Born of a virgin? What is that about?

At this point please allow me to distinguish two doctrines that are often confused, the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth. Both involve Mary and conception, but that’s about the extent of their similarity.

The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the conception of Mary in her mother’s womb, by normal sexual intercourse. It asserts that, from the point of conception, Mary was purified by divine grace and preserved from original sin. It concerns her spiritual purity from the beginning, thus the term “immaculate”. Non-Catholic churches have rejected the Immaculate Conception as unbiblical, but have embraced the doctrine of the Virginal Conception of Jesus, which is clearly affirmed by both Matthew and Luke in their accounts of Jesus’ birth.

The distinguishing of these doctrines is important, not just as an esoteric curiosity, but because calling Jesus’ conception “immaculate” gives credence to the misunderstanding that the Virginal Conception of Jesus is about his, and/or his mother’s, purity from sin. But, as we see from the passage below (v.35), it is actually about his origin, and the power of God.

Luke 1:29-38 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God…. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."

Luke asserts, as does Matthew (Mt 1:18-21), that Jesus is quite literally the Son of God, as opposed to being the child of Joseph. If we object that this is impossible, as many do, we are only stating what was obvious to Mary and everyone else, including Gabriel and presumably Luke himself. Of course this is “impossible”, it’s a mighty act of God, a work of the Holy Spirit in the power of God, for whom nothing is impossible.

For Luke, the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary is as miraculous as any of the mighty acts of God. Indeed, his language is reminiscent of the original act of creation, an impossibility if there ever was one. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:2)

The virginal conception of Jesus means that the incarnation of God in Christ is an act of God’s power and grace, as free and unconditional as was the original act of creation. And, though John does not specifically mention the Virginal Conception anywhere in his Gospel, I believe it is implied. Reflecting upon God’s work of re-creation in the life of those who receive Jesus, he actually takes the concept a step further than the other Gospel writers do. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)