The United Church of God certainly believes and teaches that Jesus was born to Mary, a virgin at the time of His conception and birth. Isaiah 7:14 foretold this momentous event in history. The angel who spoke to Joseph declared: "Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20).

Earlier the narrative tells us that "before they [Mary and Joseph] came together [prior to any intimate marital relations], she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (verse 18). God was Jesus' Father through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Jesus "was the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).

Prior to these events, when an angelic messenger revealed to Mary that she would conceive and have a Son named Jesus, her immediate question was: "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34, New Revised Standard Version).

Then the angel explained to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest [God the Father] will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (verse 35).

Clearly Mary was a virgin (verse 27) and did not have normal marital relations until after the time that Jesus was born. Joseph "did not know her [intimately] till she had brought forth her firstborn Son" (Matthew 1:25).

Some believe, however, that Mary remained a virgin for the rest of her life. This idea is disproved by the Bible.

The word "firstborn" in Matthew 1:25 clearly implies that Mary bore other children later. We find four brothers named and other "sisters" (plural) mentioned in Mark 6:3. Thus Joseph and Mary had at least six other children born to them who were Jesus' half brothers and half sisters.

The apostle John reveals yet another part of the story. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . ." (John 1:1, 14). Jesus was God in the flesh as well as a human being. He existed for past eternity with the Father and was the one through whom God created all things including mankind (verse 3). To understand more about Jesus Christ, please request our free booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story.