"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
Herschel Hobbs exposed the basis of unbelief in those who deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. "Until the rise of modern liberalism there was no question posed about the virgin birth except by those who were prejudiced against the deity of Christ and ignorant of the facts concerning his origin (cf. Matthew 13:55; John 6:42; 8:41; the Gnostics). Modern denials of the virgin birth are based on so-called rationalistic, scientific and historical grounds. Matthew Arnold brushed it aside by saying, 'I do not believe in the virgin birth of Christ because it involves a miracle, and miracles do not happen.' This statement is neither reason, science nor history" (Herschel Hobbs, What Baptists Believe, Nashville: Broadman Press, 1964) 33.
If Jesus was not born of a virgin then Scripture is unreliable and the witness of the Bible is not credible. Scripture testifies that the virgin Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writers of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-16). If the Bible cannot be authoritative in one part, why should we believe it in any part?
If we refuse to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ because we simply don't believe in miracles, then we are also obligated to reject the resurrection of Christ. Our gospel of salvation is based on the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit who caused the virgin Mary to conceive with the promised Messiah (Romans 1:4).
If we don't believe in the virgin birth, then we can't believe in the new birth. Both are works of the Spirit of the living God (Matthew 1:18; John 3:5-7). Simply stated, unbelief can never accept the power of God's Spirit. Those who believe in a closed universe, believe that there is no God who can intervene in the affairs of man. That is contrary to what the Bible teaches about God. "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).
