Sincerity doesn’t count, if the doctrine is wrong, you who follow are sincerely wrong. Those people who obeyed their leaders to commit suicide, were they not sincere? Yes they were sincere; otherwise they will not give their lives for their belief. If the doctrine is wrong, it is wrong. Period! No one can go to heaven, regardless of how sincere they may be. Pure doctrine is important. Beware of any contaminated gospel that you believe and follow. Because it will be a waste of your time, a waste of your money and a waste of your life. It will be a waste of everything.
(Matthew 16:5-12) And the disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread. And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” And they began to discuss among themselves, saying, “It is because we took no bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves, that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets you took up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Let us begin by studying what is the truth and what is a lie. What is pure and what is a contaminated gospel:
(John 14:6) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
(Acts 4:8-12) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved.”
(I Timothy 2:5) “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
1. Jesus is the only way to heaven.
2. Jesus is the only Mediator.
3. Jesus’ name is the only name, where by men must be saved.
Then why is it that Catholics say that Mary is also the mediator? They say that she is also the way to Heaven and in her name, Catholics will be saved. That is why they pray to Mary more than any other gods or to any other saints even to Jesus. What kind of doctrine is this?
Where can you find in the Bible that people worshiped Mary? Where can you find in the Bible that Christians prayed to Mary?
Mary was just an ordinary woman which God uses. Let us read the text in John 2:1-4; And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and Jesus also was invited and his disciples to the wedding. And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman” what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come”.
It is shocking for anyone to hear the way Jesus talked to Mary. There was no reservation at all. He bluntly called Mary, “Woman”. The Bible says that Jesus is the creator of the entire universe so it is clear that He was the one who also created Mary. It is so amazing that the creator became part of his creation. Jesus is God and He knows the future. He knew that time will come and that the devil will entice people to worship Mary. That’s one of the reasons why he called Mary, “woman”.
How are you going to adore and venerate a mother god with many children? The devil hides the truth by making people ignorant of the Bible. Mary has other children. (Matthew 1:24-25) And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth to a son. That means, after Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had physical relation and then bore other children. What was wrong with that? They were legally married. Why can’t they have sex together?
(Luke 2:7) And she gave birth to her first-born Son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. The Bible mentioned first-born that means there will be other children to be born from Mary after she gave birth to Jesus. Otherwise the Bible should have stated only child. But to mention first born, so there will be second, third and so on.
The Bible mentioned his brother’s names and He has sisters too. These are not Jesus’ cousins (as Catholic priests will explain) because it mentioned His sisters otherwise it will plainly says cousins. But no! These were Mary’s children. (Matthew13:53-56) And it came about that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. And coming to His hometown He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” The names of Jesus’ brothers were mentioned. It was James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. The Bible mentioned his sisters, (plural) maybe two or more.
His brothers themselves did not believe in Him:
(John 7:1-5) And after these things Jesus was walking in Galilee; for He was unwilling to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. Now the feast of the Booths was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here, and go into Judea, that your disciples also may behold your works which you are doing. For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even His brothers believed in Him.
Why is it that their statement to Jesus sounds sarcastic and it is clear that they were antagonist towards him? First I will explain what Nazareth was. Nazareth used to be a Roman military base and that place was a crossroad. Where there is military base certainly there are also prostitutes and children of foreigners are rampant. At that time, Nazareth had a bad reputation that is why Nathaniel in John 1:46, he said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” People suspect that Jesus was a son of a foreigner; in John 8:48 the Jews answered him “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan?” (Meaning a mix blood not a pure Jew). When people called the Lord, “Jesus of Nazareth”, it was a derogatory remark because Nazareth has a bad reputation, but the Lord accepts it. Jesus owns brothers hate him. Let us read Psalm 69:8, “I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons.” In verse 12; “Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.”
The archaeological evidence found in Nazareth seems to indicate the site was a Roman military camp in the early first century. A sophisticated, heated Roman bath house from the early first century has been found beneath a shop called the “Cactus”. The bath house was determined to be early first century because the Roman design for bath houses changed to a more efficient design in the later part of the first century. The location of Nazareth for a military camp makes sense because it is only 3 miles from the major city of Sepphoris, plus it is also located above the plain of Jezreel, also known as the plain of Megiddo, where many armies have fought.
Why was it that his brothers did not believe? Didn’t Mary tell them about the appearance of an angel; and told her that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? (Luke 1:26-37) There were many miracles that happened when Jesus was born. There were wise men that visited Jesus who gave their gifts. There were shepherds who reported that they saw and heard an Angel proclaiming that the Savior was born. There was the dream of Joseph of an Angel warning them to leave because Herod was seeking to kill the newborn baby Jesus. Why didn’t they know that Jesus was the promised Messiah? God purposely erased those happenings from Mary and Joseph’s memory otherwise they would have mentioned those things to their children and they would have believed Jesus. The answer is in first Corinthians 2:7-8, “But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory”. It is clear that God hides it so no one at that time remembered about the miraculous birth of Jesus. Mary herself did not remember.
When Jesus began teaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God, the people were saying he has an unclean spirit. They thought He was demon possessed. Mary and her sons thought that Jesus was out of His mind. They went to the place where Jesus was teaching the crowd and they attempted to take Him home.
(Mark 3:30-35) “Because they were saying “He has unclean spirit and His mother and brothers arrived and standing outside they sent word to Him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.” And answering them, He said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold my mother and my brothers for whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Jesus did not give special attention to Mary. He even denied Mary and his brothers.
Jesus did not agree with the woman in the crowd who shouted about Mary being specially blest. (Luke 11:27-28) “And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breast at which you nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God, and observe it.”
We read in the Bible that Jesus is God the Creator. He was the one who created Mary. Mary was just an ordinary woman used by God as a vessel. Mary herself needs a Savior, she said in (Luke 1:46-47),“My soul exalt the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.”
Jesus’ family finally believed in Him when He was resurrected. They have just realized that Jesus was not an ordinary man, but the Lord God Almighty. In the book of acts Jesus’ brothers and sisters along with Mary were together with the apostles. They continually prayed in the upper room. James, His half brother was the prominent leader in the church in Jerusalem later on, (not Peter). Jude, another half brother was the one who wrote the letter that bore his name in the New Testament.
So where was Mary’s special place? She was just an ordinary Christian like you and I that cannot boast in our prominence or of our being specially blest. We are all equal in terms of salvation. At the time of the apostles, nobody thought that Mary would be exalted above other saints or be worshiped as god. Nobody prayed to her. Nobody worshiped her.
Only at the time when the church became a harlot or a prostitute and when the church adopted the Babylonian religion doctrine that people began to worship Mary. Long before Christ was born pagans worshiped the queen of heaven as a mother god (Jer.7:18). At the time of Constantine’s reign in A.D. 313, Constantine was used by Satan to contaminate the gospel. Contaminated gospel is no gospel at all.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life no one can come to the Father but through Me.” (Jesus is the only way not Mary!)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men, by whom we must be saved.” We will be saved only in the name of Jesus Christ. (Not in the name of Mary!)
There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus. The word only, means ALONE. Mary cannot be a co-mediator.
Jesus said, “Watch out, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Beware of the contaminated teaching. As I have said, sincerity does not count. Even how sincere you may be in your belief if the doctrine is wrong you are sincerely wrong! Pure doctrine is very important.
Continue to read the next topic “THE SIN OF IDOLATRY“
