Posted on 01/11/2012 7:34:56 PM PST by RnMomof7
Mary: Mother of God?
This article is prompted by an ad in the Parade Magazine titled: "Mary Mother of God: What All Mankind Should Know." The offer was made for a free pamphlet entitled "Mary Mother of Jesus" with this explanation: "A clear, insightful pamphlet explains the importance of Mary and her role as Mother of God."
This is quite a claim, to say the least! Nowhere in the Bible is Mary said to be the mother of God. I touched on this subject in a series on "Mary Co-Redeemer with Christ" printed recently.
Question: If Mary is the Mother of God, Who, may I ask, is the Father of God? Does God have a Father, and if He does, Who is His Mother?
The phrase "Mother of God" originated in the Council of Ephesus, in the year 431 AD. It occurs in the Creed of Chalcedon, which was adopted by the council in 451 AD. This was the declaration given at that time: "Born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God according to the Manhood." The purpose of this statement originally was meant to emphasize the deity of Christ over against the teaching of the Nestorians whose teaching involved a dual-natured Jesus. Their teaching was that the person born of Mary was only a man who was then indwelt by God. The title "Mother of God" was used originally to counter this false doctrine. The doctrine now emphasizes the person of Mary rather than the deity of Jesus as God incarnate. Mary certainly did not give birth to God. In fact, Mary did not give birth to the divinity of Christ. Mary only gave birth to the humanity of Jesus. The only thing Jesus got from Mary was a body. Every Human Being has received a sinful nature from their parents with one exception: Jesus was not human. He was divine God in a flesh body. This is what Mary gave birth to. Read Hebrews 10:5 and Phil 2:5-11.
Please refer to Hebrews 10:5 where we see. "...Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
The body of Jesus was prepared by God. In Matthew 1:18, "she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
The divine nature of Jesus existed from before eternity, and this cannot be said of Mary Jesus never called her "mother". He called her "woman".
This doctrine deifies Mary and humanizes Jesus. Mary is presented as stronger that Christ, more mature and more powerful that Christ. Listen to this statement by Rome: "He came to us through Mary, and we must go to Him through her." The Bible plainly states that God is the Creator of all things. It is a blasphemous attack on the eternity of God to ever teach that He has a mother. Mary had other children who were normal, physical, sinful human beings. In the case of Jesus Christ, "His human nature had no father and His divine nature had no mother."
It is probably no coincidence that this false doctrine surrounding Mary was born in Ephesus. Please read Acts 19:11-41 and see that Ephesus had a problem with goddess worship. Her name was Diana, Gk. Artemis. You will not have to study very deep to find the similarities between the goddess Diana and the Roman Catholic goddess, Mary. It should be noted that the Mary of the 1st century and the Mary of the 20th century are not the same. Mary of the 1st century was the virgin who gave birth to the Messiah. Mary of the 20th century is a goddess created by the Roman Catholic Church. A simple comparison of what the Bible teaches about Mary and what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about her will reveal two different Marys. Mary is not the "Mother of God." If she were she would be GOD! There is only one true, eternal God. He was not born of a woman. Any teaching on any subject should be backed up by the word of God. If it cannot be supported by Scriptures, it is false doctrine.
I love and appreciate religious art. In fact, I collect pieces here and there. The difference is kneeling, bowing down and praying before them which is offensive.
FWIW.
Everything is one NOW with God who is outside of time. The Incarnation,Moses crossing the red sea, the crucifixion,our deaths etc.. is all one eternal never ending event with God-nothing ever starts and ends being outside of time.
This is why the Sacrifice is never ending.
Gotta run. Date night with wife.
That's the road bible believing Christians take...It is wasn't for that 'road' none of us would know Jesus...
Or heresy?
The bible says Jesus suffered temptation...What's that mean to you???
Had there never been a word written about Jesus, the whole world would still have known of Him.
After this conversation with the protestants here, I don’t think most of them have the first clue about Jesus.
Because he was being hard headed? He was the one who denied Jesus three times and argued a lot after all.
The church is built of Gentiles. Peter was sent to the Jews. Paul was sent to the Gentiles.
Tempted By sin, never tempted To sin.
Jesus became sin for us...Jesus had a body that aged...A body that died...Jesus had a body just like we have...A body that dies and rots and turns to wormfood...
But that is not what I asked.
You’re right. I in no way meant that salvation depends on certain Marian dogmas. Nor do I believe that today’s Catholics believe that except for a few pre-Vatican II holdouts (Mel Gibson comes to mind). Hope you took no offense at my postings - none was meant.
***Because he was being hard headed?***
That response was thoroughly stupid the first few times it was given, but now it only convinces me of the absolute, almost pathological need of protestants to refrain from answering it honestly.
***The church is built of Gentiles.***
Are you saying there were no Jews in the Church? Ever?
That would be a complete surprise to all of the Apostles and disciples who were Jewish.
Watch as God destroys the “art” in Egypt. Ever wonder what the “art” looked like that God destroyed in other pagan societies and that Israel set up?
And let me guess...You don't have any scripture to back that up, either...
But hey, I'd like to cross the Red Sea tomorrow with Moses...You guys got a Church where that is happening??? And I've got a few questions for Ezekiel...Where's he currently preaching???
John 10;18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Death had no hold over Jesus. He chose it freely, laying down His life for sinners.
John 15;13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus became sin, meaning that He had no sin in Him, He took it on, on the cross so that we can have eternal life.
He was not subject to it, in any way.
This is why the Sacrifice is never ending.
I rest my case, jvette.
The whole problem is that Christ died IN time, within the bounds of time, not in the eternity that exists outside of time.
If He died in eternity, then the sacrifice could be considered ongoing, ever present.
Scripture states that Jesus died ONCE FOR ALL.
The effects of the sacrifice are eternal, the sacrifice itself is NEVER referred to in Scripture as anything but in the past tense after it happened.
Not only that, but if indeed the sacrifice were ongoing, then it would be more than possible for all the sins I have yet to commit to be forgiven before I commit them, the concept of which gives Catholics the heebie-jeebies.
I would LOVE to see a site that spells which verses they must submit
I have given you that which is non negotiable.
My apologies for thinking the verses which support those doctrines are familiar to you. I could post them if you like.
It’s an interesting reply. Jerusalem is your mother. I don’t recall any Church named Jerusalem. Where on the Internet may I read about your Church?
I’m a Roman Catholic. It is possible to trace the History of the Catholic Church. It is possible to visit a local Roman Catholic Church. Where may I visit your Church that claims Jerusalem as Mother?
The Title the Holy Mother Church is given to the Roman Catholic Church because of the attributes of a mother. Today there are about 1.2 BILLION people that have been baptized into the Catholic Church still living around the world. Please don’t keep your CHURCH a SECRET! Where is it located? Where can I read about it? How many people are in it?
My Bible refers to that passage of Galatians as an allegory of comparing Hagar the slave woman & Sarah to demonstrate freedom in Christianity. The Apostle Paul is considered one of the founding Apostles of the Roman Catholic Church. Please let me know about this Church that calls Jerusalem its Mother.
Impossible to carry on a conversation on this because you lack the understanding of the basics.
The incorruption Paul discussed was a non-biological body, suitable for a non-material relm. The universe will be gone. there will be no oxygen to support biological life, in fact there will be no atoms of any kind; it will be the relm of God.
For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God Who has lavished His special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honour of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by Our own authority, We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
Hence, if anyone, which God forbid, should dare wilfully to deny or call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic faith...It is forbidden to any man to change this, Our declaration, pronouncement, and definition or, by rash attempt, to oppose and counter it. If any man should presume to make such an attempt, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul (Munificentissimus Deus, Selected Documenst of Pope Pius XII (Washington: National Catholic Welfare Conference), 38, 40, 44-45, 47).
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