“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
(Isaiah 7:14)
More than seven centuries before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah declared a promise so astounding that it could only be accomplished by the sovereign hand of God. “The Lord himself shall give you a sign.” A virgin would conceive and bear a son—a supernatural act that would signal the coming of Messiah into the world to fulfill God’s redemptive plan.
This virgin birth was essential, because fallen man cannot redeem himself. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” David confessed in Psalm 51:5. All humanity shares this corruption. So in order to be the sinless substitute for sinners, Christ could not be conceived by ordinary means. A Savior born of man would inherit man’s guilt. The spotless Lamb of God must therefore be conceived by the Holy Spirit, untainted by sin.
And yet Christ also had to be fully human because God in His divine nature cannot die. So the Son of God took on humanity in order to bear the sins of many and die a true substitutionary death. Both of these glorious truths are upheld in the virgin birth: the divine and human nature in one person, Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man.
Vincent Alsop once noted that the sign given in Isaiah 7:14 could only refer to a virgin. “By Isaiah it was revealed that he should be born of a Virgin, Isa. 7:14. that he should be Immanuel, God with us, therein discovering both his Natures in one Person, and his design to bring God and Man into one Covenant.”[1]
A “young woman” bearing a child would not be unusual. But a virgin conceiving and giving birth was unprecedented, unnatural, and entirely miraculous. The Greek Septuagint rendered the Hebrew word for virgin as “parthenos,” affirming that the early Jewish translators understood it literally. Even Jeremiah echoes this reality when he writes of a “new thing” in the earth: a woman encompassing a man (Jer. 31:22), referencing this miraculous conception.
This virgin birth is the gateway to the Incarnation, the means by which Immanuel—“God with us”—entered time and space. God became man, dwelt among His people, and revealed His glory. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” John declares, “and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14).
God became flesh not merely to dwell among us, but to redeem and restore us. The virgin birth is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith because without it there is no sinless Savior. Without the sinless Savior, there is no atonement. And without the atonement, there is no salvation. But thanks be to God, the virgin did conceive and bore a Son. His name is Immanuel, and He is our Redeemer.
Contemplation:
- The Miracle of the Virgin Birth. It stuns me that the eternal Son of God would come into the world in such a lowly and miraculous way, but this was God’s holy design. Salvation is God’s work from start to finish. I cannot save myself. Only a Savior born of heaven, sinless and pure, can redeem me. This fills me with gratitude and awe.
- Perfect God and Perfect Man. I often fail to grasp how profound it is that Christ is both divine and human. Fully God, able to conquer sin; fully man, able to stand in my place. This union of two natures in one person is a mystery too deep for my mind, yet it is essential for my salvation. I must worship Jesus not only for what He’s done, but for who He is: Immanuel, God with us.
- The Humility of the Incarnation. The King of glory entered the world not in splendor, but in humility. Born of a virgin, laid in a manger, He took the form of a servant. I am convicted by how easily I pursue recognition and comfort while my Savior chose the lowest place. His birth calls me to humility, to gratitude, and to wonder at such love. Who am I that God would stoop so low?
- Worship the God Who Came Near. I often forget the intimacy of what it means that Christ was born for me. This wasn’t just a miraculous birth; it was the outpouring of God’s love. Christ took on flesh to bear our sins, to walk among us, to bring God’s presence into the brokenness of our world. He is worthy of all adoration. Let my soul praise Him with every breath.
Prayer (Adoration)
Almighty and eternal God, I adore You for the wonder of the virgin birth. You alone, O Lord, could author such a mystery and fulfill it perfectly. You ordained even before creation that Your Son would come into this world in human flesh—conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, untouched by sin, and yet fully man. In Christ, perfect divinity and perfect humanity are united forever, and I worship You for this glorious reality.
You are the God of wonders, who does all things in wisdom. In the fullness of time, You sent forth Your Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those under the law. And what woman but a virgin? What conception but one wrought by the Spirit? In this, You showed not only Your power but Your mercy. For You sent Christ not only to display divine might but to deliver sinful people like me from wrath, guilt, and death.
Lord Jesus, You were born without sin, lived without sin, and yet died for my sin. Your birth was lowly, but Your name is exalted. The Lamb who laid in a manger is the same Lord who reigns from heaven’s throne. You are Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. I cannot comprehend the fullness of what it means that You are Immanuel—God with us—but I can lift my heart and voice in adoration.
I adore You, Lord, for the humility that brought You from glory to earth. I adore You for the holiness that made You a suitable sacrifice. I adore You for the love that brought You to the womb of a virgin and then to the cross of Calvary. Every step of Your coming was an act of redemptive mercy. Every promise You fulfilled is reason to bless Your name.
May my soul never lose sight of the miracle of Your birth. Let me never grow cold to the truth that the eternal God became man, not in judgment, but in grace. Let me live in joyful reverence, honoring You with praise and thanksgiving, for You have done what no man could do. You brought salvation through a holy child, born of a virgin, full of grace and truth.
I worship You, Christ Jesus, my Savior, my King, my Immanuel.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Isaiah 7:14:
Matt. 1:23; Isa. 8:8, 9:6; Gen. 3:15; Luke 1:31; John 1:14.
[1] Vincent Alsop, Anti-Sozzo, Sive, Sherlocismus Enervatus in Vindication of Some Great Truths Opposed, (London: Printed for Nathanael Ponder .., 1676), 163.
