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A
Very Special Mother |
Have
you ever wondered why Roman Catholics, Anglo-catholics
and Eastern Orthodox Christians place the emphasis
that they do on the earthly mother of our Lord
whereas Protestant Christians often appear to
virtually ignore her except at Christmas time?
Who
was this woman?
Mary was a young Jewish virgin in the genealogical
line of King David. She was chosen by God to birth
the Messiah, the Christ.
Why
did God choose Mary?
God’s call is within the realm of God’s
sovereignty. It is not our prerogative to question
the workings and will of the Father in heaven.
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Mary
was God’s sovereign choice to fulfill ancient
prophecy which declared, “And
I [God] will put enmity between you [Satan] and the
woman, and between your seed and her Seed [Messiah];
He [Messiah-Christ] shall bruise your head, and you
shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) NKJV.
Was
Mary Truly a Virgin?
All
Biblical Christians believe and accept as fact that
this young Jewish maiden was literally a virgin never
having been sexually intimate with a man prior to the
birth of Jesus. Scripture informs us that the Spirit
of God miraculously overshadowed her and she conceived
the Christ-Child, i.e., that this baby was conceived
without a human father. Unfortunately there are some
theologians and preachers within Christendom who deny
the Biblical account of the virgin birth of our Lord.
We believe that the virgin birth is one of the foundational
truths of our Christian Faith that cannot and must not
be minimized nor denied. What seems impossible for we
humans is not impossible with the God of heaven and
earth.
Is
belief in a literal virgin birth necessary to Christian
belief?
As already indicated in the above the answer to this
question is ‘Yes’ an emphatic ‘yes!’
Although salvation does not depend upon its belief the
Hebrew Scriptures foretold of this unique Child and
his birth long before it occurred. The majority of Christians
accept the virgin birth of our Lord as necessary to
fulfill biblical prophecy: “But
the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant;
she will have a son and will name him Immanuel”
(Isaiah 7:14) CEV
The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded by the
Gospel writer, Matthew: “So
the LORD’S promise came true, just as the prophet
had said, ‘A virgin will have a baby boy, and
he will be called Immanuel,’ which means ‘GOD
IS WITH US.’” (Matthew 1:22-23) CEV
In
Jesus of Nazareth we have both divine and human in this
one being. He was and is fully God (deity) and fully
human. He had a human mother but he had no human father.
Joseph was his stepfather, not his biological father.
Rejection of the Virgin Birth is a major error promoted
by some theologians and cultists.
Was
Mary the Theotokos?
This Greek word means: “God-bearer.” It
was Mary who alone among all women on earth was given
the privilege of bearing the Son of God; she bore GOD
in human flesh. As Protestants and as Biblical Christians
we shy away from referring to Mary as the Theotokos
Then
was Mary the Mother of God?
Yes and no! Theologians have wrestled over the use of
this term through the years. Whether or not it should
be used is subject to understanding as to exactly what
is meant by its use. The problem is using this terminology
indiscriminately is that many people do not understand
what is meant by those using it. Certainly the eternal
God cannot have a mother. God has always existed and
did not begin with the birth of the Christ-Child in
Bethlehem. It is probably wise to normally refrain from
using the expression “Mother of God” because
of the fact of God’s eternity. Of course, Mary
was not from eternity but the Child she birth was deity;
God in human flesh. In this birth salvation to Jew and
Gentile became reality. The apostle Paul wrote: “But
when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman [Mary], born under the law [a Jew],
in order to redeem those who were under the law [the
Jews], so that we might receive adoption as children.
And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit
of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’
So you are no longer a slave [Gentiles] but a child,
and if a child then also an heir [believing Jews and
Gentiles], through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7)
In
God’s timing our Lord was born of this special
woman that we know as Mary.
Was
Mary the Christoktokos?
This Greek term means: “Christ-bearer.”
Again, like the previous term, “Theotokos”,
Mary was the human body through which the Messiah [Christ]
was born. To many Christians “Christokokos”
is a preferred term. The Early Church debated which
term to use and a division resulted. This is unfortunate.
Providing “Christ” is fully recognized as
“God in human flesh” it need not divide
God’s people.
Did
Mary remain “ever” virgin?
Martin Luther, Roman Catholicism, Anglo-Catholics and
Eastern Orthodoxy teach that the earthly mother of our
Lord remained a virgin throughout her entire lifetime
never having had intimate sexual relations with her
husband, Joseph. Most Protestant Christians, believing
that sexual intimacy is natural, normal and healthy
between two people who are bonded together in a committed
covenant relationship, believe that Joseph and Mary
had intimate sexual relations after the birth of Jesus.
We are informed in Matthew’s Gospel account: “When
Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the LORD had
commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he
had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew
1:24-25)
The Gospels also strongly indicate that Jesus had both
brothers and sisters. Some denominations teach that
these were cousins, not siblings of Jesus. The majority
of Protestant churches reject this interpretation and
believe that they were indeed our Lord’s earthly
biological brothers and sisters; the same mother, different
fathers. See – Matthew 12:46-47; 13:55-56; Acts
1:14.
Was
Mary born without sin?
The mother of our Lord, just as with every other human
being, had a sin nature. In other words she was like
each of us; a sinner. In her case, just as with many
of us, she was a sinner saved by God’s grace through
faith in her son. The Bible clearly teachings that everyone
has sinned and has fallen short of the glory of God.
See – Romans 3:23.
Mary herself testified to the fact that she, too, was
a sinner who acknowledged God as her Savior. We read
of us in Luke’s Gospel: “My
soul glorifies the LORD and my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)
It needs to be noted that only a sinner needs a Savior.
Mary’s testimony confirms that she acknowledged
God as her Savior. This in no way diminishes nor tarnishes
her in any manner. In fact, it places her in the same
category that all those who personally know Christ are
placed; sinners saved by grace. See – Ephesians
2:8-10
Was
Mary taken bodily to heaven after her death?
This is another of those traditions that appear to be
unfounded, hence rejected by Protestant Christians.
This teaching or dogma has no biblical or historical
basis. Mary was buried and her body remains in the grave
waiting for the sounding of the trumpet from the heavens.
As a believer her spirit is now with the LORD waiting
for her new resurrected immortal body that she, with
all believers, will receive at the resurrection. See
– 1 Corinthians chapter fifteen.
Should
Christians pray to Mary?
This teaching just as the previous dogma is unfounded
and contrary to New Testament teaching. The Bible clearly
teaches that believers are to pray directly to the Father
God in heaven through the one and only Mediator, Jesus
Christ. St. Paul wrote: “For
there is one God; there is also one mediator between
God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human.”
(1 Timothy 2:5)
Should
Mary be honored?
Yes! Mary said of herself, “From
now on all generations will call me blessed.”
(Luke 1:48b) NIV
The angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “And
having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice,
highly favored one, the LORD is with you; blessed are
you among women.” (Luke 1:28) NKJV
It is unfortunate that Protestants have reacted to the
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox teaching regarding
our Lord’s earthly mother in such negative ways.
Among too many Protestants, I believe, that she is relegated
to a position of such minor importance in spite of the
fact that the New Testament teaches that she is highly
favored and greatly blessed by God. She is indeed a
very special saint of God, hence should be remembered
and honored appropriately.
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How
can we honor our Lord’s mother without it
becoming idolatrous?
We can remember and honor this special woman of
God while being careful not to fall into the pitfalls
that some other Christians have fallen into. We
must carefully avoid any and all superstitious
beliefs that have crept into part of the institutional
churches regarding her. She modeled a Christlike
life which we, too, can emulate as followers of
her son our Savior Christ Jesus.
You may want to occasionally look up all of the
biblical references relating to Mary. A study
of these passages will reveal a woman who displayed
her unending love for God, faithfulness to God
and God’s Word, and one who showed forth
great humility.
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"My
soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in
God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call be blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and
holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation
to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their
hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted
the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich
He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed
forever.” (Luke 1:46b-55) NKJV
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1 The initials CEV stand for Contemporary English Version
of the Bible.
2 Jesus is his Greek name whereas Yeshua/Y’shua/Joshua
and other variations are his Hebrew name.
3 I placed the brackets in this passage and in several
others throughout this booklet.
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