Posted on 05/31/2011 11:34:50 AM PDT by sigzero
Mary was a virgin who was to conceive by being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God. Few in Christian realms would deny Mary was a virgin and remained a virgin through pregnancy and the birth of Christ. This was the ultimate fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah:
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, emphasis added)
However, Mary’s virginity after the birth of Christ can become a heated debate in some circles. Though some may think this is a Roman Catholic versus Protestant view, it is not. Many Protestants, including people like Martin Luther and John Calvin, have held to Mary remaining a virgin for the duration of her life. Let’s look at the issues in a little more detail.
(Excerpt) Read more at answersingenesis.org ...
Or if she had no intentions of having sexual relations.
I don’t KNOW that she knew it was going to be immediate. Her question leads me to believe that she knew it was. Again, this is my opinion. That seems logical.
Foreknowledge of events is at least as plausible as a vow of virginity. Can you accept that the passage CAN BE read as I do?
If she had no intention of having sexual relations why was she engaged to be married?
that you beleivd baptism is for the remission of sins, you must be Anglican or Lutheran.
>>you seem very sincere, but very puffed up in YOUR understanding of Scripture.<<
That is really not it. There are a lot of areas I have a lot of questions about and some even a “I’ll find out after I die” perspective. Meanwhile, on some basic stuff like this, Homosexuality, Chrits’s sacrifice and Grace, and a few others, I’m pretty darned steadfast. The evidence on these is overwhelming even though there are plenty of people well versed in scripture that disagree with me even on them.
Nope not even close. Pentecostal.
>>Jesus gave the Church authority to teach and baptize. If the Church has the authority to teach, don’t we have an obligation to learn?<<
This is a good example. When you say “church”, you mean “Catholic Church”. When I say “church” I mean “body of believers.” I believe scripture strongly supports my view as I briefly showed in a post a bit previous to this one.
some have no concept of what The Church is, they think because they “believe” they are in the Church. some will say Lord, Lord.....
Are you the Church?
One tradition holds that Joseph was a pious widower who married Mary in order to provide for her. Remember, women had no status at that time.
Children from his first wife would explain the brothers and sisters of Jesus.
hmm, never thought Pentecostals believed in baptism for the remission of sins. i thought they believed in asking Jesus into their heart and then they are “saved”. am i wrong?
Yes it really is sad that some believe that a group of men in robes and hats are the church. The church is the body of Christ. God no longer lives in temples made by men. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Q: Here Christ says, and Paul reaffirms, that the Church will always teach the TRUTH. So which “body of believers” teaches the truth?
A: THE body of believers. And there is strong consensus among “the body of believers”, regardless of which “church” they attend. It is why so many members of “the body of believers” left the various congregations that support homosexuality as normal behavior.
i am in the Church, which means i am in Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, you must be in Him, you must be in the Church.
i would say 1,500 years of unanimous belief makes for a “strong consensus” :)
HMM, did anyone say anything about robes and hats?
No one believes that. That the leaders are the Church.
Belief in Christ, confession, repentance and baptism are all taught in my denomination. Roman 10:9 teaches this.
You put saved in quotes because you believe that only those baptized into the Catholic Church are saved, correct? I do not see this requirement in Scripture.
Asking Jesus into your heart is not taught in Scripture.
Belief in Christ, confession, repentance and baptism are all taught in my denomination. Roman 10:9 teaches this.
You put saved in quotes because you believe that only those baptized into the Catholic Church are saved, correct? I do not see this requirement in Scripture.
Asking Jesus into your heart is not taught in Scripture.
Not to mention that having many children in that culture was extremely important. Why would God “reward” Mary for her faithfulness by denying her any more children?
>>How would you make sense of the following?
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Mat 81:15-18
Where do you take your concerns? Makes no sense whatsoever without the visible Church Christ established with teaching authority, and the power to loose and bind. Christians can’t even agree on what the meaning of the word “is” is.<<
Actually, it does make sense, for there was a strong church presence at that time. And people met congregationally all the time. This is where the confusion comes in, however. Some think that the word “church” MUST mean some official hierarchical organization, when it can also mean the “local gathering” of Christians. After all, Paul also describes who are to be deacons, etc. It assumes some sort of organization for the gatherings of believers. This is different than the concept of the “officially ordained” “I am the voice of God” type of thing, however.
Otherwise, we would be adding books to the bible to this day. We’re not. The Word is complete for this dispensation, just as the old testament was complete for that dispensation. Now, after Jesus returns, well that is a different matter.
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