The Virgin Birth
Tom Shrader walks through Matthew 1:18-25, bringing pastoral depth to the humanity of Mary and Joseph before turning to the central theological question: is the virgin birth merely important, or is it essential? He argues that without the virgin birth, Jesus would inherit original sin like any other human descendant of Adam, making His atoning sacrifice impossible. Shrader also addresses four Catholic doctrines about Mary — divine maternity, perpetual virginity, immaculate conception, and bodily assumption — evaluating each against Scripture and calling believers to hold to the biblical record alone.
“There is no Christianity without the virgin birth. No virgin birth, no perfect sacrifice.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Christmas
Recorded: 2001 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 35 min
Themes: virgin birth, christmas, jesus, mary, joseph, original sin, catholicism, scripture alone, raised catholic, questioning faith, new believer, seeker, parent explaining christmas, college student, doubting core doctrines, comparing denominations
Scripture: Matthew 1:16, Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 1:22, Matthew 13, Luke 1:46, Isaiah 7:14, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 7, 2 Corinthians 5:21
Theological Themes: incarnation, immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, divine maternity, original sin, atonement, sola scriptura, hypostatic union
Full Transcript
Mary: Background and Character
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sin. Now all this took place that what was spoken of by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which translated means God with us. And Joseph arose from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Luke offers additional insight and expands on this account, so as you study this, you may want to look at Luke chapters 1 and 2. This is that time of year where everybody is looking at the Christmas story — literally everybody. A&E, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel — everyone does something on the birth of Christ.
A Question from a College Theology Class
I want to focus tonight on one issue: the virgin birth. I was raised in the Catholic Church, and the virgin birth was always a huge deal for me. I went to Catholic grade school, high school, and college — St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa.
One night we were in a room about half the size of this one, jammed in together with a Dutch priest who was a theologian. The smoke was so thick in that room you could not see the far wall from where we were sitting, and everyone was just smoking like mad. The theologian looked at us and said, "Any questions?"
I remember this like it was yesterday. I said, "I've got a question. Is the virgin birth important?" He said, "Here's what I want you to understand. The virgin birth — it's not that important. What's important, what's truly significant, is the product of the birth. It's not whether she was a virgin or not. It's Jesus. Jesus is important." And I thought to myself, wow, that makes sense. Why am I so hung up on this virgin birth? It doesn't matter. We have Jesus. That's the issue.
So here is the question we are asking tonight: is the virgin birth important to the Christian faith? I will tip my hand just a little bit — over the years, my view on the importance of the virgin birth has changed. Let's look at the story.
Who Was Mary?
Here is what we know about Mary. She was likely a native of Nazareth, from a relatively poor family. We know from John's Gospel that she had a sister who was also named Mary — once they found a name they liked, they stuck with it. She was from David's lineage, and she was a godly, submissive woman.
As you turn to Luke's Gospel and read that account of the angel coming to Mary, Mary is absolutely stunned at the news that she is going to be the mother of the Savior. She wants to know how this will happen and what it will mean. When she is given the word, here is what she says: "Behold your bondservant. Let it be done according to your will."
She then prays this magnificent prayer, the Magnificat, recorded in Luke chapter 1, verse 46. It begins with these words: "My soul exalts the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave. For behold, from this time on, all nations will count me as blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me. And holy is His name, and His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm. He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent away the rich empty-handed."
Joseph and Mary: Who Were They?
Mary was a godly, humble woman — she refers to herself as a bondservant in her own words. We know comparatively little about Joseph. From the passage in front of us in Matthew chapter 1, verse 16, we discover his father's name was Jacob. Joseph was a craftsman, most likely a carpenter. Matthew tells us that he was a righteous man — you see it again in verse 19: "Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man." We don't know it for a fact, but we are fairly certain that by the time of Jesus' public ministry, Joseph had died. There is no mention of him during that period, which suggests he was no longer living.
What we do know is that they were young — not merely young, but very young. There is no reason to assume they were exceptions to the culture of their day, which would place Mary between 12 and 15 years of age. That changes the story considerably when you think of it that way. Joseph was probably somewhere between 15 and 18. These were teenagers at the center of the most significant event in human history.
We also know they were engaged. Engagement in that day carried a very different weight than it does today. They were betrothed — you see it there in verse 18 — and that betrothal was a legally binding relationship. The parents would make these arrangements, and the groom would provide a dowry for the bride's family. The money would typically be used for one or two purposes: to fund the wedding, or to be set aside by the bride's father as a safeguard, since divorce was so commonplace that a young woman could easily find herself returned to her family as what the culture would call damaged goods, making her difficult to marry off again.
The Shock of the News
This legally binding nature of their engagement is important for understanding what follows. Look at Matthew chapter 1, verse 18: they were betrothed and had not yet come together — meaning sexually. And yet Joseph is already referred to as her husband. They were considered married in every sense except two: there was no sexual relationship between them, and there was very little social contact.
Now, with fresh eyes, don't miss the humanity of what happens next. Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. He knows he has not been with her physically. He's seventeen years old and he's just heard this news. Don't sterilize this. He is upset. He wants to end the engagement. You can picture him confronting her: what in the world is going on? Who is this other man?
And yet, something remarkable is hidden in verse 19. Even in his anger and confusion, Joseph did not want to embarrass Mary. His plan was to carry out the divorce quietly, in secret, to preserve her reputation as best he could. Joseph must have been an extraordinary person. He was furious, and he was still thinking about protecting her.
The Angel Speaks to Joseph
In verse 20, when Joseph had settled on this plan, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Matthew's Gospel records six revelatory dreams, all dealing with Jesus, and this is the first. The angel says: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." At some point before this, Mary must have told Joseph herself — she had to have said to him, Joseph, I haven't been with anyone. I am pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel now confirms it.
The message continues: she will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And the angel says, do not be afraid. Afraid of what? There was a great deal to be afraid of — the personal embarrassment alone would have been overwhelming, quite apart from everything else pressing in on him.
The Weight on Mary
Consider also what Mary was facing. In Luke chapter 1, the angel appears to Mary and says the very same thing: do not be afraid. Think about what that fear would have looked like. A thirteen-and-a-half-year-old girl has to go home and tell her family she is pregnant. Imagine that conversation. Her father, hearing the news, might well have said he never trusted Joseph from the start. And when Mary explains that Joseph is not the father — that the Holy Spirit is — the response would understandably be disbelief.
We strip that away too easily. There has to be that human element to it. Mary had to be terrified. The angel's reassurance — do not be afraid — was not a formality. It was necessary. The virgin birth is a hard thing to comprehend, and for those living inside it in real time, it was harder still.
The Virgin Birth and Mary's Response
The first person to question the virgin birth was Mary herself. When the angel appeared to her and said she would conceive a child, Mary responded that this could not be — she had never been with a man. The angel told her this would be accomplished by the Holy Spirit, and that what is impossible with man is possible with God. Mary did not debate. Joseph did not debate. There is not a hint of disgrace, bitterness, or anger — only obedience.
A Word for Those Who Are Afraid
Let me pause here and apply this to your life. You may be here tonight hurting or afraid. It may be something going on at school, something at work, a job that is going away, or a relationship that is struggling. You are afraid, and God comes along and says to you, "Do not be afraid." You are unlikely to see an angel, but you do not need one, because you have the Book right here.
December, I am told — and some of you can surely verify this — is a month with particularly high occurrences of people who are distressed, depressed, or struggling. That means this month more than ever, I need this word. I need to know what God has to say, do what God tells me to do, and avoid what God tells me to avoid. You will not hear from an angel, but you will hear from God Himself, and here is what He is going to say to you: "Do not be afraid."
That is the story. "Do not be afraid. You are going to have this Son, and His name will be Jesus, because He takes away the sins of the people."
Prophecy Fulfilled in Christ's Birth
Verse 22 tells us this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophets would be fulfilled. Dozens of prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ at His birth, giving credence to the Old Testament and proving, I think, statistically beyond any shadow of a doubt, that it is trustworthy. Matthew quotes one of those prophecies — Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they will call Him Emmanuel." Thirty prophecies from Isaiah alone were fulfilled by Jesus' birth.
Joseph arose and did what the angel commanded. He took Mary as his wife and kept her a virgin until she gave birth, and they called His name Jesus.
Why Unbelievers Struggle with This Story
Do you see why your non-believing friends struggle with this story? You have a pregnant virgin who gives birth to God. I have no problem understanding why an unbeliever would sit there and say this makes no sense. That is exactly why, if the Holy Spirit does not intervene and give you eyes to see and a heart to receive this, you will never rationally arrive there on your own — because you are dealing with the supernatural.
Is this true? Yes, it is absolutely true. The Bible teaches that it is true. Even secular history will tell us that there was a significant birth around this time in Bethlehem, and that in all likelihood Mary and Joseph were the parents. The historic fact that Jesus was born is well attested. At the center of that history is the matter of the virgin birth.
The Catholic View of Mary
What I want to do now is spend some time on the virgin birth specifically, especially for those of you who come from a Catholic background or who speak with Catholics about Christianity. When people come to us from a Catholic background, they frequently want to talk about Mary. I always try to redirect that conversation and say, "Let's talk about Jesus — what do you do with Jesus?" But once we have dealt with that question, we can ask: what about Mary?
The Catholic Church holds a different view of Mary than we do. They have elevated her to an extraordinary status — not merely of honor, but of worship. The current Pope is even speaking of Mary as a co-redemptress. They define that term carefully, but the term is there nonetheless. Why do Catholics honor Mary in this way? There are four reasons: her divine maternity, her perpetual virginity, her immaculate conception, and her assumption into heaven. We will spend time on each one.
Her Divine Maternity
The first is her divine maternity. This may surprise you, but I believe that some of us, in reaction to Catholic teaching, have actually swung to the opposite extreme — a place where we do not respect Mary enough. If we are willing to say that Paul was a remarkable man worthy of serious study, what about Mary? Consider again what she was: a girl of about thirteen and a half years old, given this extraordinary responsibility. There is no question that special favor rested upon Mary. The Magnificat — that prayer recorded in Luke chapter 1, verse 46 — is worth taking time to study carefully. There is a sense in which we need to understand her role. On the question of divine maternity, we may not have much of a problem.
Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption
With points two, three, and four, however, we are going to encounter difficulties, because they are either extra-biblical — as in the case of her assumption — or they are not merely extra-biblical but anti-biblical, as in the cases of her perpetual virginity and her immaculate conception.
Consider her perpetual virginity. The passage before us says that Joseph took Mary as his wife and kept her a virgin — not forever, but until she gave birth. The facts of Scripture are clear: Jesus had brothers and sisters. All four Gospels speak of Jesus' brothers and sisters. Take one incident in Matthew chapter 13: Jesus returns to Nazareth, the people gather, and having heard everything He has done —
The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus
"Is this not the carpenter's son?" That is who this is. A little guy who used to run around here — the carpenter's son. "And is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these great things?" There is Mary, they identified Joseph — and we assume he is dead at this point — and there are his brothers and sisters right there, named four brothers and sisters plural.
To say that Mary was perpetually a virgin is to deny the scripture that teaches He had brothers and sisters. The Catholic Church will say that the word could also be translated "cousins." The problem is, as you look up these verses, the cousins interpretation does not fit the context — he is connecting them together as a family.
The Problem with Perpetual Virginity
The reason I spend time on this is that not only is it a teaching of the church that is wrong, it presents an awful image for marriage. I went to Holy Family grade school, and the picture is right there: Jesus, Mary, Joseph — the Holy Family — held up as the model, the epitome. But imagine a family where the mother and father are celibate. That is not a role model of a perfect family.
Here is God's prescription for marriage: if you are single, you are celibate; if you are married, it is celebration. That is what we studied in 1st Corinthians chapter 7. Remember that passage? Paul saying, "Listen, your body is not your own. Wives, your body is not your own. Stop depriving one another." They were actually using sex as a weapon in the relationship — withholding it — and he said, stop it. "Do not deprive one another except by mutual consent for a specific period for the purpose of praying and fasting, and then come together, otherwise Satan will tempt you." If you are married, perpetual virginity is not the model — it is celebration. If you are single, it is celibacy.
We stand right here at the wedding and go through the whole ceremony, and then we say, "You may now kiss the bride." Have you ever wondered why that is in there? The traditional reason is that the assumption is, up to that moment, you have never kissed her. Perpetual virginity, though taught by the church, is not only extra-biblical — it is anti-biblical.
The Immaculate Conception
How about this one: the Immaculate Conception. You can win a lot of lunches with your Catholic friends on this one. December 8th is the holy day that celebrates the Immaculate Conception, and most Catholics I know would say that refers to the virgin birth. That is not what the Immaculate Conception is about.
Rather than offer my own view, let me read from Reverend John O'Brien, who authored the book *Faith of Millions* — a book officially approved by Rome as the teaching of the Catholic Church. Here is what he said: "Not only was she" — he is speaking of Mary — "not only was she free from the slightest stain of actual sin, but she was, by a single miracle of divine grace, also free from original sin with which all other children of Adam were born into this world."
We have a problem here. Not only is this extra-biblical — it is entirely anti-biblical. Let me read the Roman Catholic corrected version of Romans 3:23: "All except Mary have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Or Romans 5:12: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, so death spread to all men except Mary, because all except Mary sinned." No. That is not what it says.
Mary is a sinner, and her own testimony confirms it. Did you catch it when we read the Magnificat? Listen: "My soul exalts the Lord, my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior." If she has no actual sin and no original sin, she does not need a Savior. That is a significant point. This teaching, by the way, does not even come into existence until around 1850. The pattern is this: we will take the Word when it works for us, but if we have what is claimed to be a higher authority that supersedes it, we set the Word aside.
The Assumption of Mary
Here is the fourth thing: the assumption of Mary into heaven. I mentioned I went to Holy Family grade school — I also went to Assumption High School. I could not get away from these. The doctrine of the assumption holds that Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heaven.
Again, here is what John O'Brien says: "We pronounce and declare and define it as divinely revealed dogma" — not from this Word, not from this book — "divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." There is zero record of this in Scripture. It is also relatively new — Pope Pius XII declared it to be truth in 1950.
Why This Matters
So there you have it — the four things the Catholic Church holds to regarding Mary, and why Catholics honor her in the way that they do. When you are dealing with your Catholic friends, these are the points to understand. Many people have said this has been one of the most practically helpful lessons we have covered, because they have been wrestling with this material and never fully understood it.
These are not points of personal attack. If you are here and you are Catholic and you do not personally hold these beliefs, that does not change what the church officially teaches. And do you see how this opens the door to serious problems? When you have what is claimed to be a higher truth, you end up submitting the Word of God to it. I do not mean this to be confrontational, but it is the same principle the Mormons operate on — we have this book, but now we have another book. When a second authority is placed above this one, this Word gets set aside.
The Virgin Birth Is Essential
We are back to the question before us: Is the virgin birth important? The answer to that question is different than the one I gave in that St. Ambrose College classroom, when I said it does not matter all that much. Is the virgin birth important? Absolutely, yes, it is important. Let me define the word "important" for you. From Webster's Dictionary: important implies greatness of worth or meaning or influence, having such significance or consequence of value.
Is the virgin birth important? I want to say yes, but I want to be stronger than that. It is not only important — it is essential. The virgin birth is absolutely essential. That is, it is necessary. It is indisputable. It is a fundamental characteristic of the nature of the Christian faith.
Important Versus Essential
I may not always look like it, but I work very hard on these lessons. Last night, working on this lesson, I took a little break and turned on the TV because I knew Iowa was playing Missouri. I wanted to see how the Hawks were doing, and as I was watching, it struck me — a basketball game is a perfect illustration of important versus essential.
Let me give you a few things, and you tell me: are they important, or are they essential? Bleachers and fans — important. The basketball — essential. We are not going to have a game without the basketball. Cheerleaders — that is a difficult one, a real horns-of-the-dilemma situation, but I will go with important. The basket — essential. A referee — important. We play three-on-three pickup games all the time with no referee. A referee is essential if you want to have peace, but you can play without one. Do you see the difference? There is a clear distinction between important and essential.
The virgin birth is important, but the virgin birth is bigger than that. The virgin birth is essential to the Christian faith. Without the virgin birth, there is no Christian faith.
No Virgin Birth, No Perfect Sacrifice
Let me put it in terms that cannot possibly be misunderstood. When we say Jesus had brothers and sisters, I should state this clearly: they are His half-brothers and half-sisters. Same mother, different father. Those four boys and those sisters — their father was Joseph. Jesus' Father was the Holy Spirit.
If Jesus had a human father like you or like me, then if Jesus was not born of a virgin, I might as well die on the cross for you, or you might as well die for me. If Jesus is born of a human father, then Jesus has sin. This is a very important distinction. How many sins do I have to commit to be a sinner? None. I come into the world a sinner. That is the whole concept of original sin. I begin sinning right away, which verifies the fact that I am a sinner.
Jesus Christ is the perfect lamb. Is that not what John the Baptist said? "Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world." That is what Paul wrote: God made Him — Jesus — who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf. There is no Christianity without the virgin birth.
When we sit down and talk about what is essential — what are those non-negotiables, the things we absolutely have to agree on for genuine fellowship — I am not sure of everything that would be on that list, but I will tell you one thing that belongs on it: the virgin birth. This is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.
For years I was saying, what difference does it make? When someone told me the virgin birth was just a detail of the birth itself, I thought, yes, that makes sense. But no — the virgin birth is critical. It is not something that can be dispensed with. No virgin birth, no perfect sacrifice. Do you see it? That sets us up for our discussion next week.
What Is Coming the Next Two Weeks
Let me take sixty seconds and tell you what we are going to cover in the next two weeks. I say this because I know some of you are going to come in here next Sunday and bring friends, family members, and neighbors you have been praying for and wanting to get to church. Christmas Eve is the time you finally get them. And this year is really unusual because Sunday and Monday fall right together — they are staying with you, and they are going to say, "We are going both days?" Yes, both days.
Here is what they are going to hear. Next Sunday, the message is going to be: is there any other way to go to heaven except through Jesus? The answer is going to be no. We are going to talk about Jesus being the reason for the season. On Christmas Eve, I am going to use a passage of scripture that I am convinced has never been used on Christmas Eve in the history of Christendom. This is either going to be very good or absolutely awful. I am banking on good, but I will know for certain at about 1:15 on Christmas Eve after the first service is done.
The essential message will be: why are you waiting? What is it you need to see before you come running to Christ? I am telling you this so you can be ready. You need to be praying. You have been praying for these people, and now they are going to be here. Here is what I am going to tell them when they leave: go talk to the person who brought you. In fact, when you are at dinner today, why not go around the table and —