Sola Scriptura-8

Who is the real Mary? Is she the biological birth mother of Jesus? Was she sinless? Did she immediately ascend into Heaven without tasting death? The Church of Rome has created a Mary that never existed and cannot be found in Scripture.

How did this important event begin? Jesus birth is recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke1. We will use Luke 1 as it contains more important detail.

Luke 1:26  Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 1:27  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

1:28  And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 1:29  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 

There are only two angels in the Bible that have their names revealed to us! Gabriel and Michael. Actually a third one, who is not an angel but a cherub, was named and his name in Lucifer/Satan.

:30  The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 1:31  "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 1:32  "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 1:33  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." 

All the prophecies pertaining to Jesus remind us that Jesus is from the lineage of David, He is the Son of God, and His kingdom is eternal.

1:34  Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 

This is a very real question from a startled young woman.

1:35  The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 1:36  "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.  1:37  "For nothing will be impossible with God." 

Gabriel linked the baby to be born by Elizabeth with the baby to be born by Mary.

1:38  And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 

Mary identifies herself as a bondslave, an indentured servant of the LORD. Neither Gabriel or Mary spoke of her as anything more than a young virgin who had been chosen by God. Finding favor before God, while amazing, is not unique to Mary.

Colossans 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

Mary was identified in the femine as a bondslave, while Epaphras is identified in the masculine.

Philippians 2:5  Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 2:6  who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 2:7  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus became a bond-servant, similar to a bond-slave, for us as He humbled Himself.

Mathew 25:14  "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 

We are characterized as slaves to our Master/Lord, as we have been bought for a price from the slave block of sin.

1 Corinthians 7:21  Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. 7:22  For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave. 7:23  You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. 

Some members of ‘churches’ do not like to be identified as a slave, but a slave does the will of his Master. This is exactly what all of us should do.

1 Corinthians 6:18  Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 6:19  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 6:20  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 

Bought with a price that is of infinite worth. We must honor God in all we do, say, and think. Mary must do likewise and she apparently she did.

More on Mary next Saturday.