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CATHOLICISM

Mary, the Mother of Jesus (1)

Victor M. Eskew

 

 

            The first time we read about Mary, the mother of Jesus, is in the genealogy of Jesus recorded by Matthew.  “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:16).  The last time we read about Mary is in Acts 1:14.  “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”  Notice that there is not one mention of Mary in the New Testament after the church was established.

            The last point that was made is interesting compared to the obsession the Catholic Church has with Mary.  Mary is not just referred to as the mother of Jesus by Catholics.  She is referred to as “the Mother of God.”  This title and their obsession with Mary rises from a conversation Mary had with the angel Gabriel.  The conversation is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. 

 

                        “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city                                                           of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name                                                 was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And                                                         the angel came into unto her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favoured, the                                                        Lord is with thee:  blessed art thou among women.  And when she saw                                                 him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner                                                 of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:                                                  for thou has found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy                                          womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  And he shall                                                  be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God                                                     shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  and he shall reign                                                            over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.                                       Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?                                         And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come                                                       upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:  therefore                                             also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of                                                            God.  And, behold thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in                                                             her old age; and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.                                                            For with God nothing shall be impossible.  And Mary said, Behold the hand-                                                maid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.  And the angel de-                                                         parted from her.”

 

The Catholic Church focuses on several phrases found in the above reading in order to elevate Mary to a lofty position in the Catholic faith:  “virgin espoused to a man,” “the virgin’s name was Mary,” “Hail, thou art highly favoured,” “the Lord is with thee,” “blessed art thou among women,” “thou has found favour with God,” “thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son,” “he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest,” and “that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”  Because of what was said to Mary, Catholics honor, adore, and worship her.

            There are six primary doctrines surrounding Mary within the teachings of the Catholic Church.  The first is referred to as “The Immaculate Conception.”  We have already discussed the Catholic teaching known as “Original Sin.”  Original sin involves the idea that all men contract the sin of Adam at birth.  If this is the case, it poses a problem in the birth of Jesus Christ.  Would Jesus be born with original sin?  Absolutely not!  The Bible teaches that Jesus is a sinless being (Heb. 4:15; 7:26; I Pet. 2:22).  So, Mary must have immaculately conceived Jesus Christ.  No.  This is not who was immaculately conceived.  It was Mary who was immaculately conceived.  Pope Pius IX stated the immaculate conception of Mary in these words:  “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of the almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 491, p. 138).  If Mary was conceived without original sin, then it was impossible for her to pass on original sin to her Son Jesus.  On the same page of the Catechism, they also state:  “Through the centuries the Church has become even more aware that Mary ‘full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception.” 

            In previous articles, we have seen that the doctrine of Original Sin is a false doctrine.  Individuals do not inherit the sin of their fathers.  Ezekiel is clear about this in Ezekiel 3:20.  “The soul that sinneth it shall die.  The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son:  the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”  It is interesting how false doctrine breeds false doctrine.  In order to keep Mary from having Original Sin another doctrine had to be fabricated.  Mary’s parents, who each had Original Sin, did not pass it on to her.  She was immaculately conceived. 

            In the second quote from the Catholic Catechism, Catholics tell us that Mary was “full of grace” at birth.  This phrase is not found in the King James Version.  It is found in the Catholic version of the Bible.  Instead of translating the Greek as “highly favoured,” the Catholic version translates the original language as “full of grace.”  It was not that she was favored by God in order to give birth to the Christ.  They believe she was full of grace in that she did not have original sin. 

            As we close this article, let’s consider two things.  First, original sin is not Biblical.  There was no need to develop the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the first place.  Second, if Mary could be conceived without original sin by parents who had original sin, why couldn’t she have original sin and immaculately conceive the Christ?  If God did it for Mary, surely He could have done it for His holy Son.  We know that He was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).