Text: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. A notable difference between Roman Catholicism and other denominations is the\nveneration of Mary\n
A. It is not a question of whether Mary existed or even her role in the birth of Jesus.<\/p>\n
B. The question more revolves around what honor Mary deserves.<\/p>\n
II. Was Mary sinless?<\/p>\n A. The Catholics teach that Mary was immaculately conceived, allowing her to escape\nthe taint of Adam’s sin.\n 1. “The blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin … and this\nprivilege is called her immaculate conception” – Baltimore Catechism, page\n36.\n 2. Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854: “The blessed Virgin Mary was preserved\nfrom all stain of original sin … We declare that this doctrine was revealed\nby God and must be held firmly and constantly by all the faithful.” –\nCatholic Faith, page 48\n 3. “A Catholic is bound to hold that [this doctrine] … was contained in the\nfaith once delivered to the saints by the Apostles. On the other hand, he is\nunder no obligation of believing it possible to produce cogent historical\nproof (over and above the church’s decision) that the doctrine was so\ncontained.” – Catholic Dictionary, page 430\n 4. Hence, Catholics need not believe there is any proof for their doctrine\nconcerning Mary, but they must still accept it.\n B. The source of this belief is traced to an old false gospel called “The Infancy Gospel\nof James”.\n 1. The earliest copy dates back to the third century, though a few early\nChristian writers in the second century mention its existence.\n 2. In this book, Mary’s mother is claimed to be barren and she conceived\nwhile her father was in the wilderness fasting for forty days to beg for a\nchild.\n
C. What the Bible teaches<\/p>\n
1. Ezekiel 18:20 – Sin is not inherited<\/p>\n
2. II Corinthians 5:10 – Judged by what we have done<\/p>\n
3. Children are born innocent<\/p>\n a. Deuteronomy 1:39 – They do not have the knowledge of good and\nevil\n b. The sacrifice of children was the death of innocent blood – Psalm\n106:37-38\n
c. Must be like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven – Matthew 18:3<\/p>\n
d. The kingdom is composed of child-like people – Matthew 19:14<\/p>\n
4. Yes, Mary was born without sin and so is everyone else in the world<\/p>\n
D. But the Catholics go further and claim Mary lived a sinless life<\/p>\n 1. “Our blessed Mother was free throughout her life form all actual sin, both\nmoral and venial.” – Baltimore Catechism, page 36\n 2. “Catholics believe that the blessed Virgin was free from all actual sin\nbecause of divine tradition confirmed by the Council of Trent” – Question\nBox, page 360.\n E. Again, the source is The Infancy Gospel of James, which claimed that Mary was\nkept separate at an early age from all defilements, not even allowed to touch the\nground. It also claims she was sent to live in the Temple and was feed by the hand\nof an angel for 12 years.\n
F. What the Bible teaches<\/p>\n
1. Only deity is sinless<\/p>\n
a. Deuteronomy 32:4 – God is without fault<\/p>\n
b. I John 1:5 – There is no sin in God<\/p>\n
c. Revelation 15:3-4 – God alone is holy<\/p>\n
2. Jesus was sinless<\/p>\n
a. II Corinthians 5:21 – Jesus knew no sin<\/p>\n
b. I John 3:5 – In Jesus there is no sin<\/p>\n
c. I Peter 2:22 – Jesus committed no sin<\/p>\n
3. All humans sin<\/p>\n
a. I John 1:8-10 – To say otherwise is to lie<\/p>\n
b. Romans 3:10-12, 23 – All sin<\/p>\n
4. Mary praises God, her savior – Luke 1:46-47<\/p>\n
a. From what was she saved if she was sinless?<\/p>\n
b. Mary was human and therefore must have had sin in her life.<\/p>\n
III. Was Mary a perpetual virgin?<\/p>\n
A. The Catholic Church<\/p>\n 1. “Mary, the mother of God, remained a virgin not only in the conception of\nChrist, but also in his birth and during the rest of her life.” – Baltimore\nCatechism, page 49\n 2. “Nor does the New Testament ever imply that Mary ceased to be a virgin;\nOn the contrary, it confirms, though it nowhere states, the Catholic dogma\nof her perpetual virginity.” – Catholic Dictionary, page 555\n
3. I love that last idea – it supports our position without ever stating it.<\/p>\n
B. Again this idea is presented in The Infancy Gospel of James.<\/p>\n 1. Joseph, a widower with children, is said to have taken guardianship of\nMary by marrying her without every having relationship with her.\n 2. The book also has Jesus “born” by appearing in a great light, so that Mary\nremained a virgin even after “birth.”\n
C. The Bible teaches<\/p>\n
1. Mary was a virgin until Jesus birth<\/p>\n
a. Luke 1:27, 34-35<\/p>\n b. Matthew 1:18, 23, 25 – A virgin until Jesus’ birth implies her\nvirginity ended at that point\n 2. The doctrine of perpetual virginity is an attempt to exalt Mary over other\npeople\n a. Based on the mistaken idea that virginity is more holy and pure than\nmarriage\n
b. It is the same reasoning that forbids priests and nuns marriage.<\/p>\n c. Self-abasement or self-denial is not a sign of religious living –\nColossians 2:18-22\n
3. God instituted marriage in Genesis 2:24, how much holier can you get?<\/p>\n a. Hebrews 13:4 – Marriage is honorable and sex within marriage is\nundefiled. It doesn’t make a person unholy or less than holy.\n
b. I Timothy 4:1-3 – The forbidding of marriage is a sign of apostasy.<\/p>\n
4. Jesus had brothers and sisters<\/p>\n
a. Mark 6:3 – Names his brothers<\/p>\n
b. Matthew 12:46-50 – Mentions his mother, brothers and sisters<\/p>\n c. Other verses: John 2:12; 7:3-5; I Corinthians 9:5; Galatians 1:19;\nActs 1:14\n
5. Mary could not have been a virgin and Jesus had brothers and sisters<\/p>\n a. The Catholics argue that the word brother means cousin in this\ncontext\n
(1) Yet there is no proof, only their tradition<\/p>\n (2) The word is never used for cousin in the Bible; only for\nphysical brothers and fellow countrymen.\n
b. They also ignore the mention of his sisters<\/p>\n
(1) This word is only used for immediate family members<\/p>\n
c. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas does not solve this problem.<\/p>\n (1) If Joseph had children by a previous marriage, then Jesus\nwould not be related by mother or father.\n
6. Marriage must include a physical union – I Corinthians 7:2-5<\/p>\n
a. If Mary did not join with Joseph, then she sinned<\/p>\n
b. But the claim is that Mary lived a sinless life.<\/p>\n c. Therefore, these two doctrines contradict each other. In reality,\nthey are both false.\n
IV. Catholicism desires to exalt Mary above all other people<\/p>\n
A. Doing so leads them to establish traditions and doctrines that contradict the Bible.<\/p>\n
B. Which should we believe? The words of God or men who claim to speak for God?<\/p>\n
C. Who holds our salvation?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: I. A notable difference between Roman Catholicism and other denominations is the veneration of Mary A. It is not a question of whether Mary existed or even her role in the birth of Jesus. B. The question more revolves around what honor Mary deserves. II. Was Mary sinless? A. The Catholics teach that Mary was immaculately conceived, allowing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[278,1599],"class_list":["post-1359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-mary","tag-roman-catholic-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12241,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-mary-the-mother-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":0},"title":"Was Mary the mother of God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I do not recite Hail Mary nor do I agree with it. But I talked to a person and we came to the topic of Hail Mary. I pointed out that \"Mother of God\" is never seen in the Bible and expressed an inappropriate meaning. He stated that Elizabeth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40398,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-it-so-important-to-you-that-mary-had-other-children-what-difference-does-it-make\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":1},"title":"Why is it so important to you that Mary had other children? What difference does it make?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have always been puzzled why the members of the church of Christ are so adamant that Mary, the mother of Jesus, had additional children with her husband, Joseph. I know the Catholic teaching is that Mary was a perpetual virgin; why does it matter to the church of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14315,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-help-me-explain-why-it-is-not-right-to-call-mary-our-heavenly-mother\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":2},"title":"Can you help me explain why it is not right to call Mary “our heavenly mother?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can you please help me explain to a Catholic why it is not right to call Mary ''our heavenly mother''? Answer: The problem is that Mary is not our mother in any sense of the word. God is our Father because He created man. God is in heaven so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14168,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-dont-protestants-honor-mary-as-catholics-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":3},"title":"Why don’t Protestants honor Mary as Catholics do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The original question was: Why do Protestants not honor Mary as Catholics do? We are to imitate Jesus Christ, are we not? Well, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law perfectly, and part of the Law is the Fourth Commandment. Jesus honored his Father and his Mother, so we should do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91952,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mary-no-longer-called-co-redemptrix\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":4},"title":"Mary No Longer Called Co-Redemptrix","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Talia Wise, \"Pope Leo Declares Jesus Alone Saved the World, Rejects Title of Mary as 'Co-Redeemer',\" CBN, 7 November 2025. \"A decree from Pope Leo's office firmly rejects the claim that Mary, Jesus' mother, helped save the world from damnation, settling a debate that has baffled the Catholic community\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6219,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/an-objection-to-the-claim-that-catholics-worship-mary\/","url_meta":{"origin":1359,"position":5},"title":"An objection to the claim that Catholics worship Mary","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 13, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was reading over your web site about Catholicism. 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