No worries.It was actually a a reply to T.E. Smith post #6 but I failed to link it to that post.
I'm on holiday struggling with a laptop I'm not used to.
I'm not perfect yet.
I pray you will be.
Why Mary or anyone is Blessed!
- Thread starter God Is My Judge
- Start date
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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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I pray you will be.
The owner of this site - stovebolts
Yes.
As I'said, I'm on holiday at the moment so I don't have much time, or the facilities to get into a complex discussion.
But if you want to discuss the "Immaculate Conception" I'll start a thread on it when I'm home in a few days time.
Let me know if you want to do that.
. Enjoy your vacation 
.
To every Jew, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is Savior.
"I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour." (Isaiah 43:11)
"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. (Isaiah 45:21)
"Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no Saviour beside me." (Hosea 13:4)
"The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour; thou savest me from violence." (2 Samuel 22:3)
She was chosen from among all women to bare the Christ Child
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song
46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song
46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
I always thought these verses are support for Jesus being God.
Only God can save, not man.
That she was chosen to be the Mother of our Lord. I don't hold to a sinless Mary nor one who remained a virgin after Jesus was born.
Invoking God to look favorably on them
The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them
As in Mary's case the angel invoked/pronounced divine favor upon her as she was set apart to be the mother of Gods Christ
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
The last line is poor. It is better translated as And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (RSVCE)
The Greek kecharitomene is the perfect passive participle of the Greek charitoo. It means endowed with grace. The Greek perfect tense denotes something which took place in the past and continues in the present.
"It is permissible, on Greek grammatical and linguistic grounds, to paraphrase kecharitomene as completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace." (Blass and DeBrunner, Greek Grammar of the New Testament, (University of Chicago Press, 1961), 166; H.W. Smyth, Greek Grammar (Cambridge Harvard University Press, 1968, sect 1852:b. - citation from Dave Armstong's A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, p178)
The Protestant Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament says:
"Highly favored (kecharitomene). Perfect passive participle of charitoo and means endowed with grace (charis), enriched with grace as in Eph 1:6.... The Vulgate gratiae plena "is right if it means'full of grace which thou hast received''; wrong , if it means 'full of grace which thou hast to bestow." (Plummer)
Saint Jerome, who was trilingual in Latin, Geek and Hebrew translated it as gratiae plena (full of grace) in the Vulgate (beginning of 5th century).
Does this define what it means to be blessed or is it defining how to invoke a blessing from God?
I think what it means to be blessed is to receive favor from God. I can request a blessing from God but it is God who ultimately extends the blessing. In fact, we often ask for Him to bless our meals, our time together, bless our worship service, bless our weekly prayer breakfast, bless those we lift in prayer, etc. But in the final analysis, it is God who blesses.
The law had curses and "blessings" as in the Lords anger to actively punish or the Lords favor to actively provide for the peoples well being.
In regard to Adam and Eve before they sinned water came up from the ground and watered the garden.
That favor was revoked after they sinned and it was stated God cursed the ground and Adam would have to labor with the ground as in plant and water the plants to grow food. So it went from freely provided to work hard for to obtain.
What God gives He gives freely (grace). What one receives "from man" they might have to work hard for.
Mary was a humble servant of the Lord who was highly favored and chosen by God to bear the Christ child.
and she stated from now on all nations will call me blessed. Not the same to me as one who is sinless. And note "From now on" as in considering the Mary before that moment.
We all are "sanctified" by faith in Jesus.
Paul was chosen by grace but he was sanctified by faith in Jesus. Jesus waited and when He saw Paul praying then He sent Ananias for Paul's healing and receiving the Spirit and he was baptized.
To me there is only one who was without sin and therefore never a slave to sin to be freed. The Son of the Most High God.
You are free to believe in a sinless Mary but it is not a belief I share with you.
As in asking God to invoke His favor on someone? You were sanctified by your faith in Jesus so you wouldn't be asking for that again.
Yes I see "favor" from God not sanctification from God.
But know God works for the good of those "who love Him" already.
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So while I am not a Calvinist I can see God favoring the humble and poor over the rich and proud.
The word BLESSING in Italian is very easy to understand.
Benedire.
It means to speak well of.
It's asking God to think well of you.
When we bless an inanimate object we're asking God to help us to use it for Him, or to His glory.
If a house is blessed we ask that its occupants recognize God's presence and love and we should love God back and use the house well, as in getting along with each other, for instance. Sharing with our friends, etc.
God bless you...
May God think well of you.
May He speak well of you.
May He let you feel His presence.