The virgin birth of Jesus is at the very heart of this controversy. This Bible doctrine is a focal point in their attacks against God’s word as is illustrated by James Orr’s observation that the “great bulk of the opposition to the virgin birth comes from those who do not recognize a supernatural element in Christ’s life at all.” The virgin birth of Jesus is such an extraordinary event that, if true, it might well determine the whole liberal-conservative controversy. When one fully believes and accepts the virgin birth they have no difficulty in believing the divine Sonship of Jesus, His bodily resurrection, His second coming or the fact of His great miracles.
It ought not to surprise us that nowhere has the battle against the virgin birth and the prophetic character of the scriptures raged more furiously than upon Isaiah 7:14. This passage is not an allegory, an illustration or an allusion as some suggest, but a prophecy of the virgin birth of Christ. The Revised Standard Version rendered this passage as “young woman” rather than “virgin.” Such a translation reflects the bias of the RSV translators against the doctrine of the virgin birth.
Isaiah 7 is a warning to Ahaz, king of Judah, not to depend upon Assyria for protection against Syria and Ephraim, but to depend upon God. Isaiah states that these two nations were merely “two tails of smoking fire-brands” which would soon be brought to nothing (Isa. 7:4). In connection with this, Isaiah told Ahaz to ask for a sign of God’s deliverance, but Ahaz refused. This caused Isaiah to announce to Ahaz and all the house of David that the Lord Himself would give a sign: the virgin born son known as Immanuel (7:14). The very word “sign” is suggestive that more is to be expected. J. Gresham Machen writes, “That word naturally leads us to think of some event like the turning back of the sun on Hezekiah’s dial or the phenomena in connection with Gideon’s fleece.” Isaiah saw this sign as a positive assurance that Judah would not be destroyed, for the promise of the virgin born Immanuel was yet to be fulfilled through Judah.
We do not isolate or exalt the virgin birth above the other aspects of Jesus’ character, but recognize it as an integral part of who He was and is. There is no question that the Bible affirms that Jesus was virgin born (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35). Luke connected Jesus to Joseph by the following language, “…being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (3:23). The parenthetical expression is significant here. Jesus is the virgin born Immanuel, the only begotten Son of the Father.
Bill Feist