Around 2,000 years ago a baby was born. This baby was not an ordinary baby. The entire world rested on his shoulders; he “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3 CSB). Though dependent on his mother, yet the whole world is dependent on him. This baby, of course, is Jesus.

Jesus’s birth was supernatural. He was born of a virgin, and this was possible because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In the birth of Jesus, God was announcing that he was now with us — he would be walking with us, talking to us, and dying for us.

Evangelicals need to be reminded of the essentiality of the virgin birth. In this post, I’d to discuss briefly why the virgin birth is essential to a faithful understanding of the gospel. In other words: if you lose the virgin birth, you lose the gospel.

Before we get into the thick of this, let me talk about one thing for a moment.

God’s Son

In John 3:16 were told that “…God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…” What does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? My point in this section is not to thoroughly explain what it does mean, but more so what it does not mean.

God the Father did not have sex with Mary, as some religions teach. Jesus was born supernaturally. Jesus is not the literal son of God. The term Son of God is one that indicates the divinity of Jesus, actually. So, just at the outset, I want readers to understand that, when Christians say Jesus is the Son of God, we do not mean that literally.

If Jesus was literally God’s Son, he would therefore be a creation. If he’s a creation, then he most certainly wouldn’t be the Creator, that is, not God. But we know Jesus is God (John 1:1).

Did Not Inherit Original Sin

Since Jesus was born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was able to be born without sin. He did not inherit original sin from Adam since his birth was not natural, but supernatural.

This has massive ramifications for Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. If Jesus inherited original sin — and therefore being a sinner — then first, he wouldn’t be able to die in our behalf because a sinner can’t die for another dinner; and second, his life would be stained by sin, which means he would have to atone and answer for his own sin–not those of his people.

The biblical reality of Christ’s sinlessness (Hebrews 4:15) is an integral part of the gospel. If Jesus was a sinner, he wouldn’t have been able to impute his righteous life to sinners. However, since he conceived by the Spirit and loved a perfect life, he was able to credit that perfect life to all those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Losing the Virgin Birth

Friends, if you lose the virgin birth, you in turn lose the gospel. It’s simple. We can’t take away the supernatural conception of Jesus Christ and remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the virgin birth, His life, death, and resurrection doesn’t work. And at that point, we would be the men most to be pitied. At that point, we have no good news.

We have to understand that the gospel is at stake with the virgin birth. The gospel crumbles if the virgin birth isn’t true. But thank God it is. Thank God that Christ came down to earth as an infant, to grow never sinning, and die on a cross for His people. The virgin birth showed us God’s immense love for us.

Never let go of the miracle of the virgin birth. Our faith depends on it.