Fundamentalist Christians who believe in the doctrine “Sola Scriptura” (Bible Alone) set a trap for themselves when they make this claim. Where does the Bible say that all doctrine needs to be explicitly found in the Bible?
Protestants use 2 Tim 3:16 to defend Sola Scriptura, but the fact of the matter is there is nothing in this verse that even hints at the Bible being the sole rule of faith to the exclusion of everything else.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
This is a beautiful verse, but it does not teach Sola Scriptura. Catholics believe in the Bible, but we also believe in the Oral Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church.
St Paul tells us in 2 Thess 2:15, “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” St Paul sounds awfully Catholic to me! He exhorts us to hold to the truth that has been passed down either orally from Christ and his apostles (Oral Tradition) or by what was written down by letter (Scripture).
Here is the first key to answering the question above. Catholic Dogma does not need to be explicitly mentioned in Scripture, it only needs to be implicitly mentioned in Scripture. The second key is that Scripture cannot directly contradict the Dogma. This should be obvious. Apostolic Tradition does not contradict the Bible.
So, let’s dive in. To see if the Dogma Mary is the “Mother of God” is unbiblical, let’s test the above.
- Are the words “Mother of God” used in the Bible? Actually, no, but that’s okay; they don’t need to be
- Is the concept “Mother of God” found in the Bible? Yes
- Does the Bible directly teach Mary is not the Mother of God? No
A beautiful scene from the Bible that shows Mary to be the Mother of God is the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. In this passage, Mary is revealed as the New Ark of the Covenant.
How do we know this? There are striking similarities between the way Elizabeth greets Mary in Luke 1 and how King David “greets” the Ark of the Covenant as it is brought before him in 2 Samuel 6.
In Luke 1:43, Elizabeth greets Mary by saying “How is it granted to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” In 2 Samuel 6:9, King David says, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?
In Luke 1:41, St John leapt in Elizabeth’s womb at the sound of her (Mary) greeting. In 2 Sam 6:16, King David leapt for joy in the presence of the Ark.
In Luke 1:56, Mary stays with Elizabeth for 3 months. In 2 Sam 6:11, The Ark stayed with Obededom for 3 months.
These are just a few examples, but Mary is being revealed here as the New Ark of the Covenant.
Why is this significant for revealing Mary to be the Mother of God? In Exodus 25, God gives Moses instructions for how to build the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, inside the Tabernacle, and was transported through the wilderness by the Israelites. Only Moses and the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies. Why? Because God’s presence would appear on the mercy seat above the Ark. This was the most holy of all holy places.
Hold onto your hats people! This is where we start having fun!
The Ark of the Covenant marked the Lord God’s intimate presence among His people. This is where God would appear and encounter His people. If Mary is being revealed as the New Ark of the Covenant, then Mary is the New Covenant mark of the Lord God’s intimate presence among His people. This is where God would appear to encounter His people!
The Ark of the Covenant contained The Manna (Ex 16), The Ten Commandments (Ex 20) and Aaron’s Rod (Num 17). But Mary contains the fulfilment of these types. Jesus is The True bread from heaven (John 6:32), The Word Made Flesh (John 1:14) and Our True High Priest (Heb 3:1).
Even though the actual words “Mother of God” are not found in Scripture, the concept certainly is. If you believe Jesus is God, it is really not hard to see that Mary is the Mother of God! She is the New Ark where God appears – in her womb – to encounter His people.
I don’t know about you, but I love being Catholic!
