So does that mean we are all sinless like she was, or that she was a sinner who received grace like the rest of us?
Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. If there's no sin, there's no grace as there's no need for grace.
Isaiah prophesied that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. She did. There is NOTHING in Scripture that ever prophesied any more than that or related any more than that.
She was not sinless, she was not perpetually virgin as there was no need for her to remain so after the birth of Christ. The only thing required was that she be virgin at the time of conception and birth, which she was.
Mary and Grace
The word grace used in this passage in Luke is used in one other place in the Bible and that is Ephesians 1 where Paul tells us that with this same grace, God has blessed us (believers) in the Beloved. IOW, we all have access to that grace and it has been bestowed on us all.
http://biblehub.com/greek/5487.htm
Luke 1:28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
Ephesians 1:4-6 In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Greek word "grace"
charitoo: to make graceful, endow with grace
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: charitoo
Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ee-to'-o)
Short Definition: I favor, bestow freely on
Definition: I favor, bestow freely on.
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 5487 xaritoo (from 5486 /xarisma, "grace," see there) - properly, highly-favored because receptive to God's grace. 5487 (xaritoo) is used twice in the NT (Lk 1:28 and Eph 1:6), both times of God extending Himself to freely bestow grace (favor).
Word Origin: from charis
Definition: to make graceful, endow with grace
NASB Translation: favored (1), freely bestowed (1).
Metmom,
Given that Jesus has four brethren as listed in Mark 6:3 and Matt 13:55, namely James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon, and given that two of them are explicitly listed as the sons of Alpheus in Acts 1:13, James and Jude (actually James is listed numerous times as the son of Alpheus to differentiate him from James the son of Zebedee as they were often found together at the same events), I propose a truce.
If you will give me two cousins/close relatives in James and Jude, I will give you two siblings of Jesus in Joseph and Simon. I think it is a fair deal.
But in order for me to make this concession, you have to admit that the other two where close relatives, explicitly named as sons of Alpheus, that they were not Jesus’ siblings.
Over all I think everyone would be happy with this arrangement.
Black Pacific