What Part Does the Virgin Mary Play In My Salvation?

There are some who teach that the Virgin Mary is a coredemptress, that she assists people in attaining salvation because she has special access to her Son. These are very well-meaning people, but the Bible differs with that view.

The Bible teaches, in the writings of the apostle Paul, that there is one mediator, or go-between, between God and man--the man Christ Jesus (see I Timothy 2:5). We do not need a mediator or buffer between Jesus and us.

When Jesus was on Earth, He was in a house teaching the people and ministering to them. There was such a large crowd outside that it was impossible for Mary and Jesus' brothers to get in. Word was sent to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." Jesus then pointed to His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50). In this statement He elevates all who love Him to the status of being in His "immediate family." He was laying claim to a larger family than merely His earthly family, including His mother.

Ignatius Loyola

Quote: "Let me look at the foulness and ugliness of my body. Let me see myself as an ulcerous sore running with every horrible and disgusting poison." (Ignatius Loyola) A small boy when Columbus first set sail, Ignatius Loyola (1491 - 1556) grew up in a world filled with possibility and exploding with geographical and mechanical discoveries. As the founder of the Society of Jesus—known simply as the Jesuits—he formed a militaristic missionary organization demanding strict discipline and loyalty. He set the pace for Catholic outreach worldwide, and before he died there were Jesuits scattered across Europe and serving in outposts as remote as India, Japan, and Brazil. Born into nobility in the Basque country of Spain, Loyola is schooled in the Spanish court and steeped in military training and the art of chivalry. But the excitement of training soon turns into the horrors of a war in which his shin is shattered by a cannonball. He endures excruciating primitive surgery with no anesthetic, leaving him with constant pain and a lifelong limp.

The Hidden Man of Christmas : Putting St. Joseph back in the picture.

By James Martin

As far as biblical figures go, St. Joseph—the man who married the mother of Jesus—often gets short shrift: his life isn’t prominently featured in the Gospels, and he’s rarely depicted on Christmas cards. Yet Joseph did fulfill an astonishingly important task: raising the son of God. James Martin explores what we do and don’t know St. Joseph’s identity in a 2008 article reprinted below. 

Christmas cards tend to fall into three categories: the family card (cheerful children in red and green sweaters), the secular card (snowmen, snowflakes, snowy villages), and the religious card. The religious card usually bears a portrait of the Virgin Mary gazing beatifically at the crib of her newborn son, Jesus. Behind her, the picture is just as some of the Gospels describe: shepherds, animals, maybe even the three wise men, though they actually were late on the scene.

But where's St. Joseph? Where is the man to whom, according to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel announced the birth of Jesus? Where is the guy who married Mary even though she was already "with child," the man who helped to raise Jesus, the carpenter who taught Jesus his craft?

God Sees You!

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

 Luke 1:26-27

Late last year, I had the privilege of going to the Holy Land. It was my second trip, and it was so meaningful. One afternoon, we made the trip to Nazareth, a very busy, Islamic city today … but a very, very, very small Jewish community at the time of Christ, perhaps as low as 35 families. 

In fact, Nazareth was so small, forgotten, and disrespected that Nathanael even said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). (I believe we know the answer to that one.)

Jesus Came And Is Coming Again

By Bruce Collins

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’” Luke 2:9-12NKJV

There is usually joy when a healthy baby is born into this world. When the Lord was born, there was the manifestation of the glory of God. I wonder if that glory looked like a superb display of the northern lights coming from the angel. There were angels, and there was joy. This was the event for which Israel was supposedly waiting. But wait a minute! God didn’t do this right, did He?

In order to be the mother of the Lord, Mary had to appear to be a “loose woman” since she was not married. Isaiah was clear that a virgin would conceive (Isa. 7:14), but how many unmarried women have children out of wedlock without committing sin? Even though her husband Joseph and others accepted what God had done, I have no doubt that the stigma of being conceived before His folks married was something the Lord had to live with as He grew up. I’m sure His miraculous conception was something Mary and Joseph told others, but I’m sure most who heard their story snickered and said, “Sure! Sure!”

Born To Us

The Messiah was to be born a King, but Jesus came from a humble family. One would expect a king to grow up in Jerusalem, not in Nazareth. The Messiah’s family should have believed in Him, but they did not, until after His resurrection (Jn. 7:5). The nation did not understand that their Messiah was to suffer and die before He came to reign, so even though there was joy at the Lord’s birth there was also sorrow. Mary was told that a “sword would pierce her soul” (Lk. 2:35). This child would suffer. So would His mother. He was to be rejected and ridiculed. He was not accepted by the Jews as the promised Messiah. How could this be God’s will? How could this bring joy?

When we understand that the baby at Bethlehem was destined to be the Christ of the Cross because He was born to be the Savior, then and then only will we understand why there was joy “to all people.” This time of year we see a lot of manger scenes. I’ve been thinking that I should put three crosses in my yard with a light on the middle cross and a sign that says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). True joy comes when we realize that death could not hold the Lord in the grave. He lives, and He’s coming again. The joy of the angels when one sinner repents and believes (Lk. 15:10) is the true joy of this season.

Coming For Us

Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:3). Unbelief caused Israel to miss their Messiah when He came the first time. Unbelief will cause those who reject Him to be deceived when He comes again. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 we read, “For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The Lord’s second coming will be much like His first. Most will be convinced that His coming didn’t really happen, and that those who suddenly disappeared were not really caught away by the Lord (1 Th. 4:17). Not only will they miss out on the joy of going to heaven without dying, but also they will miss out on the joy of spending eternity with this One who was born in the City of David, announced by angels, foretold in the prophetic Scriptures, proven to be the Messiah by His miracles and teaching, crucified on a cross, raised from the dead and is coming again.


http://www.gtpress.org/gtweb/gtmag/mag06/apr06/feature2.html

Why did Jesus reject His family on earth?

Jesus did not reject His family on earth. In Matthew 12, He taught that His family included not just His immediate relatives but all who are obedient to the Word of God. The door to closeness to Christ is the obedience of faith; all who submit themselves to the practice of the Word may be as near to Him as His own mother and brothers were.

Matthew 12: 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.

47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”

49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.

50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (NIV)

Only those who hear and obey the Word of God are personally related to Jesus and are a part of God’s family. Faith without obedience is not an option in God’s spiritual family. 

Relationship with Christ surpasses family ties no matter how close they may be.

Parallel Verses:

Mark 3:31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.

32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (NIV)

Luke 8:19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.

20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (NIV)

Suggested Readings:    

The International Inductive Study New Testament (New    

        Berkeley Version)

Full Life Study Bible, NIV


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