Biblical Q & A: Is Mary also God?
Luke 1:46-47 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
A heritage of faith
Christianity is blessed with a rich heritage of faithful personalities, from Adam to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) to New Testament characters starting with John the Baptist, the original apostles to Paul, and the faithful women that surrounded Christ: Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha of Bethany, and, of course, Mary, His mother.
They were all people of faith who believed in God’s promises - the Old Testament figures through faith in the coming Messiah and the New Testament figures through direct encounters with Jesus as the promise fulfilled. Hebrews 11 illustrates, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
They all demonstrated faith in God’s plan of salvation, whether looking forward to Christ’s coming (Old Testament) or experiencing His presence directly (New Testament).
Christ: The only mediator
None, however, recognized anyone other than the Trinity as deity or Christ as Savior. In Christ’s final command, He directed in Matthew 28:19 - “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
In fact, the Bible states in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”
This is not the only verse in the Bible that defines this express arrangement; it is confirmed in the following verses:
Hebrews 9:15, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”
John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Hebrews 8:6 says, “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.”
2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The biblical pattern of prayer
The Bible gives us a formula for our prayers. Understandably, Christ is much more than a prayer intermediary; He is the mediator of our salvation.
As such…
Biblical Christianity teaches that we are to
pray to the Father as Matthew 6:9 teaches, “Pray then like this: Our Father...,”
through the intermediary and in the name of the Son, Christ Jesus, which according to John 14:6, declares “...no one comes to the Father except through me,” and
in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit which Romans 8:26 articulates “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us...”
So, why do we pray to anyone else if the Bible claims that Christ is the sole intermediary?
Mary, the human mother of Jesus
Let’s look at Mary, for example. A common prayer is the “Hail Mary” or the “Ave Maria.”
Let’s break that down:
The first part ("Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee") comes directly from the Angel Gabriel’s greeting in Luke 1:28.
The second part ("blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb") comes from Elizabeth's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:42
The final part: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," was added much later, becoming official in the 16th century during Pope Pius V's papacy.
This intercessory aspect of Mary developed gradually in church tradition but does not have any Biblical support.
Other examples of attempts to equate Mary with God exist, such as:
The Immaculate Conception: This belief holds that Mary herself was conceived without original sin, which Pope Pius IX officially declared in 1854. This concept has no biblical reference, as it would affirm that Mary is God.
The Assumption of Mary: Pope Pius XII declared that Mary was bodily taken into heaven in 1950. There is absolutely no biblical basis for this.
The Perpetual Virginity of Mary: This developed in early church tradition and is also not biblical. The Bible clearly mentions Jesus’ brothers and sisters in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55-56. This didn’t become a formal doctrine until the Second Council of Constantinople in 533 AD.
The Co-Redemptrix/Mediatrix: This concept proposes that Mary participates in human redemption alongside Christ, with many believing that prayers and grace pass through Mary as an intermediary. Again, there is no biblical support for this, and the idea contrasts with 1 Timothy 2:5, which states that Jesus is the sole mediator. Although this has never been officially declared dogma, it is becoming increasingly popular in Catholic tradition.
There must be something very special about Mary to have been chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ. But, from the lips of Mary herself, she proclaims in Luke 1:46-47, known as the Magnificant, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
Quite simply, if Mary were divine, she would have no need of a savior.
True, Mary is exceptional; she was the mother of Jesus Christ, but she is not God.
Our direct access to Christ
I conclude with the declaration of Christ Himself with respect to whom we are to pray, 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”
You have direct access to the Savior of the Universe; pray to Him for your salvation!
Here’s how a comedian addressed this same issue:
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Thad
Replying to the titular question:”No.” This is not rocket science, brain surgery or complicated at all. It is in scripture for all to read.
Thank you for that excellent post clearly articulating the truth through scripture. I don't usually watch the attached videos in posts, but that short comedy routine was enjoyable.
It is ironically that Catholics don't want to bother infinite, all knowing, all powerful Jesus, but they'll bother all of the finite "saints" and angels that actually can be overwhelmed. Our God that spike the universe into being, who is outside time, has no trouble hearing and answering every prayer ever prayed in the whole world throughout all of time.