Good Day, Cary
What is the Baptist understanding of Mary role in Salvation history? Does it effect Baptists understand the nature of Jesus and our relationship with Him?
Mary was elected before the foundations of the world to serve in Gods plan, just like so many other have. Her role in the plan was key, but that is why God chose her. I am not sure I understand the question nature.
Do Baptist believe Mary is the Mother of God?
I will stick with God-bearer, the use of this phase often is problematic.
Do Baptist believe in Mary's virginal conception and is Ever-virgin?
No lacks historical fact:
"To this effect they testify, saying, that before Joseph had come together with Mary, while she therefore remained in virginity, 'she was found with child of the Holy Ghost;'" (Against Heresies, 3:21:4)
Irenaeus seems to associate "come together" with sexual intercourse. The implication is that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after Jesus was born.
The lord was born of a virgin yes.
Do Baptists believe that God made Mary emaculate (Without orginal sin) in order to make the vessel of his only beggoten Son suitable for Him?
For all have sinned except the Lord himself for he is God.
Ambrose (c. 339-97): So, then, no one is without sin except God alone, for no one is without sin except God. Also, no one forgives sins except God alone, for it is also written: Who can forgive sins but God alone? And one cannot be the Creator of all except he be not a creature, and he who is not a creature is without doubt God; for it is written: They worshipped the creature rather than the Creator, Who is God blessed for ever. God also does not worship, but is worshipped, for it is written: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shall thou serve. NPNF2: Vol. X, On the Holy Spirit, Book III, Chapter 18, §133.
Do Baptists believe in the bodily Assumption of Mary, body and soul into Heaven (Like Elijah was)?
Thanks,
The scripture teaches abou Elijah, Mary on the other hand.
"Raymond E. Brown, S.S., born in 1928 and ordained in 1953, has been recognized by universities in the U.S.A. and Europe by some twenty honorary doctoral degrees. He was appointed by Pope Paul VI to the Roman Pontifical Biblical Commission, and with church approval he has served for many years on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. Time magazine once described him as 'probably the premier Catholic scripture scholar in the U.S.,' and he is the only person to have served as president of all three of these distinguished societies: the Catholic Biblical Association, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Society of New Testament Studies."
Raymond E. Brown: Some Roman Catholics may have expected me to include a discussion of the historicity of
the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary. But these Marian doctrines, which are not mentioned in Scripture, clearly lie outside my topic which was the quest for historical knowledge of Mary in the NT. Moreover, I would stress the ambiguity of the term historicity when applied to these two doctrines.
A Roman Catholic must accept the two dogmas as true upon the authority of the teaching Church, but he does not have to hold that the dogmas are derived from a chain of historical information. There is no evidence that Mary (or anyone else in NT times) knew that she was conceived free of original sin, especially since the concept of original sin did not fully exist in the first century. The dogma is not based upon information passed down by Mary or by the apostles; it is based on the Churchs insight that the sinlessness of Jesus should have affected his origins, and hence his mother, as well. Nor does a Catholic have to think that the people gathered for her funeral saw Mary assumed into heaventhere is no reliable historical tradition to that effect, and the dogma does not even specify that Mary died.
Once again the doctrine stems from the Churchs insight about the application of the fruits of redemption to the leading disciple: Mary has gone before us, anticipating our common fate. Raymond E. Brown,
Biblical Reflections on Crises facing the Church (New York: Paulist Press, 1975), p. 105, fn. 103.
Good questions, But many can not be found with in the context of the Faith passed down to the saints. Weather though scripture passed down or men who defended the faith.
Peace to u,
Bill