[Mad Dawg]

Remember the Alamo, girl!

About the alleged sinlessness of John the Babdiss (Local pronunciation - the 't' is silent)(hereinafter "J the B"):

Actually, to get all technical, the contention is not that J the B was without sin his entire life. It’s that, since he gave his life to Jesus at the Visitation, we, or some of us, believe that before he was BORN (but after he was conceived - therefore NOT all his life) grace began to dominate his life.

So he was not conceived w/o sin, but he was, the contention is, born in a state of grace. I don’t think this is de fide, but I could be wrong.

As for “to God be glory, not man”: if that is meant as a criticism of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception or of this claim about J the B, I’m astonished. You know, or should know, that we think these things are entirely by God’s power and grace, and not man’s doing at all. It’s not, in the first consideration, that Mary and J the B are such swell people. It’s that God is a remarkably and always surprisingly swell (to use the theological term) God, and they are recipients of remarkably swell gifts. That Mary and J the B are swell afterwards is God’s doing.

And that’s why on “their” days, we don’t have services "to" them, but praise and thank God for His mighty acts.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for your reply and for sharing your insights!

As for “to God be glory, not man”: if that is meant as a criticism of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception or of this claim about J the B, I’m astonished. You know, or should know, that we think these things are entirely by God’s power and grace, and not man’s doing at all. It’s not, in the first consideration, that Mary and J the B are such swell people. It’s that God is a remarkably and always surprisingly swell (to use the theological term) God, and they are recipients of remarkably swell gifts. That Mary and J the B are swell afterwards is God’s doing.

As you probably already know, I personally eschew all the doctrines and traditions of men across the board - so doctrines such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary and sinlessness in John the Baptist have no currency with me.

If you are led of the Spirit to embrace such doctrines and traditions, then that is what you must do.

I am led by God the Father's revelations in 1) Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, 2) the indwelling Holy Spirit, 3) the Scriptures which the Spirit has personally authenticated and 4) the Creation both spiritual and physical.

And I too will do as the Spirit leads me. (Romans 8, John 15-17 et al)

On the other point, my declaration "To God be the glory, not man." - agrees with the Great Commandment.

The second commandment is not the Great Commandment.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. – Matt 22:37-40

If we keep these two commandments, the rest is just details - hence the importance of keeping the priorities.

There is only one Great Commandment.

The same message of priorities appears throughout Scripture, though I am particularly fond of Revelation chapters four and five.

So again I say:

To God be the glory, not man.