Was Mary without sin?

[Ave Maria]

Was Mary without sin? I'd venture to say that she was not without sin. She was not immaculately conceived and she sinned just like all other human beings except for Jesus.

[BIBLE]Romans 3:23[/BIBLE]

 

[IamAdopted]

I voted no. She was born in sin just like every other human being.THere was only one without Sin and that was Christ..

 

[Boniface]

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Does 'all' mean 'all'...did Jesus sin?

 

[Ave Maria]

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Does 'all' mean 'all'...did Jesus sin?

Obviously not so why do you ask that question? The writer was referring to everyone but Christ which is rather obvious.

 

[Boniface]

Did St. Paul say, "all have sinned, except for Christ"? No, he said ALL have sinned, so either he meant everyone or (obviously) he didnt mean EVERYONE...if the Lord is exempt, why not His HOLY mother?

 

[Renton405]

First off, there is the question,, how can someone be "full of grace" if they are in sin?? its impossible, contradiction in terms...

Mary is in a way an "ark" for Jesus.. An unpure thing cannot house something that is pure.. it would be like oil and water..

There is nothing in the bible that says Mary was with other men.. IF she was and had other children it would have been recorded.. When christian saints,apostles and martyrs died the followers would collect up the bones RIGHT AWAY and keep them.. However there is not one bone or blood line that has stemmed from Mary..And the big question is, where are Marys bones?? her tomb? writtings?? things shes left behind... absolutly nothing to be found. Surely if there were any later husbands of Mary they would have come out of the woodworks and the church would have recorded it.. ..The closest conclusion we can come to is that she lived a very nomadic lifestyle of chasity. And with no bones or grave/sepuchre its almost as if she 'vanished' off the earth(assumption)..


Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré and told her to produce a medal that said "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

 

[BereanTodd]

First off, there is the question,, how can someone be "full of grace" if they are in sin?? its impossible, contradiction in terms...

What does "full of grace" mean? Paul writes in Romans "shall we then sin so that grace may abound?" Now he answers his question in the negative, but the point is that he (Paul and the Holy Spirit as the authors of Romans) believe that more sin would mean more grace. So sin and grace are not exclusive of each other. Grace is merely unmerrited favor, and Mary is full of unmerrited favor. She is a sinner like us, and yet she was chosen to bear the Christ-child. How much more full of grace can one be?

 

[picnic]

Did St. Paul say, "all have sinned, except for Christ"? No, he said ALL have sinned, so either he meant everyone or (obviously) he didnt mean EVERYONE...if the Lord is exempt, why not His HOLY mother?

Reading verse 23 in context of the verses preceding and following it, we can see that all refers to everyone except Jesus as they wouldn't make sense if Jesus was included. Mary would have to be included in the all of verse 22 and she's not specifically excluded in verse 23. From that I would assume that Mary wasn't sinless, although only God truly knows.

Romans 3: 21But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (ESV)

 

[Calminaion]

Ask yourself one question.

Did Mary, the Mother of Jesus, die? The answer: yes.

"For the wages of sin is death..."

Thus, she sinned and is now dead. Mary considered herself a servant of the Lord (see Luke 1), and considered herself blessed to bear the Christ within her for nine months and to be His earthly mother.

But she was a sinner, like us. That is why she is dead and her soul is in Heaven. I see no mention of her reigning in Heaven or holding "special status."

 

[BereanTodd]

Calm, the RCCs though will tell you that no she didn't die, she was "assumed" up into heaven bodily, and never tasted death ...

 

[Calminaion]

Calm, the RCCs though will tell you that no she didn't die, she was "assumed" up into heaven bodily, and never tasted death ...

"Prove it through Scripture," is my reply to them.

 

[Uphill Battle]

Calm, the RCCs though will tell you that no she didn't die, she was "assumed" up into heaven bodily, and never tasted death ...

I don't think that's true. I think they believe she was assumed to heaven WHEN she died, not before it.

 

[IamAdopted]

I don't think that's true. I think they believe she was assumed to heaven WHEN she died, not before it.

explain that a little more please.

 

[Ave Maria]

I don't think that's true. I think they believe she was assumed to heaven WHEN she died, not before it.

As a former Catholic, I know the answer to this. They don't really take a position as to whether or not she died. Some say she was assumed and never tasted death while others say that she was assumed after dying.

 

[Uphill Battle]

explain that a little more please.

from what I've had explained to me, she died, but was assumed to heaven at death, to prevent any corruption of the flesh...

but, seeing as the post above me says there is no strong position on it, I don't know. Just going on what I've been told.

 

[CaliforniaJosiah]

Did St. Paul say, "all have sinned, except for Christ"?

See Romans 3:23 AND 2 Corinthians 5:21
Read them together.
Paul is the penman of each.


Also read: John 8:49, Hebrews 4:15.


Jesus IS a biblical exception - specifically stated. Mary, however, is not stated as an exception. Of course, I can claim that I'm sinless because the Bible doesn't specificly state that I am sinful, but I don't agree with that hermeneutic of Romans 3:23.

 

[Catherineanne]

Was Mary without sin? I'd venture to say that she was not without sin. She was not immaculately conceived and she sinned just like all other human beings except for Jesus.

I answered yes.

This does not mean that I necessarily think that Our Lady, when on earth, never ever did or said anything wrong. It means that I believe her saying 'yes' to God is such an important yes that it outweighs every other consideration, meaning that in contrast with my sins, or those of anyone else, hers are as nothing. Our Lady did not come short; she bowed her will to that of God.

Therefore, she is now without sin. God has forgotten her sins, so it is not for any of us to remember them.

The same is true of any other saint in heaven, even though they would all rank below Our Lady. All are without sin now, and it is not for me to remember what they may or may not have done here on earth, if God does not remember.

 

[Catherineanne]

Ask yourself one question.

Did Mary, the Mother of Jesus, die? The answer: yes.

"For the wages of sin is death..."

You are mistaken.

There is no such creature in all eternity as a dead Christian.

Would you like Scripture for this one, or can you find it for yourself?

 

[Calminaion]

You are mistaken.

There is no such creature in all eternity as a dead Christian.

Would you like Scripture for this one, or can you find it for yourself?

Humor me and provide it, though we'd have to start with your concept of sin if we're really going to get into the issue.

 

[simonthezealot]

I don't think that's true. I think they believe she was assumed to heaven WHEN she died, not before it.

None of them can tell you, because their church won't tell them whether she died or not...

But she did!