Posted on 08/18/2019 7:05:12 PM PDT by Al Hitan
Today the Church remembers with thanksgiving the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Historically, this day was understood to mark her dormition, or "falling asleep," which was most anciently regarded as her natural death and burial. From early on, however, the Church considered that she who conceived and gave birth to the very God of very God, by His Word and Holy Spirit, was also resurrected and ascended into heaven, in both body and soul, soon after her death. There is no word of Holy Scripture to teach these traditions as doctrine, but we should not be too quick to dismiss them as merely pious devotion. Such piety, at its heart, is a confession of that which is the Church's faith in Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary's Son, our Savior and our God.
St. Mary is uniquely honored among all the saints of God in Christ, not only by the Church, but first of all by the Lord God Himself. He has had mercy upon her, blessed her with His grace and favor, and chosen her above all other women to bear the almighty and eternal Son of God. She is rightly called, and truly is, the Mother of God; for her own dear Son, the Fruit of her womb, is indeed the one true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity. It is from her flesh and blood that the Lord has taken for Himself a true and natural body, bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh, so that henceforth He is true Man, the perfect second Adam, our elder Brother, our kinsman Redeemer, the promised Seed of the Woman, by whom we are reconciled to God. As the ancient fathers of the Church confessed, God thus became like us, in order that we become like Him, by grace. It is that great salvation that we celebrate in commemorating any of the saints, and in particular the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, St. Mary.
She is an icon of the Church, a living Sacrament of Christ, and a beautiful example of faith, of all the true children of father Abraham. Her body was comprehended by the Word and Spirit of God to become the tangible means by which the Son of God became flesh and was given to us, and not only for us, but for the life of the world. It is His body, conceived and born of St. Mary, that our sins and sorrows did carry. It is a human body, like our own in every way, save without sin, because He was born of this woman (born under the Law to redeem us). Thus do we recognize in her an archetype of the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord's body and blood.
What is more, in conceiving and giving birth to the Son of God, she is a type of the Church, the holy mother who surely gives birth to the sons of God in Christ. We too have been conceived and given new birth by the same Word and Spirit of the same Holy Triune God that overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary and knit within her womb the incarnation of the only-begotten Son. Thus are we, like Him, "born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (St. John 1:13).
Along with her vocation as the woman by whom the Son of God was given to and for the world, St. Mary also stands with us as a living member of the Church, the Body of Christ. When the Word of the Gospel was announced to her, she received that Word in faith, obtained in her by the mercies of God, and meekly bowed her head in humble trust: "Let it be to me according to Thy Word." Blessed is she who has heard the Word of God and kept it, who treasured it in her heart, who believed that there would surely be a fulfillment of all that God had spoken to her. In all of this, St. Mary is one of us, a faithful disciple of her own dear Son, and among that great cloud of witnesses with which we are surrounded, of that blest communion, fellowship divine.
When the Church in pious tradition has considered St. Mary to be resurrected and ascended to heaven, already in both body and soul, it is a confession of faith in that which Christ Jesus our Lord has accomplished for us and for all by His victorious Cross, Resurrection and Ascension. We may indeed contemplate that she by whom the Lord became like us, should exemplify the way in which we all become like Him, recreated in the glorious Image of the Man from heaven. Of course, we do not rest faith upon the tradition of St. Mary's dormition and assumption into heaven; faith clings to Jesus Christ alone and finds true peace and Sabbath rest forever in Him. But what we envision concering St. Mary, we understand to be the Church's hope precisely in Christ our Lord, our Savior and our God. For we know that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that she who believes in Him will live even if she dies; yes, and everyone who lives and believes in Him will never die.
We believe, teach and confess with the absolute certainty of faith that St. Mary is the Mother of God; that the almighty and eternal Son of the living God was born of this woman, born under the Law, to redeem us who were under the Law. In celebrating that marvelous incarnation of God the Son, in which He died and rose again for us men and our salvation, we may also celebrate proleptically the resurrection of the body that all His saints share with Him by grace through faith in the Gospel. And in that glorious light, we sing: "O higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim, lead their praises: 'Alleluia!' Thou bearer of the eternal Word, most gracious magnify the Lord: 'Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"
**This article is by a Protestant pastor. **
BTTT!
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).
So are saying Jesus is not God? Because it sure looks like you are.
And whom did the Holy Ghost "implant"?
Bookmark
I’m saying they are 2 entities... Jesus came in man form ... he left God in Heaven... God is God. Jesus is Jesus.
No more arguing...I’m not catholic and don’t want to get into what you believe and what I believe... just leave it as it is... good night...
9 months before Jesus was born. If he had had an earthly father by natural means, Jesus would not have been the Perfect Sacrifice... After Adam, all mankind are born into a fallen world... not fit for the Kingdom... Jesus made the way for us.. and Jesus had to be the Perfect Sacrifice.. and He was.
“More from the Bible:”
Also doesn’t say Mary was the Mother of God...
It was a rhetorical question. An exegetical review is beyond this forum. Who was it that appeared to Abraham in a theophany in Genesis 18, ate meat, rested, and talked with Abraham?
I would think that is a heresy in most any Christian "religion". I'll leave it to your fellow protestants to defend you.
When, exactly did the Jesus "man" transform into the Jesus "God"?
Did not Jesus have an earthly mother? Most protestants on this forum claim she was not a virgin and was a sinner, both in original sin and subsequent sins.
If Mary, the Blessed Mother, was such a sinner, how could Jesus Christ been the "Perfect Sacrifice"? Maybe some of your protestant buddies will try to rescue you, but it will be to no avail. She is blessed among women and so is the fruit of Her womb.
I certainly don't ever purposely do so. Will you reveal your true intentions for posting this particular thread from a 2007 article from a Lutheran pastor when the one previously posted a few days ago about the same thing has provoked so much animosity and is still generating attention? You aren't new here so you already should know the reaction it would garner. The previous one is STILL ongoing with accusations flying! Sowing dissension seems to be a particular delight of a few Roman Catholics. That is sad and NOT honoring to the Lord OR Mary.
I wonder, do you also welcome and respect the pastor's statement, "Of course, we do not rest faith upon the tradition of St. Mary's dormition and assumption into heaven; faith clings to Jesus Christ alone and finds true peace and Sabbath rest forever in Him."?
Part of that is a FALSE statement! No one denies that Mary was a virgin who conceived and bore a son and His name is GOD WITH US (see Isaiah 7:14). What has been explained is that AFTER Jesus was born, Mary and her husband Joseph had a normal, Jewish, marriage and she bore additional children - Jesus' brothers and sisters. She was a virgin - as the prophecy proclaims - but did not remain one afterward. Nothing in Scripture backs up the claim that she was "ever virgin" and there is absolutely nothing sinful or wrong in that. As for her being a sinner saved by grace like all of us, that IS backed up by Scripture. ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Mary IS blessed among women (not ABOVE). She is honored, respected and praised for her faithfulness, courage and example. Jesus, because He is God incarnate (in the flesh) is why He was the perfect sacrifice - not because He needed a sinless mother in order to be. Just because some of us do not agree with the extra-biblical RC dogmas of Mary does NOT mean we hate or disrespect her. What will it take for you to grasp this finally???
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Christians know that the Heavenly Father existed long before He created the soul of Mary. Mary was the flesh vehicle 'chosen' to perform this prophecy. She is special, but to elevate her to 'Mother of God' is not Christian.
He’s still holding to Catholic beliefs and teaching because overall, that is not *Protestant* theology.
Please do not engage in false accusations and misrepresentations.
Not one non-Catholic has ever denied the virgin birth. There's a world of difference between the virgin birth and the alleged perpetual virginity of Mary.
If Mary, the Blessed Mother, was such a sinner, how could Jesus Christ been the "Perfect Sacrifice"?
Because the sin nature comes through the father, not the mother.
Besides, if Jesus could not have been born sinless because Mary was a sinner, then how could Mary be born sinless if HER parents were sinners?
If Mary is indeed God's mother, then she is also the mother of God, the Father, and of God, the Holy Spirit.
Unless they are not God, too.
*lord* = kyrios.
*God* = Theos.
Elizabeth did not say the mother of my Theos (God) but mother of my Kyrios (Lord) (kind of like in LORD Jesus Christ)
It was an interesting article from a different perspective. Besides, I've been out and have not participated in the other thread you're so concerned about. And now that you've pointed it out to me, I see that you have been actively participating in it, which tends to make me thing you aren't that concerned.
Sowing dissension seems to be a particular delight of a few Roman Catholics. That is sad and NOT honoring to the Lord OR Mary.
Let me get this straight. A Catholic posting an article about their belief is sowing dissension. But non-Catholics who respond negatively, and often with only ridicule, is not sowing dissension. You are certainly a sanctimonious bunch.
Here's a case in point right on this thread Post #8. I haven't seen you publicly lecture this poster about Proverbs 6:19 and sowing discord for their impudent comment. Once you do, maybe we can take you seriously.
I wonder, do you also welcome and respect the pastor's statement...
Sure.
I wonder, do you also welcome and respect the pastor's statements:
What is more, in conceiving and giving birth to the Son of God, she is a type of the Church, the holy mother who surely gives birth to the sons of God in Christ
When the Church in pious tradition has considered St. Mary to be resurrected and ascended to heaven, already in both body and soul, it is a confession of faith in that which Christ Jesus our Lord has accomplished for us and for all by His victorious Cross, Resurrection and Ascension.
We believe, teach and confess with the absolute certainty of faith that St. Mary is the Mother of God
You're making a distinction without a difference, as shown here:
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