I Believe Mary the Earthly Mother of Jesus' Testimony is Proof of God's Sovereignty
It's the traditional birthday of Mary today and I want to give a piece of my mind on Mary the earthly mother of Jesus as a star of Reformed Theology. It upsets me how often Marian idolatry is so rampant that they treat the earthly mother of Jesus like she's a pagan goddess. They teach so many doctrines about her that isn't true and when people disagree with them the say, "Go ahead and say she's not important." I'm not saying Mary isn't important but here's one truth that must be accepted: she's a sinner saved by grace. They say that how can Jesus be sinless if Mary is a sinner? Did they even realize it was through Adam and not through Eve that sin nature passed to humanity? Also, it should be by God's grace that Jesus could enter into a sinner's womb and not get tainted by sin at all.
How would Mary fit into the doctrine of Reformed Theology or Calvinism? We have Total Depravity or Inability, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints. She fits them all seeing how she herself was a sinner who by the grace of God became obedient. Salvation was not made possible by Mary's obedience as if God was dependent on her. Rather, her obedience sprang out because of God's grace. A Calvinist's view would say that couldn't be obedient to the will to become Jesus' earthly mother and be honored if she wasn't unconditionally elected and if God's grace could be resisted at all.
Isaiah 7:14 already prophesied that a virgin would bear a child. This is really something to think about. There's so many virgins out there in the Jewish community but why was Mary chosen? It wasn't because of something she did but I believe it's God's divine table. She was already chosen at this basis: she was married a descendant of David through Solomon namely Joseph and she's a descendant of David through Nathan. Although Joseph's line was cursed through Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22) but Mary was the only human parent. Joseph only served as the adoptive father of Jesus while Mary served as Jesus' earthly biological mother. She was the virgin prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 but she had no idea it was her until the angel came unto her. Her being chosen to be Jesus' earthly mother was already scheduled. It was already predetermined meaning she was already chosen for it before she was born. She accepted it because God's grace is irresistible to His Elect.
Mary's acceptance of Gods' will would already be the moment of irresistible grace. Her obedience couldn't be possible without God making her obedient (Luke 1:27-38). I don't want to believe that Mary's obedience made salvation possible. Rather, salvation made Mary obedient because she was already acknowledging God as her Savior (Luke 1:47). She may have already known time will come that the Son of the Most High would be born of a virgin but she never expected it to be her. Mary was even troubled at the angel that she was told to "Fear not." (Luke 1:29-30). She couldn't understand what was going on but she trusted God. If she were sinless she wouldn't be troubled at the angel's greeting who called her blessed. She knew she was a sinner in need of a Savior but so many Roman Catholics continue to insist she was born without sin. Worse, they even use Luke 1:47 to defend such a heresy. Romans 3:10-19 says all of humanity have sinned.
Both the visitation and her acceptance verifies both unconditional election and irresistible grace. She was already elected to have the honor to be Jesus' mother in the flesh. She couldn't resist and she could only obey because God's grace is irresistible. What about the perseverance of the saints? She persevered throughout the ministry. In John 2:1-11 she did what had to be done. She simply told people to do whatever Jesus told them. When she did it's clear that she wants people to go to Jesus and not to her yet Roman Catholics still think it's her act of mediation between people and Jesus. She bore all the sorrows especially at the foot of the cross. She fully understood that while she's Jesus' mother in the flesh but He's definitely above her in her divinity.
I'm amazed at how Mary endured her sadness at the cross. She saw both her earthly son and the Son of God. She cried but she repressed her grief. She stood there silent in great reverence to the Creator of the Universe. She knew this one fact: Jesus is her son in the flesh but He was also her Creator. The thought of the Creator of the Universe the Word would be in her womb must have startled her. The very thought that the Creator of the Universe would voluntarily suspend His divine qualities and learn obedience from her a sinner saved by grace must have still startled her. The thought that the Creator of the Universe would not only be her firstborn Son but also her Redeemer must have amazed her to no end. I can't imagine what was in her mind when Jesus honored her as mothers should be honored. She honored the Son of God as her very Lord by being obedient to the very end.
After that, the Bible is silent about Mary. The last she was seen, she was praying with the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. She wasn't prayed to and neither is her name declared for salvation. Instead, the Bible declares that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. All must come to Jesus directly. Romans 10:9-13 declares none of Mary and all of Jesus as the way to salvation. If you want salvation then Mary would only tell you to do whatever she tells you to do (John 2:5) and nothing more.
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