MARY NEEDED SALVATION TOO

MARY NEEDED SALVATION TOO

Mary’s immaculate conception is completely unsupported by the Bible. The only two verses I am aware of from which all of Mary-ology is taught comes from Gen. 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” and Luke 1:28 “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

This teaching of Mary being without original sin and living a sinless life comes solely from what I refer to as extreme extrapolation. Extreme extrapolation (my version at least) is the idea of taking one word or phrase and giving it an idea or concept that is not intended and then extrapolating on that idea which you generated and making it something unrelated to its original meaning. And then compounding those errors over and over until you create the idea that (for our example) Mary is enthroned in heaven as its queen all because Luke said she was ‘highly favored’ (or full of grace).

Look again at these two verses. Genesis 3:15 simply tells us that God would put “enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed.” He would put a barrier of hatred or contention between Satan and Eve that would continue until Eve’s offspring (Jesus) would finally defeat Satan and his minions. Mary is never in view here at all no matter how one might strain to make it so. And in Luke 1:28 all that is said is that she was blessed by God more than any other woman. Without doubt God was extremely gracious to her by allowing her to carry His only Son. No woman has ever been so blessed. But to use this single verse to create a demigod of Mary is in itself ungodly. 

The Catholic Church teaches that Adam and Eve were both created without original sin (Immaculate Conception). Adam and Eve fell from grace, and through them mankind continues to sin. Then they go on to say that Christ and Mary were also conceived without original sin. But they remained faithful, and through them mankind was redeemed from sin. Christ is thus the New Adam, and Mary the New Eve (emphasis mine). This is the result of the ‘extreme extrapolation’ of Luke 1:28 as noted above. Mary is never said to be without sin at any time in any Biblical reference. Continuing this extrapolation forces them to eventually make Mary the cause of salvation.

The Catechism notes: (catechism 494) . . . “As St. Irenaeus says, ‘Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’ Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert: ‘The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’ Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary ‘the Mother of the living’ and frequently claim: ‘Death through Eve, life through Mary.’”

But this flies in the face of New Testament theology. So many statements like these sound wonderful and filled with deep wisdom. Unfortunately, they are Biblically incorrect and nowhere remotely alluded to anywhere in Scripture. The teaching of original sin lies at Adam’s door not Eve’s. They teach that Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary’s faith. But that is nowhere to be found in the Bible. 

Look at this simple passage penned by the Apostle Paul in I Timothy 2:14, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Eve was in transgression because she was tricked (deceived) but Adam chose to sin, he was not deceived. Whereas Eve’s transgression was falling to deception. Adam’s sin was an active choice of his free will. The result of which is expressed by the same Apostle in his letter to the Church at Rome in Romans 5:12, 14, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world (not by Eve’s deception but Adam’s choice to sin) and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…. (v.14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, (not from Eve to Moses) even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression (not Eve’s), who is the figure of him that was to come.”

No such passages from God’s Word can be found to support this shameful doctrine of Mary having no original sin and living her life free of any sin. How Mary must grieve with every recitation of the Rosary as she hears “holy Mary, Mother of God.” She indeed carried the physical body of his flesh until the day he was born. But she is not God’s Mother. She sinned as we do and she was born with original sin just as we are. And she has nothing to do with our salvation except that she too stood in need of salvation. If we have no sin then we have no need of a Savior but Mary expressed her own need of salvation “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior” Luke 1:47. 

Mary needed to be saved, do you? If you have never been born again (John 3:3-6) you need to be.

You must admit that you too are a sinner, Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Understand there is a real payment because of that sin, Romans 6:23a "For the wages of sin is death…." Believe God loves you so much that He allowed Jesus to pay the price for your sin, Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." And then simply receive His gift of salvation, Romans 6:23b "…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." When we are truly sorry for sin (repent 2 Cor. 7:10) and receive the gift of God’s love he promises to save us, Rom 10:9-10, 13 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (v.13) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

 

­­­­Right now from your heart pray this prayer or at least something like this:  God I know I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sin. And, right now, I ask Jesus to come into my heart to take control of my life and forgive me of my sin.  I believe Jesus’ sacrifice was enough and that God accepted it and raised him from the dead.  Thank you for saving my soul, amen.

What can I do to get a true faith?

What can I do to get a true faith?

What can one do to “get” faith? Indeed, the Jews of Jesus day asked a very similar question in John 6:28-30 “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? (v.29) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (v.30) They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?” They asked what they could “do” to accomplish the work required of them by God. Jesus stated that the only “work” they do was to believe in him, the one God sent to redeem mankind. Their response is not unlike the question before us here. They said prove who you are so that we can have faith in you. And so, faith in Christ comes when we begin to understand who he is and what he has done. 

History will bear out the fact that Jesus existed. There is little to no doubt that a person by that name existed in the time frame, and the region, accepted by most. But can we believe He is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the Redeemer of man and God in flesh? Believing Jesus existed is not difficult. One simply looks into historical documents for confirmation. That he is who he claimed to be does require faith. However, faith is not required to be blind. There is ample evidence.

In a search for faith in Christ, might I begin by suggesting we start with prayer? One must understand that finding who Christ is begins with finding God. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity. If one does not find God he will surely not find Christ. A search for God must begin on our knees; Isaiah 55:6 “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Psalm 145:18 “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” James 4:8a “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you….” The Bible is replete with calls to prayer. Because the only one who can help us find God, and therefore a true understanding of Jesus Christ, is God Himself. And conversely, it is by Jesus that we come unto the Father (John 14:6-9). We must pray earnestly, and daily, that God will grant understanding and faith. The search for faith is not a cold academic or scientific classroom research project. Our search for faith is an attempt to come to that place in existence where we can hold on to and, in some way, relate to God. He calls us to faith (Hebrews 11:6), and has made faith the very premise of salvation (John 3:18-19). Faith gives us something to hold on to even though we cannot yet see it materially (Hebrews 11:1). Our prayer must be that God will reveal Himself to us and that He will increase our faith. 

A frequent and fervent study of the Word of God reveals Christ, and so, increases faith. Remember earlier in John 6:28-30 that Jesus was asked to verify his credentials by expressing what things he had done. I have been saved (born-again) for more than 40 years now. I have been a student of the Bible from the beginning of my walk with Jesus. My faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ is stronger today than ever before. The faith that I have in Jesus is not built upon my church attendance, though that is important. Instead, my faith grows daily as I study God’s Word. The more I learn of the life of Christ, the plan of God for Jesus which began before this world had begun, and the many prophecies and even historical events which worked together to bring Jesus into the world the stronger my faith becomes. The more I see how Jesus lived his life here, and the way he has already begun to set in motion all of the events which will expedite his return for His Church, the greater my faith becomes; John 1:1-4, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (v.2) The same was in the beginning with God. (v.3) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (v.4) In him was life; and the life was the light of men.…(v.14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” If one would have faith in Christ, one must read the Word of God because His Word reveals the Son of God. 

John the Baptist wanted to know if Jesus was the one for whom the world had been waiting, Luke 7:19  “And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” His question was much the same as ours, 'is Jesus the Son of God?' The answer Jesus gave that day was priceless. He gave the only answer any of us would ever need. Essentially, Jesus was saying to John that if he had read the Scriptures he would have known. The answer to John’s question, and to ours, is in the Bible, a text available to John in the synagogue. And a text which lies upon the coffee table of most in America, a text in the bedside table of so many hotels and motels dotting the countryside of our land. In his response to John he simply said (I paraphrase), “John, you have read the Scriptures, you know what to look for. Do I fulfill those prophecies?” Look again at what Jesus actually said to Johns disciples, Luke 7:22 “Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” Amazing to me was his last statement. Jesus’ gospel was even preached to the poor. It was not elitist. Jesus’ gospel is a gospel for all the lost. Read the Bible and you will find Christ. Read the Bible and your faith in Christ will grow. 

The real problem is seldom one of not knowing what to believe. The problem is the nature of man. We do not want to believe. The gospel calls us to admit our sin, admit we are not good in any sense of the word, admit we are as bad as God says we are. Romans 1:16-32 (please read this passage) reveals that we have chosen to rebel against God after knowing who He was. We left Him. He placed within each of us a knowledge of Himself and because of our fallen nature we choose sin over righteousness, false gods over the true God, we choose not to glorify God (v.21). Finding faith in Jesus Christ is an act of our will. We already know (v.19, 20) God. But, will we choose to glorify Him as God? Can we express faith that He came to redeem us from our sinful fallen nature? 

There have been many books written in defense of Christ.  However, I believe the greatest answers to the question of faith will be found when we earnestly seek God in prayer, and when we search the Scriptures daily looking for Jesus. Jesus said in John 5:38-40, “And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. (v.39) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (v.40) And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Search the Scriptures in search of Jesus, and you will find him and, as a result, your faith in Him will grow.