The birth of Jesus Christ was miraculous. He was born from a virgin, who never had contact with any man. He had no natural human father. This is a unique miracle in the history of humankind. The angel of the living God announced his miraculous conception to his virgin mother Mary:

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.

The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her,

‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

Then the angel said to her,

‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’

Then Mary said to the angel,

‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’

And the angel answered and said to her,

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.’

Then Mary said,

‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’

And the angel departed from her”

(Luke 1: 26-38).

The birth of Jesus and His infancy fulfilled Old Testament (the Torah, etc) prophecies provided centuries before Christ (Isaiah 7: 14; 9: 6-7; Micah 5: 2; Hosea 11: 1b; Jeremiah 31: 15). God initiated the whole process of the birth of Jesus. The power of the almighty living God Himself, manifest in His Holy Spirit, miraculously brought about the virginal conception which was the direct action of the Holy Spirit.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit”

(Matthew 1: 18, 20-21; Luke 1: 35).

The spiritual divine sonship of Jesus Christ to God the Father is real and unique.

He is Emmanuel—

“… God with us”

(Matthew 1: 23).

The incarnation of the eternal Son of God was a divine act of self-limitation in the human form (Philippians 2: 5-8). The name of “Jesus” (Hebrew: Joshua) means in Hebrew “God is salvation:”

“you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”

(Matthew 1: 21b; Luke 1: 31).

The name of “Christ” means “the Anointed” (by the Holy Spirit of God the Father).

The virgin birth of Christ established two facts with equal effectiveness. On the one hand, it asserted a real human nature in Christ taken from His mother, the Virgin Mary, who gave Him His human birth. On the other hand, it asserted a real divine nature because of His exceptional birth which was unique in the history of humankind, setting Jesus apart as one whose entrance into the world was due to a new mode of contact of God with the human race:

“Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh”

(1 Timothy 3: 16a).

The two natures are united without confusion or alteration to either nature in the person of Christ.

St. Mary freely and fully submitted to the will of God (Luke 1: 38) disregarding any shame a premarital pregnancy could bring her, as she was engaged, but not married, to Joseph. She was the home of the fetus of Jesus for nine months. Likewise, Christ is the present and eternal home for all who believe in Him and live in fellowship with Him.

Jesus is

“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”

(John 1: 29b).

Jesus, the lamb of God, was born in a cave used as a barn for animals (Luke 2: 7). Angels announced His birth first to shepherds keeping watch over their flock at night (Luke 2: 8). All that points to Jesus offering of himself on the cross to atone for the sins of those who believe in Him.

The angels of the living God protected Jesus in His conception and in his infancy from Joseph (Matthew 1: 19-21), from king Herod who wanted to kill Him (Matthew 2: 12-13), and from king Archelaus (Matthew 2: 22).