| What
does Roman Catholicism Believe? |
What
does the Bible say? |
Mary was sinless.
Mary was "... ever absolutely free of all stain of sin, all fair and
perfect ...." [Ineffabilis
Deus,
Pope Pius IX, Dec. 8, 1854, opening paragraph].
"And indeed it was
wholly fitting that so wonderful a mother should be ever resplendent
with the glory of most sublime holiness and so completely free from all
taint of original sin that she would triumph utterly over the ancient
serpent."...[ Ineffabilis
Deus, 2nd para.].
"Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of
original sin ...." [Catechism, 966].
"...conceived without original sin."... [Ineffabilis
Deus, closing para.]. |
"for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom.
3:23)
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and
death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
" (Rom. 5:12)
"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the
truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is
not in us." (1 John 1:10) |
Though
the Church concedes that Mary did, in fact, die, according to the
Church, her body did not suffer corruption. She was "assumed" bodily
into heaven, and she now has a resurrected body.
"Now God has
willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this
general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame
sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject
to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not
have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body." (MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS, paragraph 5) |
The
assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heaven has no support whatever
in Scripture. The redemption of each Church-Age Christian's body awaits
the return of Christ.
16 "For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and
with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be
with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:16-17)
51 "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
will be changed." (1 Cor. 15:51-51) |
| In
heaven, Jesus exalted Mary to be "Queen
over all things." |
This
is not a title the Bible assigns to Mary. |
| Mary is the Mother
of God. |
This is not a title the Bible assigns to
Mary. |
| Mary is the Mother
of the Church. |
This is not a title the Bible assigns to
Mary. |
| Mary contributes
"in bringing about the birth of believers in the
Church." |
The Bible does not say this about Mary. |
| Mary, through her prayers, "will deliver
our souls from death." |
The Bible does not say this about Mary. |
| Mary is worthy of the title of "Advocate." |
This is not a title the Bible assigns to
Mary. |
| Mary is worthy of the title of "Benefactress." |
This is not a title the Bible assigns to
Mary. |
| Mary is worthy of the title of "Helper." |
This is not a title the Bible assigns to
Mary. |
| Mary is worthy of the title of "Mediatrix."
(A mediatrix is a female mediator.) |
This
is not a title the Bible assigns to Mary. In fact, the Bible says, "For
there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus" (1
Tim. 2:5) |
| Mary
is the "New
Eve." |
This
is not a title the Bible assigns to Mary. |
| Mary exercises a continuing role as intercessor
on behalf of the elect. |
The Bible does not say this about Mary. |
| The "faithful" "fly" to Mary for "protection"
"in all their dangers and needs." |
The Bible does not say this about Mary. |
| Mary is a recipient
of prayers. |
The Bible does not say this about Mary.
In fact, the Bible condemns consulting the dead on behalf of the living
(Lev.
19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:10; 1 Sam. 15:23; 28:3-19; Isa. 8:19).
(Note: I am not saying that praying to Mary is conducting a seance. I
am saying that it is consulting the dead on behalf of the living, which
is condemned by the Bible.) |
| Mary contributes
to the salvation of the elect. Mary, through her
intercession, is said to possess a "saving office." By her "manifold
intercession" she "continues to bring us the gifts of eternal
salvation." |
The
Bible does not assign a special, salvatory role or office to Mary.
Filled with the Spirit, Peter said about Jesus, "And there is salvation
in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been
given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts
4:12). |
