Phil, a listener from Oakville, Ontario, writes in to ask this, Pastor John, regarding

the theological significance of Christ's virgin birth.

If God saw it fit and right for his son to be born of a virgin woman without the intervention

of a man, what does this say about human sexuality?

This was a totally surprising question to me, and I'm excited about it because the end

of my answer has a surprising twist.

So hang on, hang around for another four or five minutes.

Let me read the text because the text really matters here.

So it's Luke 126 and 31 to 35.

Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin, betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, and said,

behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear son and you should call his name Jesus.

Now verse 32, he will be great and will be called son of the most high, 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 and Mary said to the angel, how will

this be since I am a virgin?

No sex, right?

And here's the answer, verse 35, the angel said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon

you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you.

And therefore the child to be born will be called the son of God, will be called holy,

the son of God.

Now, the explicit connection made by the angel is that God chose to bring Jesus into

the world through a virgin because he wanted to make a statement about the uniqueness of

...