Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20111204.htm

CHRISTMAS INTERLUDE
The TRUE Angel Gabriel's TRUE Christmas Message Of Hope
Part I: God's FULL Grace Unto ALL TRUE Believers
(Luke 1:26-30)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    The Angel Gabriel plays a key role in three major world religions -- in Christendom, in Islam and in Judaism, and beliefs about his role and words are a great concern to millions of people worldwide:

    For example, the Roman Catholic Church claims that when Gabriel appeared to Mary in Luke 1:28, He said: "Hail (Mary), full of grace . . .'" (Robert C. Broderick, ed., The Cath. Ency., 1986, p. 254). This "full of grace" term came from Jerome's Latin Vulgate translation (circa. A. D. 400) that rose from his high view of Mary's virginity that in turn came from his reliance on the Pseudo-Gospel of Mary and the Protevangelium of James, works not found in any Christian Bible. (christianitytoday.com, "Hail Mary," by David Lyle Jeffrey, 7/1/2004). Nevertheless, the Vulgate's claim that Mary is "full of grace" has let the Roman Catholic Church assert she is a bestower of God's grace (bible.org, Luke 1:28, ftn. 91): its Catechism, par. 722, claims that since Mary was "full of grace' . . . (s)he was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin . . ." (carm.org, "Mary, full of grace, and Luke 1:28) Catholic.com claims this "Full of Grace'" term implies Mary's "role as the New Eve . . . her Immaculate Conception, her spiritual motherhood of all Christians, and her Assumption into heaven." (Ibid.)

    Consequently, the Roman Catholic Church has come to teach that one must go through Mary for salvation! Canonized saint Bishop Alphonse de Liguori wrote in The Glories of Mary, 1931, p. 169, 170: "The Way of Salvation is open to none otherwise than through MARY . . . He who is protected by MARY will be saved, he who is not will be lost.'" (cited in Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, 1978, p. 139)

    For this reason, the "Hail Mary" Prayer, a prayer first based on the Angel Gabriel's Luke 1:28 words in the Latin Vulgate, a prayer that starts: "Hail Mary, full of grace . . .", has been directed by the Church to end with the request, "Holy Mary . . . pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." (Ibid., The Catholic Encyclopedia)

    Accordingly, many in Christendom believe that the Angel Gabriel's words to Mary in Luke 1:28 of the Latin Vulgate teach that since she is "full of grace," unless they seek her help by praying the "Hail Mary" for salvation, they will end up in hell!

    Thus, we ourselves ask, "Do Gabriel's words to Mary in Luke 1 mean she is our hope of salvation, that we must pray the Hail Mary' to her to escape hell and obtain eternal salvation?!"

    Need: "Did the Angel Gabriel tell Mary she was the giver of divine grace so that we must pray the Hail Mary' to her to gain salvation?"

  1. The Greek New Testament clarifies Gabriel's words to Mary:
    1. Gabriel's word "Hail!" (KJV & Latin Vulgate) to Mary in Luke 1:28 is from chaire, a common greeting used even by Jesus to the women who ran from His empty tomb when He told them, "Greetings!" (Matthew 28:9 NIV, ESV; U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 201; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 881-882)
    2. The Luke 1:28 word the Latin Vulgate renders "full of grace" and the KJV "highly favored" is kecharitomene, a perfect passive participle of the main verb charitoo, to "bestow favor upon," Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 887; Zondervan's The Analytical Grk. Lex., 1972, p. 230.
    3. The way this word is used here and elsewhere in the New Testament reveals that Mary was a recipient of God's grace, not a giver of it:
      1. The passive voice of kecharitomene in Luke 1:28 means Mary was there a recipient of God's favor, NOT its BESTOWER!
      2. Also, the way this verb is used elsewhere in Scripture indicates Mary has no role in saving the soul (as follows):
        1. This verb is used elsewhere in Scripture only in Ephesians 1:6 (Moulton & Geden, Conc. to the Greek Test., 1974, p. 1005).
        2. There it is translated "freely given" (NIV) where Paul wrote of the grace God bestowed on Christians in the Beloved One, in Christ, and Paul made no reference there to any role by Mary!
        3. That with which God has "freely given" believers in Ephesians 1:6 is noted in Ephesians 1:3-14, and Ephesians 1:7 claims this includes redemption from sin by Christ's blood and forgiveness of sins by God's grace with no mention of any role by Mary!
        4. Then, Ephesians 1:13-14 asserts believers are unconditionally kept saved in the salvation status God has freely given to them, a status guarded by God the Holy Spirit Who acts as God's seal of the believer's salvation until the day of redemption, the rapture of the Church, with no reference to any role by Mary!
        5. Thus, the believer's redemption, his forgiveness of sins and his unconditional salvation security are all "freely given" unto him (charitoo) by God without any reference to any role by Mary!
        6. If Mary is not named in these things, but is only a recipient of God's favor in Luke 1:28, she has no role in saving the soul!
    4. Also, the Angel Gabriel in the Luke 1 context at Luke 1:30 implied Mary was in a long line of other sinful but saved saints in the Bible:
      1. Luke 1:30 claims Gabriel told Mary that she had "found favor with God," a Hebrew expression used for how men like Noah (Genesis 6:8) and Moses (Exodus 33:17) had also found favor with God.
      2. Both Noah and Moses were saved sinners, implying that Mary was in a long line of godly, Old Testament saved sinners!
  2. APPLYING these findings reveals the Angel Gabriel intended that Mary be seen ONLY as a RECIPIENT of God's grace UNTO HER:
    1. First, the word, "Hail!" was an ordinary greeting, one used by Jesus to ordinary Christians saved by Him so that such a greeting does not itself suggest an exalted spiritual role for Mary, Luke 1:28; Matt. 28:9.
    2. Second, the passive voice of the participle, kecharitomene from the verb charitoo in Luke 1:28 shows Gabriel viewed Mary as a recipient of God's favor, NOT one who BESTOWS God's grace unto others!
    3. Third, the way the verb charitoo is used in Ephesians 1:6, this verb's only appearance in the New Testament outside of Luke 1:28, shows by the context that Mary has no role of granting grace unto others!
    4. Fourth, as this Ephesians 1:6 "freely given" grace (charitoo) of God includes redemption and forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), Mary has no role in providing redemption or forgiveness of sins for others!
    5. Fifth, since this Ephesians 1 "freely given" favor or charitoo of God to Christians also includes the sealing of God the Holy Spirit in unconditional salvation security, every believer in Christ is eternally secure NOT because of any need for Mary's involvement, BUT RATHER by the unconditional salvation sealing by the Holy Spirit!
    6. Sixth, the fact that nowhere in Ephesians 1 in the Greek Testament does Paul even refer to Mary (Ibid., Moulton & Geden, p. 615-616) shows that the believer's salvation is fully handled by God through Christ alone without any involvement by Mary!
    7. Seventh, the fact that Mary "found favor with God" like her Old Testament sinful but saved forefathers implies the Angel Gabriel saw her as being in a long line of saved sinners who were favored by God!
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for salvation from sin and hell, John 3:16. (2) Then, may we realize the Angel Gabriel spoke of Mary only as a recipient of God's grace like others, and (3) rest in our true, full salvation through Christ alone this Christmas!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 To reach out to Protestants for ecumenical unity, the Roman Catholic Church produced The New American Bible. According to the September 18, 1970 letter of the Pope that introduces this Bible, it was "produced in cooperation with our separated brethren," the expression "separated brethren" meaning Protestants.

Of note, Luke 1:28 in that Bible reads: "And coming to her, he [the Angel Gabriel] said, Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.'" (Ibid., p. 1093) Thus, Jerome's A. D. 400 Latin Vulgate words, "Hail, full of grace" is modified in The New American Bible with the expression, "Hail, favored one", a peaceful gesture toward Protestants!

Actually, there is nothing wrong with The New American Bible translation of this verse! It accurately represents the perfect passive form of the participle for the verb charitoo! However, the Roman Catholic Church even after Vatican II still holds to the Latin Vulgate's "full of grace" expression and so extols an elaborate, false theology of Mary's Immaculate Conception, her spiritual motherhood of all Christians and her Assumption to heaven, and directs the "Hail Mary!" prayer to be said by the Roman Catholic devout allegedly to secure Mary's help in the salvation of their souls. (Ibid., Boettner, "Preface to the Fifth Edition," p. x-xii; Henry Bettenson, ed., Documents of the Christian Church, p. 368 ["The Council of Trent (1545-63): On Scripture and Tradition"])

Thus, beyond correctly translating Luke 1:28 in The New American Bible, we hold that the Roman Catholic Church also must recant all of its unbiblical exaltations of Mary and the errant translation of Luke 1:28 in the Latin Vulgate that opened the door for these errors to rise! Until then, we hold firmly to the points made in this sermon!



May we rest in the truth that the Angel Gabriel presented Mary as being very blessed by God to be a RECIPIENT of His favor to bear the Messiah and Incarnate Son of God. She was "graced" like the rest of us believers in Christ are richly "graced" of God in our salvation in Christ. May we REJOICE in God's grace this Christmas, and rest in what Christ has done for us!