Do you think the virgin birth is necessary to the Christmas story?  

The Bible assumes that you will say, “yes,” because, just like it expects that you believe God sent his son to earth to be born of virgin, you also believe the Gospel as it defines in the book of 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3-4.  “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

If you believe God could send his son to become man, with an earthly name, Jesus, yet remain deity, then you could also believe this same Jesus could die for your sins and you could be made right with God.  Or to put it terms the Bible uses, God could actually rebirth you and make you whole again in his sight.

Jesus had that discussion with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 3.  Jesus said to Nicodemus, “unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was confused and asked Jesus, “How can a person be born when he is old?  He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

Jesus responded, “Unless someone is born of water (natural birth — see verse 6) and the Spirit (spiritual rebirth — again see verse 6), he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” 

Nicodemus responded, “How can these things be?”  To which Jesus replied, “You are the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?” (John chapter 3 verse 10).  

Jesus was telling Nicodemus he had to be reborn to enter heaven.  Another term the Bible uses, Nicodemus had to experience regeneration, as the book of Titus, chapter 3 and verse 5 explains.  He had to be reborn into something new.   The book of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 17 says it this way.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.

When a person becomes a genuine believer and follower of Jesus Christ, regeneration or a transformation takes place in their life spiritually and even morally.    

That transformation is available to any of us.  The Apostle John said in John chapter one verses 12-13:  12 But as many as received him (Christ), to them he gave the right (if you request it from God you get it) to become children of God (his heirs), to those who believe (put their trust) in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood (not by one’s initial birth or one’s nationality), nor of the will of the flesh (we can’t earn it), nor of the will of man (not by wishful thinking nor an earthly decree), but of God.

So, just like God chose to send his son to become human and remain divine, he chose to provide a miraculous rebirth (a new start) to anyone who places faith in Jesus.

So, is the virgin birth necessary for the Christmas story?  Yes! It makes Christmas a miraculous event in history where God miraculously sent his son to us so that he could do miraculous regeneration in us.

I hope you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, because as 1 John chapter 5 and verse one says:  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ (Immanuel — God with us born of a virgin) has been born of God.  

— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Rick Haworth is pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Monroe.