth

A. Definition:

1. The virgin birth refers to one birth in human history, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity.

2. Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, therefore born apart from human copulation.

3. In this way, Christ came into the world without the imputation of Adam’s sin and without the old sin nature.

B. The necessity for the virgin birth:

1. The necessity for the virgin birth is based on the fact that the old sin nature is passed down to each member of the human race through the human father.

2. This is because man sinned in cognisance while woman sinned in ignorance — 1 Timothy 2:14. This means that because the woman was deceived in the fall the old sin nature is passed down through the man in copulation.

3. All members of the human race are born spiritually dead because they are born with an old sin nature.

4. The old sin nature is passed down through the father in copulation.

5. Therefore the virgin birth is the only way to become a member of the human race apart from spiritual death and the imputation of Adam’s sin.

6. Jesus Christ had to enter the human race apart from sin and live a perfect life to qualify for saviourhood at the cross.

7. Therefore no virgin birth; none of us are saved. Our salvation hinges on the virgin birth. You cannot be saved unless Christ was born of a virgin.

C. The first prophecy of the virgin birth — Genesis 3:15,16, speaking to Satan: “And I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed [unbelievers] and her seed [believers]; he [Christ, the seed of the woman] shall crush your head [second advent, operation footstool], but you [Satan] will crush his heel [first advent and the cross]. Unto the woman he said, Multiplying I will multiply your pain in your pregnancy; in sorrow you will bear sons; and to your right man you will have the strongest desire; therefore he shall rule over you.”

In other words, man regained his ascendancy over the woman because of sex. She had a strong desire for him and was willing to submit to him, and therefore she had to rebuild his authority over her. The word “strong desire” is talking about her sexual desire. She had no respect for him at the point of the fall, he was a “dumb butt.” Once God started to activate her ability to reproduce she had a desire for the man she had never had before, and from that time on she was under his authority.

1. This passage says that the human race is now divided into two conflicting camps.

2. The historical phase of the angelic conflict includes the seed of Satan — unbelievers influenced by evil — versus the seed of the woman — believers influenced by doctrine.

3. Just as the angelic forces are divided into two categories of fallen and elect, so the human race is divided into two categories based on attitude toward Jesus Christ — John 3:36.

4. The entire doctrinal structure of the two advents of Christ depends on the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ.

5. The virgin birth is the mechanics for the incarnation and first advent by which Christ accomplishes the two victories of the angelic conflict. The first victory is at the first advent — cross, resurrection, ascension, session. The seed of the woman is superior to all angelic creatures. The second victory is at the second advent — operation footstool by which Christ takes over the rulership of the world from Satan, abolishes evil, and replaces Satan as the ruler of this world.

6. The woman lost out in the garden because of the rejection of authority, both that of Christ as her teacher and Adam as her husband.

7. The woman regains through receiving Christ as her saviour plus the authority of GAP.

8. The woman listened to the voice of evil in the garden. Now she recovers by listening to the voice of doctrine in the local church.

9. All of this is prophesied through the principle of childbearing, i.e. the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

D. The Jewish prophecy of the virgin birth — Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a supernatural sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Immanuel.”

The word “therefore” is an inferential conjunction laken, and it is correctly translated “therefore,” it demands a strong conclusion — the fact that God the Father will provide for Israel a sign or a miracle beyond the depth or height of verse 11.

“shall give” — the qal imperfect of nathan. It is used as the jussive and the jussive expresses a command, a wish, advice, or as here, a blessing.

“a sign” — “you” refers to Ahaz of verse 10. The word for sign is oth. It connotes a supernatural sign.

The supernatural sign: “Behold the virgin” — ha elmah. Elmah also means a young woman but not where a supernatural sign is concerned. In both the Septuagint and the quotation of it in Matthew 1:22,23 there is no question as to what is meant here, this is not a young woman, this is a virgin. We know that from the quotation in the New Testament where the Greek word parqenoj means virgin and nothing but virgin.

“shall conceive” — the qal perfect of harah which means to become pregnant. The perfect tense is a prophetic perfect, it is so certain to happen that it is put in the past tense as if it had already happened. So, “the virgin shall become pregnant.”

“and bear” — an inferential waw plus the qal active participle of the verb jalad : “consequently bearing a son.” The word for “son,” ben, is very strong and it is found in Isaiah 9:6.

“shall call his name Immanuel” — which means “God with us.”

E. The historical fulfillment — Matthew 1:19-25.

Joseph is not the real father of the Lord, the Lord is virgin born. Nathan’s line goes right down through Mary. Joseph is from the kingly side, and both are direct descendants of David and Bathsheba.

F. The result of the virgin birth — John 1:14, “The Word [eternal God] became flesh, and pitched His tent with us (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the unique one from the Father), full of grace and doctrine.” The anticipation of the results are given in 1 Timothy 2:15.

“she shall be saved through childbearing.” Now the parenthesis is closed.