Sometimes the question comes up. Was Mary the mother of Jesus really a virgin? Do I have to believe in a virgin birth if I am a Christian?
First let me say that I believe it is possible to be a Christian without believing in the virgin birth. However, the only way that I can think of for this to occur would be for someone who was unaware of the complete Bible text, to believe that Jesus died for their sins, that He was Lord and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). If someone believed those things, and yet had not been told, and therefore had no knowledge of, about the virgin birth, they would still be a Christian, although this would be rare, it would be possible.
The real question should be "can a person be a Christian while at the same time denying the virgin birth?" For someone who has heard or read the Bible and is aware of the Biblical text of the virgin birth but chooses not to believe, the answer may be devastating. This is why.
Matthew tells us that before Mary and Joseph “came together,” Mary “was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:18). This, Matthew explains, fulfilled what Isaiah promised: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name ‘Immanuel,’ which translated means ‘God with Us’” (Matt. 1:23, Isaiah 9:6-7).(1)
In other words the Bible clearly states that Mary was a virgin and that this miraculous birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of that specific prophecy found in Isaiah 9:6. For someone to deny that, would open the door for the ability to pick and choose what parts of the Bible they chose to believe in and what parts they chose not to believe in.
In other words you cannot deny the virgin birth without saying that to some degree the Bible is not true. Did Mary not fulfil Isaiah's prophecy or was the prophet Isaiah a liar? Or is Matthew not telling the truth? What about the two gospels that tell of the birth. Are they not to be believed or only parts of them? What about the two gospels that don't mention it? Are they not to be believed because they left it out if it is true? On and on it could go until you would begin to question other parts of the Bible (Is the creation story real?...Was there really a flood?) giving you an incomplete faith, that you chose to accept, while at the same time intentionally disregarding God's word.
The 66 books of the Bible are all linked together, the Old Testament and the New Testament, to form one big book really, making one complete Bible. A person cannot add or subtract some of the text because they want to. (Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:19)
The Bible says it this way:
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).
It is true that Isaiah, in the prophecy found at Isaiah 7:14, where it talks about the virgin birth, uses a hebrew word that does not mean virgin 100 percent of the time. The fact that the Septuagint (Greek copy of the Old testament) which was written by Jewish Rabbis, before the birth of Christ, used the Greek word for virgin should eliminate any question as to the way the Rabbis interpreted this passage at the time.
For more on this please read The Meaning Of the Word Almah.
Also of Interest may be:
Bible Verses that help support that this is a false doctrine include:
Before they came together, (Mary) was found with child of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18)
The angel said..., You will conceive...and bring forth a Son...Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man? (Luke 1:30-31, 34)
Israel My Glory a Ministry of the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministries, Inc. January/February 2014 pp.22-23 by Thomas C. Simcox.
1) http://www.ligonier.org/blog/must-christians-believe-virgin-birth/
