When a defense of the biblical account of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is given, more times than not, it is defended from the stand point of systematic theology.

According to Wikipedia, systematic theology is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith.

In systematic theology, the virgin birth is a crucial doctrine because of the important place it holds in the biblical revelation of the deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus’ birth is not miraculous, then there is nothing unique about him from all other men. Therefore, the significance of the virgin birth within systematic theology is extremely important.

However, there is another area in which the significance of the virgin birth of Jesus is just as important, and which actually proves just how unwise those “so-called scholars” who reject the virgin birth really are.

If Jesus was not born of a virgin, the biblical narrative that Jesus is the Messiah becomes unreliable, because the testimony of the New Testament with regards to the birth of John the Baptist, who was sent to announce the coming of the Messiah to the people of Israel (John 1:31), is intertwined with the announcement of the birth of Jesus.

According to Luke, it was in response to the news which Mary had received from the angel Gabriel regarding the miraculous conception of Jesus, which she declared to Elisabeth, that the babe (John the baptist) leaped in her womb for joy.

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. (Luke 1:39-45)

The miraculous conception of Jesus is very significant with regards to the biblical record of John the Baptist and his mother Elisabeth, who in response to the babe leaping in her womb, declared “there shall be a performance of those things which were told to her (Mary) from the Lord.” 

Furthermore, if Jesus were not born of a virgin, then the biblical account of Joseph, the husband of Mary, also becomes unreliable.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 1:18-20)

If Jesus was not born of a virgin, what then do we make of the instructions which Joseph received in a dream from the angel of the Lord ?

The main problem with those who question the virgin birth is that they call into question the integrity of God’s word. To undermine the virgin birth is to undermine the biblical record of not only Jesus, but also of John the Baptist, his mother Elisabeth, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary’s husband Joseph.

To undermine the virgin birth is cast to doubt on God’s power revealed in the Word of God. It was at the announcement of his miraculous birth that the angel Gabriel informed Mary that her child is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. It was during this encounter that the angel of the Lord answered Mary’s question (“How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”)  with the words,“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

The statement, “with God nothing shall be impossible”, was a spoken by the angel Gabriel in context to the virgin Mary conceiving a child, who is the Son of God.