Is Mary the Mother of God?
by Moisés Pinedo
Catholics
have recited the “Hail Mary” prayer for many years. It includes the words,
“Holy Mary, Mother of God.” These words represent one of the most
treasured doctrines of Catholicism.
In A.D. 431,
the Council of Ephesus proclaimed Mary “to be the mother of God because God the
Word took flesh and became man and from his very conception united to himself
the temple he took from her” (“Formula of Union...” n.d.).
One
of the arguments used extensively to support this doctrine is presented as
follows:
(1)
Mary was the mother of Jesus;
(2)
Jesus is God;
(3)
therefore, Mary is the “Mother of God.”
This
syllogism may seem logical, but the conclusion is superficial. Consider the
following.
First,
although the Bible documents that Mary became the mother of Jesus and clearly
teaches that Jesus is God, it never states, or even implies, that Mary was (or
is) the “Mother of God.” For a theological syllogism to explain correctly the
relationship between Mary and God, it must be based on biblical truth. We can
propose correctly that (1) Jesus is God (Hebrews 1:8); (2) God became flesh
(John 1:1,14); (3) therefore, Mary is the mother of Jesus according to the
flesh (Romans 9:5), i.e., Jesus’ physical body.
Second,
we should keep in mind that Deity is not constituted by a literal family—with
fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters—like some of the gods of Greek and Roman
mythology. Although we refer to the first and second Persons of the Godhead as
the Father and the Son, these titles do not denote a literal familial bond, but
emphasize Their united and divine nature. To refer to Mary as the “Mother of
God” is to misunderstand the nature of Deity and misapply Scripture.
Third,
consider the consequences which develop from such an inappropriate use of the
syllogism aforementioned. Since the Bible records that Mary conceived by the
Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), Catholics conclude that it is correct to refer to
Mary as “the daughter of God the Father, Mother of Jesus Christ, and true spouse
of the Holy Spirit”. If the Holy Spirit is Mary’s “husband” (and, therefore,
Jesus’ “father”), and Jesus is God, would not the Holy Spirit be the “father”
of God? This is not only a completely erroneous application of Scripture, but
also blasphemous theology. Now let us consider some additional evidence from
the Bible that further explains Mary’s relationship to God.
GOD DOES NOT HAVE
A PHYSICAL MOTHER.
Speaking
to the Son, the Father declared, “Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8).
In
God’s revelation to the apostle John, the resurrected Christ said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End,...who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation
1:8).
The
Son did not have a beginning; He is the Beginning. “He was in the beginning with God” (John
1:1-2).
Paul
pointed out, “He is before all
things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17).
The
Son’s existence did not begin with His conception in Mary’s womb. He was alive
in eternity (Micah 5:2).
At
the right time in history, He became flesh (John 1:1,14).
Paul
put it this way: “But when the fullness
of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law”
(Galatians 4:4).
On
the other hand, Mary came into a time-bound world long after the creation of
the Universe. She, like all human beings, was not eternal. She was not divine,
not “from everlasting to everlasting”
(Micah 5:2).
She
could not have provided an eternal nature to her Son. He is Deity. He is the “eternally blessed God” (Romans 9:5).
Consider
how Jesus explained His divine nature. When addressing the Pharisees, He asked
them: “‘What do you think about the
Christ? Whose Son is He?’ They said to Him, ‘The son of David.’ He
said to them, ‘How then does David in the
Spirit call Him ‘Lord’.... If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?’”
(Matthew 22:42-45).
The
Pharisees failed to answer the question correctly because they were thinking
about the physical nature of the Messiah.
While
Christ was a physical descendant of David (Luke 1:32; Matthew 1:1), according to His divine nature He did not have a physical father, since He Himself is before all (John 8:58).
In the same way that David could not be the father of the divine Messiah since he
called Him “Lord.”
Mary
cannot be the “Mother of God” since she calls Him “Lord” in Luke 1:38, 46-47.
The
truth is, as Paul explains, “according to the flesh,
Christ came” through the patriarchs, David, and, yes, Mary, but according
to His deity, He is the “eternally
blessed God” who is over all (Romans 9:5).
MARY NEVER WAS
CONSIDERED THE “MOTHER OF GOD.”
There
is not a single verse in the Bible that describes Mary as the “Mother of
God.” In fact, none of the inspired writers of either the Old or New
Testament gave even a hint that she should be regarded as such. This idea is
based purely on human tradition.
Mary
considered herself as a “maidservant of
the Lord” (Luke 1:38,) and considered God as her “Savior” (Luke 1:47). Sadly, many have distorted this concept.
When
speaking about the blessing of being chosen by God to be the mother of the
Messiah, Mary declared: “For He [God] has
regarded the lowly state of His maidservant” (Luke 1:48).
Certainly
the words “lowly state” would be
inappropriate to refer to Mary if she is the “Mother of God.” The Greek word
for “lowly state” “istapeinosis,” denotes
“abasement, humiliation, or low estate”. Mary was conscious of the humble state
of her human condition.
Additionally,
the New Testament makes it very clear Who became flesh. It was God Who
took on the form of a man (John 1:14) and was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4).
The
woman did not become “divine” in order to conceive the Son of God. The
Bible mentions Mary as the mother of Jesus, but never as the “Mother of God” (Mark
3:31; Luke 8:19; Acts 1:14; et al.).
MARY NEVER WAS
WORSHIPPED AS THE “MOTHER OF GOD.”
Catholics
worship Mary, claiming that she has “divine maternity” (“Dogmatic
Constitution...,” 1964, 8.3).
But
if Mary is to be worshiped as the “Mother of God,” we should expect to find a
biblical command to do so, or a biblical example of approved action. However,
such commands and examples are nowhere to be found.
From
the first moment Mary appears in the biblical record, there is no indication of
her being the object of worship of any kind. When God’s angel announced to Mary
that she would give birth to the Messiah, the heavenly messenger did not worship
her (Luke 1:26-38).
The
shepherds, who came to the stable, praised God—not Mary—for what they had
witnessed (Luke 2:16-20).
Later,
the wise men came to a house and “saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him”
(Matthew 2:11)—not Mary.
Simeon
and Anna, who had waited their entire lives for the Messiah, recognized Jesus
as the One sent by God. They did not offer any special acknowledgement or
praise to Mary (Luke 2:21-38).
Additionally,
Jesus’ disciples never gave Mary any preeminence during their gatherings, much
less worshipped her as the “Mother of God” (Acts 1:14-26).
When
Mary asked for Jesus’ help at the wedding in Cana, He said, “Woman, what does your concern have to do
with Me?” (John 2:4).
He
used the word “woman” not in a derogatory way but as an expression of respect
and affection (Matthew 15:28; John 19:26; 20:15).
He may have used “woman”
instead of “mother” to emphasize that “in his calling Jesus knows no mother or
earthly relative, [but] he is their Lord and Savior as well as of all men.”
Jesus
made it clear that Mary had no preeminence among His followers or before God.
On one occasion, “He stretched out His
hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My
brothers!’” (Matthew 12:49).
Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that
anyone who believed in Him and obeyed the will of the Father would be blessed
as part of His family. But He did not say that any member of that family was
worthy of worship or adoration.
Another
incident in Jesus’ ministry is worth mentioning. While Jesus was teaching the
multitudes, “a certain woman from the
crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore You, and
the breasts which nursed You!’” (Luke 11:27).
Jesus
responded, “More than that, blessed
are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (11:28). Again, Jesus made
it clear that there was nothing about Mary that elevated her above anyone else
who heard the Word of God and obeyed it. Jesus Himself taught us not to
consider His mother as the “Mother of God,” a person to be worshiped.
The
title “Mother of God” is unbiblical, as are other titles given to Mary, such as
“Mother of the Church,” “Mother of Mercy, Life, Gentleness, and Hope,” “Door to
Heaven,” etc.
Worship
directed toward her (or any other mere human being), rather than to Almighty
God, not only denigrates appreciation and respect for Deity, but also leads
further into apostasy.
Related
Posts:
apologeticspress.org
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