---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mary's virginity protected a great deal…"
description: "\"Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus' birth. It protected the nature of t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg"
---

#  Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own…

![“Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus' birth. It protected the nature of the divine Son of God...Jesus had to have one human parent or He could not have been human, and thereby a partaker of our flesh. But He also had to…” quote by John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg)

> “Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus' birth. It protected the nature of the divine Son of God...Jesus had to have one human parent or He could not have been human, and thereby a partaker of our flesh. But He also had to have divine parentage of He could not have made a sinless and perfect sacrifice on our behalf.”

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Mary's virginity is presented as essential to preserving both Jesus' divine nature and his human lineage, ensuring his role as a sinless sacrifice.

**In simple terms:** Virginity safeguards Jesus' divine and human identity.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how doctrine shapes theological concepts.

Themes

theology divinity humanity sacrifice doctrine

Mood

reflective serious

Type

doctrinal theological

When to use this quote

- religious teaching
- faith discussions
- biblical studies

Key Concepts

Christology incarnation purity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this belief affect views on humanity?
- What implications does it have for modern faith?

A Different Perspective

Some argue virginity is symbolic, not literal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Jesus birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-birth/) [Moral character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-character/) [Son of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-of-god/) [Virginity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virginity/)

## Related quotes

> [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [We Americans commercialize everything. Look at what we did to Christmas. Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Now, I don't know Jesus, but from what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/we-americans-commercialize-everything-look-at-what-we-did-to/)

[Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/)

> [In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was Gotcha!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-stockbroker/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-and-the-word-was-gotcha/)

Attila the Stockbroker

> [“The radically countercultural and revolutionary movement that Jesus birthed has, in our country (as in every other “Christian” country), been largely reduced to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/the-radically-countercultural-and-revolutionary-movement-that-jesus/)

[Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/)

> [Missionaries in the developing world waste a lot of time and money (not to mention the goodwill of non-Christians) proselytizing to the needy. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/missionaries-in-the-developing-world-waste-a-lot-of-time-and-money/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [Matthew loved the magi. He gave their story more square inches of text than he gave the narrative of the birth of Jesus. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/matthew-loved-the-magi-he-gave-their-story-more-square-inches-of-text/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [“Every other person who is at the heart of any religion has had his or her beginning either in fancy or in fact. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/every-other-person-who-is-at-the-heart-of-any-religion-has-had-his-or/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-birth-of-jesus-made-possible-not-just-a-new-way-of-understanding/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [Thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall save his people from their sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/thou-shalt-call-his-name-jesus-he-shall-save-his-people-from-their/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Teacher: 'What is the true meaning of Christmas?' Me: 'Jesus birthday' \*clearly its about presents and being cute\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-what-is-the-true-meaning-of-christmas-me-jesus-birthday/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The birth of Jesus is the sunrise in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-birth-of-jesus-is-the-sunrise-in-the-bible/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [But to make a holiday record that involves favorite American songs and then also get to sing about Jesus birth, it just seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/but-to-make-a-holiday-record-that-involves-favorite-american-songs/)

[Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/)

> [During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the-birth-of-jesus-in-bethlehem/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [Christmas has a certain universal appeal that gives it meaning well beyond a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Christians have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/christmas-has-a-certain-universal-appeal-that-gives-it-meaning-well/)

[Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/)

## More by John Macarthur

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-more-you-focus-on-yourself-the-more-distracted-you-will-be-from/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [There are things that God hates, right? One of them is the one who stirs up strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/there-are-things-that-god-hates-right-one-of-them-is-the-one-who/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Over the years, I've fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/over-the-years-i-ve-fought-a-number-of-polemical-battles-against/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“You and I believed the gospel, not because we were wiser or more righteous than anyone else but because God graciously intervened, opening our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/you-and-i-believed-the-gospel-not-because-we-were-wiser-or-more/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“He call us to obey, not because He needs us but because He knows we need Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/he-call-us-to-obey-not-because-he-needs-us-but-because-he-knows-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“The Spirit works in the church so that men might see Jesus as Lord, recognizing His authority and submitting to His will (1 Cor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-spirit-works-in-the-church-so-that-men-might-see-jesus-as-lord/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Grace does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies power to live in the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/grace-does-not-grant-permission-to-live-in-the-flesh-it-supplies/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Sexual expression within a marriage is not an option or an extra. It is certainly not, as it has sometimes been considered, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sexual-expression-within-a-marriage-is-not-an-option-or-an-extra-it/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“18O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/18o-my-god-incline-your-ear-and-hear-open-your-eyes-and-see-our/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“Sin is the monarch that rules the heart of every man. It is the first lord of the soul, and its virus has contaminated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sin-is-the-monarch-that-rules-the-heart-of-every-man-it-is-the-first/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“Psalm 13 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/psalm-13-o-lord-how-long-will-you-forget-me-forever-how-long-will-you/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Scripture repeatedly makes clear that heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, unlimited delights, and unending pleasures. Nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/scripture-repeatedly-makes-clear-that-heaven-is-a-realm-of/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [God's true church has always been a place where people hunger for the truth from the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/god-s-true-church-has-always-been-a-place-where-people-hunger-for-the/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [The lies of systemic racism and the race hustlers dominate the ideologies of universities and even churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-lies-of-systemic-racism-and-the-race-hustlers-dominate-the/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Explore all 279 John Macarthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

## More Jesus birth quotes

> [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [Loving God, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/loving-god-help-us-remember-the-birth-of-jesus-that-we-may-share-in/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [During the first 13 centuries after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, no one thought of setting up a creche to celebrate Christmas. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/during-the-first-13-centuries-after-the-birth-of-jesus-in-bethlehem/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [But to make a holiday record that involves favorite American songs and then also get to sing about Jesus birth, it just seemed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/but-to-make-a-holiday-record-that-involves-favorite-american-songs/)

[Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/)

> [The birth of Jesus is the sunrise in the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-birth-of-jesus-is-the-sunrise-in-the-bible/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Teacher: 'What is the true meaning of Christmas?' Me: 'Jesus birthday' \*clearly its about presents and being cute\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-what-is-the-true-meaning-of-christmas-me-jesus-birthday/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall save his people from their sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/thou-shalt-call-his-name-jesus-he-shall-save-his-people-from-their/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-birth-of-jesus-made-possible-not-just-a-new-way-of-understanding/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [“Every other person who is at the heart of any religion has had his or her beginning either in fancy or in fact. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/every-other-person-who-is-at-the-heart-of-any-religion-has-had-his-or/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Matthew loved the magi. He gave their story more square inches of text than he gave the narrative of the birth of Jesus. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/matthew-loved-the-magi-he-gave-their-story-more-square-inches-of-text/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [Missionaries in the developing world waste a lot of time and money (not to mention the goodwill of non-Christians) proselytizing to the needy. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/missionaries-in-the-developing-world-waste-a-lot-of-time-and-money/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“The radically countercultural and revolutionary movement that Jesus birthed has, in our country (as in every other “Christian” country), been largely reduced to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/the-radically-countercultural-and-revolutionary-movement-that-jesus/)

[Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/)

> [In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was Gotcha!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-stockbroker/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-and-the-word-was-gotcha/)

Attila the Stockbroker

> [We Americans commercialize everything. Look at what we did to Christmas. Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Now, I don't know Jesus, but from what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/we-americans-commercialize-everything-look-at-what-we-did-to/)

[Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/)

> [Christmas has a certain universal appeal that gives it meaning well beyond a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Christians have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/christmas-has-a-certain-universal-appeal-that-gives-it-meaning-well/)

[Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/)

[Browse all 22 Jesus birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-birth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of Jesus' birth. It protected the nature of the divine Son of God...Jesus had to have one human parent or He could not have been human, and thereby a partaker of our flesh. But He also had to have divine parentage of He could not have made a sinless and perfect sacrifice on our behalf.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Macarthur"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal-more-than-her-own-moral/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Jesus birth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal-more-than-her-own-moral/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/john-macarthur-1117_moral-character_mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal_1811277.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mary's virginity protected a great deal more than her own moral character, reputation, and the legitimacy of…” — John Macarthur",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Macarthur",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Mary's virginity protected a great deal...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal-more-than-her-own-moral/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/mary-s-virginity-protected-a-great-deal-more-than-her-own-moral/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
