Why do Catholics break the Commandment about Idols?
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LOL such ignorance. The whole church throughout the world called itself the catholic = universal church and was made up of large numbers of independent churches without a hierarchy.
Your list is a list that pertains mainly to 3rd century and beyond and was not apostolic or found in the catholic = universal church of 1st century,.
The Roman church was just one of many churches. It failed in its many attempts to claim supremacy until it broke off from the catholic church to form the Roam Catholic church in 8th century.
Your list is a list that pertains mainly to 3rd century and beyond and was not apostolic or found in the catholic = universal church of 1st century,.
The Roman church was just one of many churches. It failed in its many attempts to claim supremacy until it broke off from the catholic church to form the Roam Catholic church in 8th century.
Dear God4me
actually the bible says we are not saved by faith alone. Let's be clear on that. St Paul actually days " work out your salvation in fear and trembling" St Paul not " saved" I guess. The Catholic Church is very clear. We cannt earn salvation by good works apart from faith. This is why Scripture states faith without works is dead.
Peace
actually the bible says we are not saved by faith alone. Let's be clear on that. St Paul actually days " work out your salvation in fear and trembling" St Paul not " saved" I guess. The Catholic Church is very clear. We cannt earn salvation by good works apart from faith. This is why Scripture states faith without works is dead.
Peace
Or Acts 13?
[h=1]Acts 13:37-39King James Version (KJV)[/h][FONT="]37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.[/FONT]
[FONT="]38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:[/FONT]
[FONT="]39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.[/FONT]
no it says by grace alone through faith,. Salvation is of God's gracious unmerited activity not of man's dong. Faith is merely the channel through which we receive it. but faith alone is the way we receive it (Rom 3.24-4.5).
no, he says 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling BECAUSE God is at work in you to will and do of His good pleasure.' (Phil.2.12-13). So we are to work out what God has worked in. God is saving and we respond to His saving.
But Paul was already saved once and for all (Tit 3.5). That is why he could energise out his salvation. your docrtrine is all wrong.
The Catholic church is very muddy. It ignores Rom 3.24-4.5 which states quite clearly that we are saved ONLY though faith. And it cites a book which was defining what the result of that faith must partly be if it is real faith,.
no, he says 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling BECAUSE God is at work in you to will and do of His good pleasure.' (Phil.2.12-13). So we are to work out what God has worked in. God is saving and we respond to His saving.
But Paul was already saved once and for all (Tit 3.5). That is why he could energise out his salvation. your docrtrine is all wrong.
The Catholic church is very muddy. It ignores Rom 3.24-4.5 which states quite clearly that we are saved ONLY though faith. And it cites a book which was defining what the result of that faith must partly be if it is real faith,.
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In 1854 the Catholics declared Mary to be without any sin.
Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 1854)
We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.
God says ALL have sinned, even Mary.
Romans 3:9-12
9.For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
The Catholics then claim if ALL applied to everybody then Jesus was also a sinner.
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Its interesting this is one verse the Catholics refuse to post in their arguments for ALL including Jesus. Could it be because the Catholics do know Hebrews 4:15 completely refutes their claim ALL includes Jesus?
This is what the Catholics believe and teach is that Mary was without sin just like Jesus was. The Catholics have to believe this to Justify they Praying to Mary as their god.
May God have Mercy on the Catholics for Worshiping Mary as a god.
Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 1854)
We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.
God says ALL have sinned, even Mary.
Romans 3:9-12
9.For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
The Catholics then claim if ALL applied to everybody then Jesus was also a sinner.
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Its interesting this is one verse the Catholics refuse to post in their arguments for ALL including Jesus. Could it be because the Catholics do know Hebrews 4:15 completely refutes their claim ALL includes Jesus?
This is what the Catholics believe and teach is that Mary was without sin just like Jesus was. The Catholics have to believe this to Justify they Praying to Mary as their god.
May God have Mercy on the Catholics for Worshiping Mary as a god.
I will do my best??? Are you serious DeaconMike?
Your best is filthy rags!
Isaiah 64:6
6. But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
The best you can do DeaconMike is not enough. Even you should know this if you have studied the Scriptures.
Its what God has done that makes us Righteous, not what we do. Maybe you really do not know nor understand the Scriptures like you want us to believe.
But then we do have to take into account you are a Catholic. Most Catholics are just Parrots for the Catholic Church.
Your best is filthy rags!
Isaiah 64:6
6. But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
The best you can do DeaconMike is not enough. Even you should know this if you have studied the Scriptures.
Its what God has done that makes us Righteous, not what we do. Maybe you really do not know nor understand the Scriptures like you want us to believe.
But then we do have to take into account you are a Catholic. Most Catholics are just Parrots for the Catholic Church.
Dear God 4 Me
I agree with you. there is a difference. "doing works to get saved" puts God under obligation to "pay you" for what you have done. And doing good works as a baptized ( saved) person is a result of our faith working in love, ( Gal 5)
Lets look at all these verses that combine what St Paul calls the "obedience of faith.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).
“For he will render every man according to his works” (Rom. 2:6–8).
“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Rom. 2:13).
“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgments” (Heb. 10:26–27).
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?” (Jas. 2:14).
“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas. 2:17).
“But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.… Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren?” (Jas. 2:18–20).
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24).
There it is, Black and White.
Will someone automatically do "good works" Because they are "saved". Well I hope they would. But there is no guarantee he will continue doing those good works. Nor is it and indication that he was never "saved in the first place.
Scripture teaches that one’s final salvation depends on the state of the soul at death. As Jesus himself tells us, “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13; cf. 25:31–46).
Wilson Ewin, the author of a booklet called There Is Therefore Now No Condemnation, says. He writes that “the person who places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his blood shed at Calvary is eternally secure. He can never lose his salvation. No personal breaking of God’s or man’s laws or commandments can nullify that status.
“To deny the assurance of salvation would be to deny Christ’s perfect redemption,” argues Ewin, and this is something that he can say only because he confuses the redemption that Christ accomplished for us objectively with our individual appropriation of that redemption.
The truth is that, in one sense, we are all redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross—Christians, Jews, Muslims, even animists in the darkest forests (cf. 1 Tim. 2:6; 4:10; 1 John 2:2)—but our individual appropriation of what Christ provided is contingent on our response.
Certainly, Christ did die on the cross once for all and has entered into heaven to appear before God on our behalf. Christ has abundantly provided for our salvation, but that does not mean that there is no process by which this is applied to us as individuals. Obviously, there is a process, or we would have been saved and justified from all eternity, with no need to repent or have faith or anything else. We would have been born “saved,” with no need to be born again. Since we were not, since it is necessary for those who hear the gospel to repent and embrace it, there is a time at which we come to be reconciled to God. And if so, then we, like Adam and Eve, can become unreconciled with God and, like the prodigal son, need to come back and be reconciled again with God, after having left his family.
Ewin says that “no wrong act or sinful deed can ever affect the believer’s salvation. The sinner did nothing to merit God’s grace and likewise he can do nothing to demerit grace. True, sinful conduct always lessens one’s fellowship with Christ, limits his contribution to God’s work and can result in serious disciplinary action by the Holy Spirit.”
One problem with this argument is that it is not even how things work in everyday life. If another person gives us something as a grace—as a gift—and even if we did nothing to deserve it, in no way does it follow that our actions are irrelevant to whether or not we keep the gift. We can lose it in all kinds of ways. We can misplace it, destroy it, give it to someone else, take it back to the store. We may even forfeit it by later displeasing the one who gave it—as when a person has been appointed to a special position but is later stripped of it because of mismanagement.
The argument fares no better when one turns to Scripture, for one finds that Adam and Eve, who received God’s grace in a manner just as unmerited as anyone today, most definitely did demerit it—and lost grace not only for themselves but for us as well (cf. also Rom. 11:17–24). While the idea that what is received without merit cannot be demerited may have a kind of poetic charm for some, it does not stand up when compared with the way things really work—either in the everyday world or in the Bible.
Regarding the issue of whether Christians have an “absolute” assurance of salvation, regardless of their actions, consider this warning Paul gave: “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off” (Rom. 11:22; cf. Heb. 10:26–29; 2 Pet. 2:20–21).
There is also a NT full of other citations that tells us that
1. Once we become a member of the Body of Christ we cannot lose our salvation.
2. Good works is something that we must "choose to do" and we can "choose" to not do them at anytime.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 c Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
New American Bible. (2011). (Revised Edition, Jn 15:5–10). Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
This reflects the Catholic understanding of Salvation perfectly. Why?
1. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
The works we do are not a result of putting God under obligation to pay us, but rather the result of God's grace working through us. As we "cooperate with God's grace we grow in holiness. We can only accomplish through sanctifying grace.
2. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.
The Vine is Christ. We are the branches. Note, the branches are attached to the vine. ( i.e. the individual is incorporated into Christ) He is "saved" as you would put it. BUT
3. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned
So here we have branches that must remain or else.
In other words they were part of the Vine but became un fruitful because they did not bear good fruit.
If the branch begins to fail to bear good fruit, does this mean that the branch was never on the vine in the first place? of course not
Because the a branch is attached to the vine will that automatically guarantee the branch will continue to bear fruit?
of course not
4. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples
Eph 2: 8-11
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so no one may boast. 10 For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
Remember what I showed you about the Gr word "For"
89.24 ἀντίc: a marker of reason, with the possible implication of purpose—‘because, for this reason, for the purpose of.’ ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα ‘because of this, a man will leave his father and mother’ Eph 5:31.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 779). New York: United Bible Societies.
We do good works not to "earn salvation i.e putting God under obligation to pay us" but we do good works because now we have a "new nature" incorporated into Christ which is what we are "made for"
I agree with you. there is a difference. "doing works to get saved" puts God under obligation to "pay you" for what you have done. And doing good works as a baptized ( saved) person is a result of our faith working in love, ( Gal 5)
Lets look at all these verses that combine what St Paul calls the "obedience of faith.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).
“For he will render every man according to his works” (Rom. 2:6–8).
“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Rom. 2:13).
“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgments” (Heb. 10:26–27).
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?” (Jas. 2:14).
“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas. 2:17).
“But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.… Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren?” (Jas. 2:18–20).
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24).
There it is, Black and White.
Will someone automatically do "good works" Because they are "saved". Well I hope they would. But there is no guarantee he will continue doing those good works. Nor is it and indication that he was never "saved in the first place.
Scripture teaches that one’s final salvation depends on the state of the soul at death. As Jesus himself tells us, “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt. 24:13; cf. 25:31–46).
Wilson Ewin, the author of a booklet called There Is Therefore Now No Condemnation, says. He writes that “the person who places his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his blood shed at Calvary is eternally secure. He can never lose his salvation. No personal breaking of God’s or man’s laws or commandments can nullify that status.
“To deny the assurance of salvation would be to deny Christ’s perfect redemption,” argues Ewin, and this is something that he can say only because he confuses the redemption that Christ accomplished for us objectively with our individual appropriation of that redemption.
The truth is that, in one sense, we are all redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross—Christians, Jews, Muslims, even animists in the darkest forests (cf. 1 Tim. 2:6; 4:10; 1 John 2:2)—but our individual appropriation of what Christ provided is contingent on our response.
Certainly, Christ did die on the cross once for all and has entered into heaven to appear before God on our behalf. Christ has abundantly provided for our salvation, but that does not mean that there is no process by which this is applied to us as individuals. Obviously, there is a process, or we would have been saved and justified from all eternity, with no need to repent or have faith or anything else. We would have been born “saved,” with no need to be born again. Since we were not, since it is necessary for those who hear the gospel to repent and embrace it, there is a time at which we come to be reconciled to God. And if so, then we, like Adam and Eve, can become unreconciled with God and, like the prodigal son, need to come back and be reconciled again with God, after having left his family.
Ewin says that “no wrong act or sinful deed can ever affect the believer’s salvation. The sinner did nothing to merit God’s grace and likewise he can do nothing to demerit grace. True, sinful conduct always lessens one’s fellowship with Christ, limits his contribution to God’s work and can result in serious disciplinary action by the Holy Spirit.”
One problem with this argument is that it is not even how things work in everyday life. If another person gives us something as a grace—as a gift—and even if we did nothing to deserve it, in no way does it follow that our actions are irrelevant to whether or not we keep the gift. We can lose it in all kinds of ways. We can misplace it, destroy it, give it to someone else, take it back to the store. We may even forfeit it by later displeasing the one who gave it—as when a person has been appointed to a special position but is later stripped of it because of mismanagement.
The argument fares no better when one turns to Scripture, for one finds that Adam and Eve, who received God’s grace in a manner just as unmerited as anyone today, most definitely did demerit it—and lost grace not only for themselves but for us as well (cf. also Rom. 11:17–24). While the idea that what is received without merit cannot be demerited may have a kind of poetic charm for some, it does not stand up when compared with the way things really work—either in the everyday world or in the Bible.
Regarding the issue of whether Christians have an “absolute” assurance of salvation, regardless of their actions, consider this warning Paul gave: “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off” (Rom. 11:22; cf. Heb. 10:26–29; 2 Pet. 2:20–21).
There is also a NT full of other citations that tells us that
1. Once we become a member of the Body of Christ we cannot lose our salvation.
2. Good works is something that we must "choose to do" and we can "choose" to not do them at anytime.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 c Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
New American Bible. (2011). (Revised Edition, Jn 15:5–10). Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
This reflects the Catholic understanding of Salvation perfectly. Why?
1. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
The works we do are not a result of putting God under obligation to pay us, but rather the result of God's grace working through us. As we "cooperate with God's grace we grow in holiness. We can only accomplish through sanctifying grace.
2. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.
The Vine is Christ. We are the branches. Note, the branches are attached to the vine. ( i.e. the individual is incorporated into Christ) He is "saved" as you would put it. BUT
3. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned
So here we have branches that must remain or else.
In other words they were part of the Vine but became un fruitful because they did not bear good fruit.
If the branch begins to fail to bear good fruit, does this mean that the branch was never on the vine in the first place? of course not
Because the a branch is attached to the vine will that automatically guarantee the branch will continue to bear fruit?
of course not
4. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples
Eph 2: 8-11
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so no one may boast. 10 For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
Remember what I showed you about the Gr word "For"
89.24 ἀντίc: a marker of reason, with the possible implication of purpose—‘because, for this reason, for the purpose of.’ ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα ‘because of this, a man will leave his father and mother’ Eph 5:31.
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 779). New York: United Bible Societies.
We do good works not to "earn salvation i.e putting God under obligation to pay us" but we do good works because now we have a "new nature" incorporated into Christ which is what we are "made for"
Dear Ken Allen
Lets look at this text "all have sinned"
“all have sinned,” and “if any man says he has no sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him?” Wouldn’t “all” and/or “any man” include Mary? On the surface, this sounds reasonable. But this way of thinking carried to its logical conclusion would list Jesus Christ in the company of sinners as well. No Christian would dare say that! Yet, no Christian can deny the plain texts of Scripture declaring Christ’s full humanity either. Thus, if one is going to take I John 1:8 in a strict, literal sense, then any man would apply to Jesus as well!The truth is—and all Christians agree—Jesus Christ was an exception to Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8. And the Bible tells us he was in Hebrews 4:15: “Christ was tempted in all points even as we are and yet he was without sin.” The real question now is: are there any other exceptions to this rule? Yes, there are. In fact, there are millions of them.
First of all, we need to recall that both of these texts—Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8—are dealing with personal rather than original sin. Romans 5:12 will deal with original sin. And there are two exceptions to that general biblical norm as well. But for now, we will simply deal with Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8. I John 1:8 obviously refers to personal sin because in the very next verse, St. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” We do not confess original sin; we confess personal sins.
The context of Romans 3:23 makes clear that it too refers to personal sin:
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness (Romans 3:10-14).
Original sin is not something we do; it is something we’ve inherited. Romans chapter three deals with personal sin because it speaks of sins committed by the sinner. With this in mind, consider this: Has a baby in the womb or a child of two ever committed a personal sin? No, they haven’t (see Romans 9:11)! Or, how about the mentally challenged who do not have the use of their intellects and wills? These cannot sin because in order to sin a person has to know the act he is about to perform is sinful while freely engaging his will in carrying it out. Without the proper faculties to enable them to sin, children before the age of accountability and anyone who does not have the use of his intellect and will cannot sin. Right there you have millions of exceptions to Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8.
The question remains: how do we know Mary is an exception to the norm of “all have sinned?” And more specifically, is there biblical support for this claim? Yes, there is. Indeed, there is much biblical support, but in this brief post I shall cite just three examples, among the eight, as I said before, that give us biblical support for this ancient doctrine of the Faith.
1. LUKE 1:28:
And [the angel Gabriel] came to [Mary] and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Many Protestants will insist this text to be little more than a common greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. “What would this have to do with Mary being without sin?” Yet, the truth is, according to Mary herself, this was no common greeting. The text reveals Mary to have been “greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29, emphasis added). What was it about this greeting that was so uncommon for Mary to react this way? There are at least two key reasons:
First, according to many biblical scholars as well as Pope St. John Paul II, the angel did more than simply greet Mary. The angel actually communicated a new name or title to her. In Greek, the greeting was kaire, kekaritomene, or “Hail, full of grace.” Generally speaking, when one greeted another with kaire, a name or title would almost be expected to be found in the immediate context. “Hail, king of the Jews” in John 19:3 and “Claudias Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greeting” (Acts 23:26) are two biblical examples of this. The fact that the angel replaces Mary’s name in the greeting with “full of grace” was anything but common. This would be analogous to me speaking to one of our tech guys at Catholics answers and saying, “Hello, he who fixes computers.” In our culture, I would just be considered weird. But in Hebrew culture, names, and name changes, tell us something that is permanent about the character and calling of the one named. Just recall the name changes of Abram to Abraham (changed from “father” to “father of the multitudes”) in Gen. 17:5, Saray to Sarah (“my princess” to “princess”) in Gen. 17:15, and Jacob to Israel (“supplanter” to “he who prevails with God”) in Gen. 32:28.
In each case, the names reveal something permanent about the one named. Abraham and Sarah transition from being a “father” and “princess” of one family to being “father” and “princess” or “mother” of the entire people of God (see Romans 4:1-18; Is. 51:1-2). They become Patriarch and Matriarch of God’s people forever. Jacob/Israel becomes the Patriarch whose name, “he who prevails with God,” continues forever in the Church, which is called “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). The people of God will forever “prevail with God” in the image of the Patriarch Jacob who was not just named Israel, but he truly became “he who prevails with God.”
An entire tome could be written concerning the significance of God’s revelation of his name in Exodus 3:14-15 as I AM. God revealed to us volumes about his divine nature in and through the revelation of his name—God is pure being with no beginning and no end; he is all perfection, etc.
What’s in a name? A lot according to Scripture!
When you add to this the fact that St. Luke uses the perfect passive participle, kekaritomene, as his “name” for Mary, we get deeper insight into the meaning of Mary’s new name. This word literally means “she who has been graced” in a completed sense. This verbal adjective, “graced,” is not just describing a simple past action. Greek has the aorist tense for that. The perfect tense is used to indicate that an action has been completed in the past resulting in a present state of being. That’s Mary’s name! So what does it tell us about Mary? Well, the average Christian is not completed in grace and in a permanent sense (see Phil. 3:8-12). But according to the angel, Mary is. You and I sin, not because of grace, but because of a lack of grace, or a lack of our cooperation with grace, in our lives. This greeting of the angel is one clue into the unique character and calling of the Mother of God.
Objection!
One objection to the above is rooted in Eph. 2:8-9. Here, St. Paul uses the perfect tense and passive voice when he says, “For by grace you have been saved…” Why wouldn’t we then conclude all Christians are complete in salvation for all time? There seems to be an inconsistency in usage here.
Actually, the Catholic Church understands that Christians are completed in grace when they are baptized. In context, St. Paul is speaking about the initial grace of salvation in Ephesians two. The verses leading up to Eph. 2:8-9, make this clear:
… we all lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath…even when we were dead in trespasses and sins…(by grace you have been saved)” (vss. 3-5).
But there is no indication here, as there is with Mary, that the Christian is going to stay that way. In other words, Eph. 2:8-9 does not confer a name.
In fact, because of original sin, we can guarantee that though we are certainly perfected in grace through baptism, ordinarily speaking, we will not stay that way after we are baptized; that is, if we live for very long afterward (see I John 1:8)! There may be times in the lives of Christians when they are completed or perfected in grace temporarily. For example, after going to confession or receiving the Eucharist well-disposed. We let God, of course, be the judge of this, not us, as St. Paul tells us in I Cor. 4:3-4:
I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted (Gr.—justified). It is the Lord who judges me.
But only Mary is given the name “full of grace” and in the perfect tense indicating that this permanent state of Mary was completed.
Lets look at this text "all have sinned"
“all have sinned,” and “if any man says he has no sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him?” Wouldn’t “all” and/or “any man” include Mary? On the surface, this sounds reasonable. But this way of thinking carried to its logical conclusion would list Jesus Christ in the company of sinners as well. No Christian would dare say that! Yet, no Christian can deny the plain texts of Scripture declaring Christ’s full humanity either. Thus, if one is going to take I John 1:8 in a strict, literal sense, then any man would apply to Jesus as well!The truth is—and all Christians agree—Jesus Christ was an exception to Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8. And the Bible tells us he was in Hebrews 4:15: “Christ was tempted in all points even as we are and yet he was without sin.” The real question now is: are there any other exceptions to this rule? Yes, there are. In fact, there are millions of them.
First of all, we need to recall that both of these texts—Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8—are dealing with personal rather than original sin. Romans 5:12 will deal with original sin. And there are two exceptions to that general biblical norm as well. But for now, we will simply deal with Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8. I John 1:8 obviously refers to personal sin because in the very next verse, St. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” We do not confess original sin; we confess personal sins.
The context of Romans 3:23 makes clear that it too refers to personal sin:
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness (Romans 3:10-14).
Original sin is not something we do; it is something we’ve inherited. Romans chapter three deals with personal sin because it speaks of sins committed by the sinner. With this in mind, consider this: Has a baby in the womb or a child of two ever committed a personal sin? No, they haven’t (see Romans 9:11)! Or, how about the mentally challenged who do not have the use of their intellects and wills? These cannot sin because in order to sin a person has to know the act he is about to perform is sinful while freely engaging his will in carrying it out. Without the proper faculties to enable them to sin, children before the age of accountability and anyone who does not have the use of his intellect and will cannot sin. Right there you have millions of exceptions to Romans 3:23 and I John 1:8.
The question remains: how do we know Mary is an exception to the norm of “all have sinned?” And more specifically, is there biblical support for this claim? Yes, there is. Indeed, there is much biblical support, but in this brief post I shall cite just three examples, among the eight, as I said before, that give us biblical support for this ancient doctrine of the Faith.
1. LUKE 1:28:
And [the angel Gabriel] came to [Mary] and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Many Protestants will insist this text to be little more than a common greeting of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. “What would this have to do with Mary being without sin?” Yet, the truth is, according to Mary herself, this was no common greeting. The text reveals Mary to have been “greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1:29, emphasis added). What was it about this greeting that was so uncommon for Mary to react this way? There are at least two key reasons:
First, according to many biblical scholars as well as Pope St. John Paul II, the angel did more than simply greet Mary. The angel actually communicated a new name or title to her. In Greek, the greeting was kaire, kekaritomene, or “Hail, full of grace.” Generally speaking, when one greeted another with kaire, a name or title would almost be expected to be found in the immediate context. “Hail, king of the Jews” in John 19:3 and “Claudias Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greeting” (Acts 23:26) are two biblical examples of this. The fact that the angel replaces Mary’s name in the greeting with “full of grace” was anything but common. This would be analogous to me speaking to one of our tech guys at Catholics answers and saying, “Hello, he who fixes computers.” In our culture, I would just be considered weird. But in Hebrew culture, names, and name changes, tell us something that is permanent about the character and calling of the one named. Just recall the name changes of Abram to Abraham (changed from “father” to “father of the multitudes”) in Gen. 17:5, Saray to Sarah (“my princess” to “princess”) in Gen. 17:15, and Jacob to Israel (“supplanter” to “he who prevails with God”) in Gen. 32:28.
In each case, the names reveal something permanent about the one named. Abraham and Sarah transition from being a “father” and “princess” of one family to being “father” and “princess” or “mother” of the entire people of God (see Romans 4:1-18; Is. 51:1-2). They become Patriarch and Matriarch of God’s people forever. Jacob/Israel becomes the Patriarch whose name, “he who prevails with God,” continues forever in the Church, which is called “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). The people of God will forever “prevail with God” in the image of the Patriarch Jacob who was not just named Israel, but he truly became “he who prevails with God.”
An entire tome could be written concerning the significance of God’s revelation of his name in Exodus 3:14-15 as I AM. God revealed to us volumes about his divine nature in and through the revelation of his name—God is pure being with no beginning and no end; he is all perfection, etc.
What’s in a name? A lot according to Scripture!
When you add to this the fact that St. Luke uses the perfect passive participle, kekaritomene, as his “name” for Mary, we get deeper insight into the meaning of Mary’s new name. This word literally means “she who has been graced” in a completed sense. This verbal adjective, “graced,” is not just describing a simple past action. Greek has the aorist tense for that. The perfect tense is used to indicate that an action has been completed in the past resulting in a present state of being. That’s Mary’s name! So what does it tell us about Mary? Well, the average Christian is not completed in grace and in a permanent sense (see Phil. 3:8-12). But according to the angel, Mary is. You and I sin, not because of grace, but because of a lack of grace, or a lack of our cooperation with grace, in our lives. This greeting of the angel is one clue into the unique character and calling of the Mother of God.
Objection!
One objection to the above is rooted in Eph. 2:8-9. Here, St. Paul uses the perfect tense and passive voice when he says, “For by grace you have been saved…” Why wouldn’t we then conclude all Christians are complete in salvation for all time? There seems to be an inconsistency in usage here.
Actually, the Catholic Church understands that Christians are completed in grace when they are baptized. In context, St. Paul is speaking about the initial grace of salvation in Ephesians two. The verses leading up to Eph. 2:8-9, make this clear:
… we all lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath…even when we were dead in trespasses and sins…(by grace you have been saved)” (vss. 3-5).
But there is no indication here, as there is with Mary, that the Christian is going to stay that way. In other words, Eph. 2:8-9 does not confer a name.
In fact, because of original sin, we can guarantee that though we are certainly perfected in grace through baptism, ordinarily speaking, we will not stay that way after we are baptized; that is, if we live for very long afterward (see I John 1:8)! There may be times in the lives of Christians when they are completed or perfected in grace temporarily. For example, after going to confession or receiving the Eucharist well-disposed. We let God, of course, be the judge of this, not us, as St. Paul tells us in I Cor. 4:3-4:
I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted (Gr.—justified). It is the Lord who judges me.
But only Mary is given the name “full of grace” and in the perfect tense indicating that this permanent state of Mary was completed.
