The bible is pretty clear about pointing out the sins and failings of everyone who was associated with Christ. Save two people, John the Baptist and Mary.
John, was understood to be the return of Elijah, which is why in Luke we have the parallel accounts of the birth of Christ and the birth of Elijah returned, (John the Baptist). We see that his ministry had started up well before Christ, baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who baptises Christ in his name, recognises and acknowledges him to be the Saviour, “I must become lesser and he must become greater.” Passes the torch to Christ.
This goes so far for Christ to proclaim that John is first among those born of women in holiness. This is not an insignificant statement.
With Mary, we have the proclamation from an Angel that “all generations will call you blessed”. This isn’t just a throwaway statement. How many times in the Bible does God send a messenger to proclaim that someone is blessed? Once. With Mary.
I know this is a difficult teaching. The best argument in favour of her sinlessness is that Christ has a human and a divine nature. Christ was truly the son of Mary, and by extension inherited his sinless human nature from Mary.
If Mary were sinful, then Christ would have inherited a sinful human nature, which is contrary to Christ being sinless. So the only way around it is the whole edifice, Mary was sinless, Christ kept Mary from the taint of sin at the immaculate conception, and at her death, like Elijah, she was bodily assumed into heaven.
“With Mary, we have the proclamation from an Angel that “all generations will call you blessed”. This isn’t just a throwaway statement. How many times in the Bible does God send a messenger to proclaim that someone is blessed? Once. With Mary.”
Uh... no. Try reading Matthew 5. Jesus called a lot of people blessed. Not an angel.
Sheesh.
Where in scripture is Mary said to be sinless? On a another thread someone was accused of arguing from silence... sounds like you’re doing the same thing.
Hoss
It doesn't say anywhere that Jesus sent an angel to call Mary blessed...In fact, the angel never called Mary blessed anyway...He only said all generations will call her blessed...
And on top of that, when someone did call Mary blessed, JESUS claimed that we are more blessed than Mary was anyway...
There is no argument for your side...
So your argument about sola scripture falls flat...It's not that scripture says one thing and your religion adds to it...It is that scripture says one thing and your tradition says something different...Therefore, we must dump your tradition in favor of scripture...