Pastor Ralph Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleBlake Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The Titles that we use to describe Mary are based on these scriptural references. (I am not Catholic, so I cannot speak to any Doctorinal issues that may or may not exist in Catholicism specifically) As I understand it, Mary is Blessed among women in human terms for having been the mother of our Lord. Jesus being fully God and fully man, being born of Mary. thus making Mary "the Mother of God". This in no way makes Mary more Holy than any other human being. We have all fallen short (Romans 3:23). There may be others that disagree with me, and I am certainly not the utmost authority on doctrine. However, this is my opinion that we are indeed hesitant because Mary was human...fully human after all. Indeed Gabriel called her Blessed among women. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elwood C O'Dell Posted December 1, 2007 Report Share Posted December 1, 2007 Mary, as a virgin, was truly blessed by God father in his selection of her to bear His only son. She is the earthly mother of God when He came in human form. Yet, perhaps, we sometimes hesitate to exalt her as Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God are appropriate titles for Mary. She gave birth to our Lord. Scripture states she was a virgin. What a blessing to have such an honor. However, the reluctance comes for most of us when we realize that she, herself, was not divine, so we hesitate to exalt her too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherylle Ladner Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? They are very appropriate for Mary. Both titles reflect Mary (as a Virgin at the time of Jesus's birth and that as mother to Lord Jesus (God). Many religions hesitant about calling her that because it is from their religious views. To me, she is both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beach Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" are true in describing Mary. She was a virgin, blessed and was choosen to be used of God to be his mother on earth when he was on earth. I think hesitancy comes from the fact that she was the mother of Jesus while he was on earth. She wasn't the mother of God in the sense she created God or was before God in any way. I think Mary was blessed with a special opportunity to be used of God. She was, however, a vessel, used by God to accomplish His purposes. God uses believers today to accomplish His purposes in the same way. God is to be exalted and given all honor. I think we are hesitant to exalt her for fear of forgetting the fact that she was completely human. As a human who was submissive God's will, any kind of exhaltation that would take away from God's glory and honor would be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Mary is blessed among women for the beautiful purpose God called her to she was the vessel He chose to hold His Son and raise Him to maturity through her we recieved our savior yet we must always remember although she found favor and was assigned this role in history she is still human whereas Jesus was before anything created ever was and will always be above and beyond anyone or anything created regardless the great accomplishments of some personalities we are all way beneath our creator savior and King.it will never be taken away from her that she was the mother of Jesus Christ blessed is she for that honor but He already was even before He came and was born a man through mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James in Ohio Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 Of course she was blessed by Grace. How wonderful that now we all are! Elizabeth was letting Mary know that since she was picked by God, she was in fact "blessed." This is a great forshadowing of our being blessed, in accepting Christ as our redeemer. As far as saying the Mother of God, it is true, she was tasked with bearing our Lord into the world. We must be careful to remember the context of Elizabeths prayer statement, she was exhaulting the coming of Jesus into the world, and exhaulting the fact Mary was chosen by the Lord to bring make the Word flesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bro Steven Posted December 2, 2007 Report Share Posted December 2, 2007 First of all the names that were used are truthful, but we must remember that she was a willing vessel for the Lord. We all should be willing as Mary so that great things could happen in this day and time. We should be careful the only one who deserves exalting is Jesus our Lord, Jesus said himself that I am the truth the way and the live( John 14:6) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz6 Posted December 3, 2007 Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 She was "Blessed Virgin Mary" because she was blessed by the Lord, She was a virgin and her name was Mary. "Mother of God" because she was going to be the mother of Jesus who is God himself in the flesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katef Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 To be asked to bear the Son of God is to be blessed, no other way to say that. And the whole point is that she was a virgin, so blessed virgin Mary seems very natural to me. Mother of God is not as natural for me, more for the confusion it may cause for other people. Some take the message of the bible out of context and don't understand the main point, that she IS the mother of God by the fact that her child WAS God, but not that she supercedes God in any way. I am hesitant to exalt her because I don't want to take my eyes of of Jesus. Ther are many great people in the bible, how can I judge one to be better than another? How does the verse go? The eyes are nothing without the mouth, it takes all of the parts to equal a body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aray1967 Posted December 4, 2007 Report Share Posted December 4, 2007 the two titles Blessed Virgin and Mother of God are both appropriate for Mary. She was a virgin blessed by God with a child and she bore the Son of God making her the Mother. As far as being hesitant about exalting her too much .... I simply do not know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mags Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 These titles are appropriate as they explain - emphasis what she did. Blessed Virgin Mary - she was blessed by God, she was a virgin. Mother of God relates to her earthly relationship with Jesus. These titles remind us of what Mary did and her servant heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaus Posted December 5, 2007 Report Share Posted December 5, 2007 Mary actually was what these titles describe. I think we're hesitant to exault Mary because although she was the mother of Jesus she was just a woman, the same as Paul was just a man. She wasn't devine. It was by the grace of God that she was chosen to be the mother of God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love.serve.know Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 The titles are appropriate because the angel spoke them and God did choose her. However, God doesn't intend for us to worship other people (thou shall have no other gods before me). There is a fine line between respecting a person for what he/she did and idolizing that person. Every gift we have is from God (Of Him and to Him and through Him are all things) so how can we take credit for what He accomplishes in us. I think that's why God used/uses humble people to do great works. We are hesitant to exalt Mary because of this fine line - not wanting to create an idol in our heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia A Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary?"Blessed Virgin Mary" comes directly from Elizabeth's exclamation: "Blessed art thou among women...." (1:42) Mother of God" derives from Elizabeth's description: "the mother of my Lord" (1:43). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Sometimes there is a misunderstanding of what this really means. This is intended to express in clear terms that Mary in her womb was bearing the divine Son of God who is God himself, a union of both human and divine natures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia A Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary?"Blessed Virgin Mary" comes directly from Elizabeth's exclamation: "Blessed art thou among women...." (1:42) Mother of God" derives from Elizabeth's description: "the mother of my Lord" (1:43). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Sometimes there is a misunderstanding of what this really means. This is intended to express in clear terms that Mary in her womb was bearing the divine Son of God who is God himself, a union of both human and divine natures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAFWEMBE Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? [/quote Mary is blessed because out of all the women of her time she was singled out to be the mother of Jesus. As the Angel said she had won favour with God. It is always a blessing when God who is so Holy chooses us to open his will on us. It is confirmation that God knows "even me!" Mary deserves the title "Mother of God." because biologically she carried Jesus in her womb and Jesus is God. I see no reason not to call her blessed as long as she is not worshipped as though she is the saviour. She should be admired for being favavopred by God but she is not God. She is a symbol of faith and trust by believing God's promise which seemed impossible. She must be a shining example to all of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masika Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? It is because Elizabeth in her old age was pregnant, and as soon as Mary greeted her the child in her womb jumped with joy. It showed that Mary was more blessed than Elizabeth. We hesitate to exalt her as Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev. Moultrie Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" are appropriate for Mary because to be a 'virgin' mother is a miracle of God and therefore one would be blessed if God saw fit to perform that miracle in one'e life. Also, the fact that Mary was 'impregnated' by the Holy Spirit, which is one facet of God, makes the child the child of God. God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit are one, therefore the title "Mother of God" is also an appropriate title for Mary. I believe that we are sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women" for fear of taking some of God's glory and giving it to Mary. However, as long as we keep things in perspective, understanding that it is God who orchestrated this whole experience, and giving Him all the glory for the Immaculate Conception, then I feel we will be safe in our use of the term "blessed among women". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptyVessel Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles are appropriate because she was chosen by God to become the Mother of Himself. We are sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women" because of the fear of taking our eyes off of Jesus. However, we can't forget the magnatude of what took place. I believe there is a differance (although a very fine line) between exalting Mary and worshiping Her. Maybe the key is in the wording "blessed among women". She is indeed blessed among women because of all the women that could have been chosen, God chose her. When God choses us to carry out a task, do we not count ourselves blessed? As a matter of fact, when God choses us to carry out even the simplist tasks do we not consider ourselves blessed to serve him. This was an enourmous task Mary was chosen for, if you consider all the ramifications that could have come from this (her own life was in jepordy) she totally surrendered herself to Him without question. How many of us can say that when God blesses us with a task we immediately jump right in without first saying "you want me to do what" or "are you kidding me"? "Blessed among women".....indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJeff Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Mary is blessed to have been a chosen vessel to be the mother of God. I do not hail Mary anymore than I do any other chosen vessel of God. The Lord didn't (see Matthew 12:46-48, et al). Besides, too many people do deify Mary as it is. Members of one faith seek to set her above the Lord Himself. Mary was chosen by Yahweh to perform a marvelous task. So too was Joseph and every other saint that has and will go through hardships and difficult circumstances for Jesus. I'm not trying to be combative or disagreeable. I think we just need to keep things in perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dar Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Elisabeth who was FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT understood what the angel had said to Mary in Luke 1:28 "Be happy Mary, for God Almighty has honored you, you have found favor in the eyes of God Almighty, He sees your heart and has chosen you to be a vessel to bring the Messiah, the Son of God, to the people." The Jewish people were looking for the Messiah to come. Lord, is also a word given by the Jews to their expected Messiah. Elisabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit, understood this blessing bestowed upon Mary. She will be Mother of the Lord, the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"?I have no idea why anyone would be hesitant to call her "blessed among women"--- BLESSED means - to speak well of. Mary, a remnant of a true believer in God Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in a time filled with hatred towards the Jewish people and the King that they claim will come, stood faithful to Him. Yes, Mary was blessed, honored to have found such favor with God. I too speak well of Mary and I give her my gratitude for being that vessel, for being a true remnant, a true Jewish believer, standing strong in her "faith" and "love" for God Almighty, for I too have been blessed when I received her Son as my Lord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Rivington Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Both titles are appropriate. I like the Greek title Theotokos for Mary. She was the God-bearer. She was chosen by God to bear the Saviour of the World. Because of that she should be held in high esteem the same as Elizabeth who bore John the Baptist. Held in high esteem is different from deified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegi Posted December 6, 2007 Report Share Posted December 6, 2007 Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? We have to be careful when we call Mary, blessed. Yes, she was the Mother of Jesus, however, calling her blessed, I believe, takes away from exalting Jesus, who is to be exalted. Mary was a vessel for Jesus. I believe when we put so much emphasis on Mary, that we can take our eyes off of Jesus, who alone is our Father and our Saviour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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