Mary has nothing to do with salvation. Without Mary there is no Christ! What Madness is this?
You posted: Without Mary there is no Christ!
And without the pre-incarnate Christ there is no Mary, or anyone else, or anything else. So, Mary was used as a vessel to bring forth Jesus our Savior, and her other children, His brethren.
Isn’t it wonderful that God uses fallible human vessels to do His work? And that He sent His Son to be the second Adam, the ONLY perfect man, who could be our sole mediator?
You posted: Without Mary there is no Christ!
And without the pre-incarnate Christ there is no Mary, or anyone else, or anything else. So, Mary was used as a vessel to bring forth Jesus our Savior, and her other children, His brethren.
Isn’t it wonderful that God uses fallible human vessels to do His work? And that He sent His Son to be the second Adam, the ONLY perfect man, who could be our sole mediator?
I would read stars & stripes forever as meaning Mary has no special (or more) significance in salvation than the multiple other vessels that God has used over the centuries, like Adam and Eve, Mary’s mother and Father, and other known and unknown (to us) vessels of God’s grace, mercy and favor. Of course, every person is special (created in the image of God) and equal in the eyes of the Creator.
What if Mary had said no to God’s will (as Judas eventually did)? Do you think there would be no virgin birth or no salvation for mankind? Do you think she was forced to say “yes” to God? I highly respect her as a sister in Christ and a great example of a godly woman who is a great example to follow in humility and obedience, nothing more. Since the scriptures give her nowhere near the “pedestal” the Catholic Church does, I will have to go with the word of God rather than the traditions of men.