Among Women

“And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28)

If you have been reading my devotionals the last few days you probably correctly concluded that I strongly believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

Our text says that the angel said to Mary, “Blessed art thou among women.” When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, who was also expecting a child, Elizabeth also greeted Mary by saying, “Blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:42)  Neither of these two greetings says more than blessed art thou AMONG women, not ABOVE women. Nowhere in the Bible is Mary singled out as being “ABOVE” women or above men, for that matter.

The conception was miraculous and the birth was miraculous. But the miraculous conception and birth are not to be confused with the dogma, “The Immaculate Conception.” This doctrine,  propagated by some religions, states that Mary’s soul was preserved free from original sin by divine grace. Some have even held that Mary herself was born of a virgin.

When the Bible says, “All have sinned…(Romans 3:23) the word “all” includes Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Billy Graham, the pope and even yours truly. Only of Jesus Christ the Son of God could it be said He was sinless. His divine sinless deity came not from His mother, but from His Father, God.