I love the Mother of God!

[NotUrAvgGuy]

God is eternal.
Always having been existing.
And, always will be existing.

How can God therefore have a Mother?

Jesus has two natures, not one.
He is both fully man (soul), and fully God in union.

Mary merely provided a body, not the life, that inhabited the body.

When we worship something that is an error, we are worshiping a mere idol.


Truth saves.

"God" (the divine) does not have a mother as God is self-existant. However, Jesus did have a mother and Jesus is God so there is a sense in which we can say Mary is the mother of God. Obviously, God created Mary, so Mary did not create God. She participated in the incarnation when God took on flesh. Mary was first called the Mother of God to fight a heresy at the time that denied the humanity of Jesus. Some believed his physical body was merely an apparition believing God to be too holy to take on corrupt human flesh (as they saw it). Calling Mary the "Mother of God" was meant to emphasize that Jesus was indeed a human man and had been born of a woman like all humans (with the exception of Adam and Eve).

I personally prefer to refer to Mary as the "Mother of Jesus" since that particular heresy is not prevalent today.

 

[prodromos]

Obviously, God created Mary, so Mary did not create God

No mother 'creates' their child. You were created by God, not your mother

I personally prefer to refer to Mary as the "Mother of Jesus" since that particular heresy is not prevalent today.

Unfortunately, Nestorianism is alive and kicking on CF.

 

[GenemZ]

Mary is the mother of God because Jesus is indeed God as you stated.

How many natures does Jesus have?

Jesus, though being God, did not come to earth being as God.


Philippians 2:6-8

Who, being in very nature God,​

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;​

rather, he made himself nothing​

by taking the very nature of a servant,​

being made in human likeness.​

And being found in appearance as a man,​

he humbled himself​

by becoming obedient to death—​

even death on a cross!​

If you never grow to understand this?
You will always be failing to understand how Jesus was able to die for our sins.

Philippians 3:6-8

 

[GenemZ]

By becoming man and being born of a woman.

What exactly do you think a "mother" is?

There are certain sects that always end up confused because what they were told to believe has become the culture they live in.

 

[prodromos]

There are certain sects that always end up confused because what they were told to believe has become the culture they live in.

I assume that you either don't want to, or can't, answer my question?

 

[prodromos]

How many natures does Jesus have?

Two. If you claim otherwise you are not a Christian.

Faith groups and individuals that deny the full, eternal deity of Jesus Christ or His incarnation whereby He, as God, took on human flesh (becoming fully God and fully man in one person), are considered non-Christians at CF. Posts that deny the full, eternal deity of Jesus Christ or His incarnation are considered non-Christian theology and are not allowed in "Christians Only" forums.

CF Statement of Faith

www.christianforums.com

 

[RileyG]

How many natures does Jesus have?

Jesus, though being God, did not come to earth being as God.


Philippians 2:6-8

Who, being in very nature God,​

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;​

rather, he made himself nothing​

by taking the very nature of a servant,​

being made in human likeness.​

And being found in appearance as a man,​

he humbled himself​

by becoming obedient to death—​

even death on a cross!​

If you never grow to understand this?
You will always be failing to understand how Jesus was able to die for our sins.

Philippians 3:6-8

One man, two natures.

Are you saying Jesus isn’t God?

 

[RileyG]

Two. If you claim otherwise you are not a Christian.

Amen

 

[RileyG]

There are certain sects that always end up confused because what they were told to believe has become the culture they live in.

His mother is the Virgin Mary, thus she is the mother of God.

 

[prodromos]

One man, two natures.

I think you meant "one person"

 

[GenemZ]

His mother is the Virgin Mary, thus she is the mother of God.

Jesus refused to call her 'mother.'

He would call her 'woman.'

 

[prodromos]

Jesus refused to call her 'mother.'

He would call her 'woman.'

The gospel writers inspired by the Holy Spirit refer to Mary as His mother, and "woman" was a term of endearment.

λεγει αυτη ο ιησους τι εμοι και σοι γυναι ουπω ηκει η ωρα μου

 

[JoeT]

"God" (the divine) does not have a mother as God is self-existant. However, Jesus did have a mother and Jesus is God so there is a sense in which we can say Mary is the mother of God. Obviously, God created Mary, so Mary did not create God. She participated in the incarnation when God took on flesh. Mary was first called the Mother of God to fight a heresy at the time that denied the humanity of Jesus. Some believed his physical body was merely an apparition believing God to be too holy to take on corrupt human flesh (as they saw it). Calling Mary the "Mother of God" was meant to emphasize that Jesus was indeed a human man and had been born of a woman like all humans (with the exception of Adam and Eve).

I personally prefer to refer to Mary as the "Mother of Jesus" since that particular heresy is not prevalent today.

Then, now that He sits on the right side of God He revokes the honors given her by God? Was it then the honors bestowed on her were nullified or annulled when she conceived in her womb? Is the Son of the most High an ingrate? Was she dethroned from her rightful place queen to the head of the house of Jacob? Maybe God's emissary, Gabriel, got it wrong when she is said to be "full of grace"? I wonder if a Docetism apparition can be a proper sacrifice for the sins of man. Tell us, how do you nail a phantasm onto a wooden cross?

JoeT

 

[prodromos]

I did not say she adopted.
I said if some woman had adopted him, she would have been referred to as his mother.
One could say that "mother" was an office of position in a family.

So you are trying to explain away what the inspired Scriptures state. Understood.

So, saying that Mary was his mother?
Does not mean she gave birth to God.

Jesus is God. Mary gave birth to Him. She absolutely gave birth to God, but that is why Jesus is also Man, because a human woman conceived and gave birth to Him. Calling Mary, "mother of God" is all about who Jesus is, not Mary.

This is so silly it is sad.
For God created mothers.

You still refuse to define what you understand a "mother" to be. Mothers don't create children, only God does.

 

[NotUrAvgGuy]

Then, now that He sits on the right side of God He revokes the honors given her by God? Was it then the honors bestowed on her were nullified or annulled when she conceived in her womb? Is the Son of the most High an ingrate? Was she dethroned from her rightful place queen to the head of the house of Jacob? Maybe God's emissary, Gabriel, got it wrong when she is said to be "full of grace"? I wonder if a Docetism apparition can be a proper sacrifice for the sins of man. Tell us, how do you nail a phantasm onto a wooden cross?

JoeT

Huh? Who said Jesus is a phantasm?

 

[prodromos]

It takes gaining knowledge that you apparently lack to understand what I said.

​

I understand what you said. I simply don't have the patience to go through how wrong your understanding is, especially as you appear unwilling to entertain the possibility of you being in error.
I posted a link to the Statement of Faith which you must agree to in order to post in the Christians Only sections of the forum which this thread is in. What you have posted is contrary to the statement of faith which means you are violating the terms and conditions which you agreed to when joining Christian Forums.

 

[GenemZ]

So you are trying to explain away what the inspired Scriptures state. Understood.

Jesus is God. Mary gave birth to Him. She absolutely gave birth to God, but that is why Jesus is also Man, because a human woman conceived and gave birth to Him. Calling Mary, "mother of God" is all about who Jesus is, not Mary.

You still refuse to define what you understand a "mother" to be. Mothers don't create children, only God does.

Alright.... I tried.

I wish you well.

 

[prodromos]

Alright.... I tried.

I wish you well.

You said rightly that God cannot die, but you obviously do not understand what death is.
Death is the separation of the Soul from the Body. Since God is Spirit and eternal, He has neither Soul nor Body as these are the things of our human flesh.
By becoming Man, the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity now has human body and soul, so it was now possible for an eternal person to experience the separation of His Soul from His Body, AKA death. Because He took on our flesh from the virgin Mary, when He died on the cross He took our flesh into Hades but since He is the source of life itself, death could not hold Him and the gates of Hades were destroyed from within, so when Jesus rose from the dead He raised our flesh with Him, so that all who are united in Him have already passed through death, it no longer has a hold on us.

When Scripture speaks of Christ emptying Himself of His divinity, it does not mean He was no longer God, it just means that his Divine nature was hidden. If His true nature was revealed as it was to Peter, James and John on Mt Tabor, then He would not have been able to perform His ministry as people would have been fainting from fear whenever He approached them. It would have been like being approached by a blazing furnace.

 

[David Lamb]

Precisely. Worthy of veneration. This also includes the Holy Cross, which we venerate in Orthodoxy but do not worship, and the Holy Icons, which we venerate as a means of venerating or worshiping what they depict, but also do not worship.

And since we don’t know who amomg those licing will stay holy, and also the belief in one’s own sainthood is dangerous, on a par with believing one is beyond the hope of salvation, as St. Theophan the Recluse pointed out, both views being particularly destructive forms of prelest, a Patristic and Orthodox theological term meaning spiritual delusion, the only ones we can certainly assign sainthood to are those whose status in the Church Triumphant has been established, for example, the Holy Martyrs.

But that said we do venerate each other among the baptized members after the dismissal of the catechumens as presumptive saints with the Kiss of Peace.

You seem to have missed the point I was making which was that the New Testament uses the term "saints" to mean Christians. I don't therefore agree with your statement: "And since we don’t know who among those licing will stay holy, and also the belief in one’s own sainthood is dangerous." (As v is next to c on the keyboard, I assume "licing" was a typo for "living" ) the apostle John wrote to Christians:

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jo 5:13 NKJV)

John clearly didn't believe such knowledge to be dangerous!

 

[RileyG]

Jesus refused to call her 'mother.'

He would call her 'woman.'

Woman wasn't an insult. It was a title.

And indeed, as a man, he would have called his own biological mother "mother."