Is Mary, Mother of Jesus a Virgin? Does Jesus have brothers?

By Shaila Touchton Virgin birth was a wonderful and miraculous demonstration of God' power (Luke1:31).Mary did not bore other children besides Jesus Christ. She was vowed to a life of virginity. 1.Isaiah 7:14 which says "therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel". Sin did not have dominion over her because she was not under the law but under grace.( Romans 6:14). Mary was "full of grace" (Luke 1:28) and "blessed" (Luke 1:42). Mary is the Mother of God. She was chosen out of all the women in the world that ever existed. Mary is the mother of Jesus, and because Jesus is God, Mary is the Mother of God. Mary was full of grace (Luke 1:28, Luke 1:34), without sin, Jesus can not be born of sinful women. She has been virgin, Pure, Godly conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25). Mary was saved from all sin because she bore our Lord Jesus Christ(Gal 4:4).Hence she has to be sinless to give birth to Christ because Jesus can not exist by original sin of Adam. Mother Mary is the one who nursed, fed, taught Jesus Christ, she was made a pure vessel for the Word of the Lord. Consider the following verse: "Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut." (Ezekiel 44:2). This has always been interpreted by the Fathers of the Church to be a typological reference to the Virgin Mary. Many Christians are so defensive of sin because they have not been able to stop sinning in their own strength and effort. They fabricate arguments and quote "no one can be perfect" or "no one can really live without sin anyway" or 'There is none righteous, no, not one". Many often forget Jesus said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48). Many people pick and choose the bible verse to defend themselves that suits their life style but ignore rest of the verses. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good" (Titus 2:11-14). God says that saints are made free from sin and have became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). Adam, Abel, Joseph the Earthly Father of Jesus Christ ,Enoch, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Rahab, Ruth, Debrorah, John Baptist, Zacharias and Elisabeth, the parents of John the Baptist ,Miraim ,Mary Mother of Jesus(Judith 13:18, Luke 1:48) and many others were all found righteous before the Lord. 2.Luke 1:47: And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Mary can be viewed as a parallel to the Tabernacle of the Lord, as constructed by Moses In Exodus 40:34-35 and in Luke 1:35. We know Gods word says that through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.( Proverbs 16:6).The word of God keeps from sinning (Psalms 17:4, Psalms 119:11). God's word says that No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:9). Mother Mary has submitted herself to God, resisted the devil (James 4:7).Even though she was capable of sinning but she did not choose to sin. The grace of God taught her no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:11-12). By the Grace she was saved and it was Gods gift on Mother Mary.( Ephesians 2:8-9). Lord Jesus commits His Mother into the care of John rather than her husband Joseph, at the crucifixion. In a Jewish tradition care of a mother would fall to the second born if the firstborn died Since she was without other children, her Son Jesus gives her into the care of his disciple John. She was chosen by the Father to bear His Only-Begotten Son, gave birth to the Savior of the world, and was the first person in history to receive Christ as her Savior. Consequently, she is our model of obedience and submission; of purity and holiness; of humility and royalty. Mary is called the mother of Jesus (Matt. 1: 18; 13:55; Mark 3:31; 32; 6:3; Luke 2:33; 43:48; John 2:1; 19:26; Acts 1:14). 3.Luke 8:21 - And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. Here BRETHREN is a plural word for 'brother' in our modern dictionaries. There is no word in Bible that means the "brethren of the Lord "are called "children" or "sons of Mary". Mary remained a virgin with the birth of Christ (Matt. 1:23, Luke 1:27, 23:53), hence she is called Virgin.Brtethren means His "brothers" and "sisters" of His extended family. To accuse Virgin Mary after she had Jesus was not virgin is to deny this belief, is in essence to deny that Jesus Christ is God's Son. 4."Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his BRETHREN, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his SISTERS, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" Matthew 13:55-56 Does it ever say that these other children are the children of Mary? No, it says that they are the "brothers of Jesus". According to Matthew, the women, who followed Jesus, were "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee." [Matt. 27:56) .Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome,... and also many other women." [Mark 15:4). According to both verses James and Joseph (or Joses) are the sons of Mary. But this Mary is not referred to as the mother of Jesus. Mary the mother of James and Joseph is distinct from the mother of the sons of Zebedee who is referred to as Mary Salome, and the other references to mother of James refer to Mary of James. 5.Galatians 1:19:But other of the apostles saw I none, save James THE LORD'S BROTHER." In Mark 15:40, we read, "There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome." It is clear from this verse that Mary, the mother of James and Joses was not Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Bible makes reference to more than one Mary. 'If Mary would have had other children, the prophecy regarding the virginity of Mary, Mother of Jesus would not have been fulfilled in Mt. 1:22-23 which says 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us. Mary the wife of Clopas, who is Mary's sister, is the mother of James and Joses, etc. there are six different women named as Mary in the New Testament: Mary, mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; Mary of Bethany; Mary mother of James the younger; Mary mother of John Mark; and Mary of Rome. From John 19:26 we know that When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Here we know that Jesus commits the care of the Virgin Mary to the Apostle John Which was unacceptable if she had other children. If the oldest child dies, the care of the mother falls to the next oldest child. If the oldest child is the only child, it is his responsibility to appoint someone to care for his mother in the case that he dies. We can see that Jesus acts as if He is the only child of Mary. Mary was a virgin who was to conceive by being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God. 6.Matthew 1:25 "And he knew her not till she had brought forth her FIRSTBORN son: and he called his name JESUS." Here again the Protestants misinterpret as first born means that Mother Mary had other childrens. This is false accusations.First Born doesn't necessarily mean the first of several children (Ex. 13:2). God commanded that all "firstborns" must be redeemed from Him (Ex. 13:2-15; 34:19; Ps. 78:51). Paul refers to Jesus spiritually as the "firstborn" of all Christians since He opened the gates of Heaven. [Rom. 8:29]. Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15-19, Hebrews 11:28 and Hebrews 12:23, and Revelation 1:5, the first born is applied here as Jesus being a l Heir of the Kingdom, attesting that He is truly "first in all things." Jesus Himself indicated that He was the heir of all creation.( Colossians 2:9-10,Hebrews 1:2, Revelation 3:14. The correct interpretation is Colossians 1:15-21 "And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God. Jesus is the only-begotten son of Mary. 7. Psalm 69:8: I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons. Here First lets read the verses Psalm 69:4-9 4: More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? 5: O God, thou knowest my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from thee. 6: Let not those who hope in thee be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek thee be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. 7: For it is for thy sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face. 8: I have become a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's sons. 9: For zeal for thy house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult thee have fallen on me. The verse Psalm 69:8 is same as John 15:25:25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason. Psalms 69:8 doesn't saying nothing about blood brothers or sisters of Jesus Christ. David is the youngest of eight sons in 1 Samuel17:12-14. David wrote most of the Psalms and he is saying most about himself and also the promise of foreshadowing the Messiah who was to come. David's older brothers were not accepted by God to be king and when they witnessed their youngest brother being anointed ((1 Samuel 16:3 -13). The whole paragraph from Psalm 69:4-9 is partly messianic and many parts of it does not apply for Jesus Christ. Because the verse Psalm 69:5 is talking about David himself not Jesus Christ because David was a sinner and he was a Coveter, Adulterer and a Murder.( 2 Samuel 11). The passage applies only to David and he is talking about his brothers in Psalm 69 and not Jesus Christ .Jesus Can not sin (1 Peter 2:22, Hebrews 4:15, 1 John 3:5) as it says in Psalm 69: 5. 39,000 different Protestant denominations today are interpreting Scripture on their personal individual opinions taking Holy Scripture out of context Causing errors. 8. Matthew 1:24 :And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Protestants say after the birth of Jesus Christ Mary and Joseph did not refrain from marital relations UNTIL baby Jesus was born. Protestants often misinterpret the scripture and often neglect Isaiah 55:8-9 which says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" . Bible repeatedly warns us about those who spread error. 2 Timothy 4:3 reminds us that "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear". Jesus was both divine and human and the life of Jesus and Gods plan to His birth can not be compared merely on human wisdom or carnal nature. God's standards for holiness are high when compared to human beings. We humans think in carnal mind. The Bible does not teach contradictory doctrines. These preachers hold the Bible up and say, "We preach the Bible". That is what we do they say but they have forgotten that they are sowing seeds of hatred in the minds of their followers and are DIVIDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 1Corinthians 1:10 says I plead with you brothers, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be "no divisions" among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. Protestants love to quote scripture Romans 3:23" For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" if this is true then Able, Noah and Enoch declares them PERFECT in their generation. Bible CLEARLY States in numerous passages that Children are born innocent with no knowledge of right or wrong. (Rom9:11, Ecc7:29, Duet1:39). We have freedom in Christ (Gal. 5:1) but this freedom is not to indulge the sinful nature (Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet 2:16). Many places through the Scriptures, wherever God resided was deemed a sacred place. Whether we are talking about Jacob's ladder to heaven, Moses and the burning bush, Mount Sinai, the Ark of the Covenant, or the Holy of Holies in the temple, those places were treated with respect, and became sacred, that is, sanctified and dedicated to the sole use of God's purpose, and not human. Marys womb was the temple of God. God lived in the womb of Mary, its unthinkable to think that Joseph would dare to defile the temple of God . The word "until" implies that an action did not take place up to a certain point. It says nothing of what happened after that point. Lets consider few examples , 2 Sam 6:23 says, "Michal the daughter of Saul had no children until [heõs] the day of her death." This can not mean that she had children after her death. Genesis 8:7, "He sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, 'until' the waters were dried up off the earth." This doesn't mean that the raven stopped flying after? Deut 34:6 , Moses died, "...and no one knows his grave 'until' this day." Have we found Moses' grave? 1 Macc 5:54, "...not one of them was slain 'until' they had returned in peace." Were they slain afterward? Luke 1:80, John the Baptist "...was in the deserts 'until' the day of his manifestation to Israel." Did he stay in the desert? (Matt 3:1; Mark 1:3-4; Luke 3:2-4) Rom 8:22, "For we know that all creation groans and travails in pain 'until' now." Does it still groan? 1 Tim 4:13, "'Until' I come, be diligent in reading, in exhortation and in teaching." When Paul has come is there no more reading, no more exhorting, and no more teaching? 1 Tim 6:14, "....that you keep the commandment without stain, blameless 'until' the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" When Jesus comes back, do we still obey the commandment? Rev 2:25-26, "But that which you have hold fast 'til' I come. And to him who overcomes, and who keeps My works 'until' the end, I will give authority over the nations." Should we stop holding fast and stop keeping His works when He returns? Lk 1:34, "Then said Mary unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" This shows Mary had no relations with a man before and was virgin. 2Sam 6:23, "...the daughter of Saul had no child 'until' the day of her death." Did she have a child after she died? Jesus' brethren (Matt 13:55; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19; John 2:12, 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal 1:9). In short we can read as Zebedee & Salome begat - James and John (Mt 4:21,Mk 1:19, Mk 3:17, Mt 27:56, Mk 15:40) Cleophas (Alphaeus) & Mary (the other Mary) begat - James (the less), Joseph (Joses), and Jude (Mt 10:2-3, Jn 19:25, Acts 1:13, Mt 27:56,61, 28:1, Jn 19:25) THE HOLY SPIRIT (Lk 1:35-38) - begat Jesus Christ the son of God through the Virgin Mary (Lk 1:30-38) We can read one more example , Jesus stretched out his hand towards his disciples he pointed out his mother and disciples.( (Matt 12:49-50) If one interprets brothers as siblings one has to interpret 500 brothers as same interpretation which is impossible in 1Cor 15:6. Conclusion: In Hebrew and in Aramaic there is no word of cousin and they most are often called as brethren. Jesus' "Brothers" (adelphoi)) = Cousins or Kinsmen in Hebrew. Luke 1:36 - Elizabeth is Mary's kinswoman. Some Bibles translate kinswoman as "cousin," but this is an improper translation because in Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for "cousin." In Luke 22:32 Jesus tells Peter to strengthen his "brethren." We can clearly see that Jesus used brethren to apostles not to his biological brothers. Acts 1:12-15,Acts 7:26; 11:1; 13:15,38; 15:3,23,32; 28:17,21 - these are some of many other examples where "brethren" does not mean blood relations. Rom. 9:3 - Paul uses "brethren" and "kinsmen" interchangeably. "Brothers" of Jesus does not prove Mary had other children. Gen. 11:26-28 - Lot is Abraham's nephew ("anepsios") / Gen. 13:8; 14:14,16 - Lot is still called Abraham's brother (adelphos") . This proves that, although a Greek word for cousin is "anepsios," Scripture also uses "adelphos" to describe a cousin. Gen. 29:15 - Laban calls Jacob is "brother" even though Jacob is his nephew. Again, this proves that brother means kinsmen or cousin. Deut. 23:7; 1 Chron. 15:5-18; Jer. 34:9; Neh. 5:7 -"brethren" means kinsmen. Hebrew and Aramaic have no word for "cousin." 2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 9:13, 20:32 - here we see that "brethren" can even be one who is unrelated (no bloodline), such as a friend. 2 Kings 10:13-14 - King Ahaziah's 42 "brethren" were really his kinsmen. 1 Chron. 23:21-22 - Eleazar's daughters married their "brethren" who were really their cousins. Neh. 4:14; 5:1,5,8,10,14 - these are more examples of "brothers" meaning "cousins" or "kinsmen." Tobit 5:11 - Tobit asks Azarias to identify himself and his people, but still calls him "brother." Amos 1: 9 - brotherhood can also mean an ally where there is no bloodline. So throughout in the Old Testament and in New Testament mother of Jesus is called Virgin Mary. Because she indeed is a virgin. google-site-verification: google750ed417e48c90c4.html