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who, when called upon to provide a body for the Lord Jesus Christ in which He could suffer and die, was yielded and obedient to God. But she was a real woman who had a normal life as a wife and mother after that wondrous experience of the birth of Jesus. After His birth, she and Jo seph — a pious and compassionate man — apparently lived together happily and had at least six chil dren, maybe more, all of course younger than the Lord Jesus. It must have been a wonderful home in Nazareth; there is little said of those years when Jesus lived at home with His mother and His foster-father, Joseph. He limited Himself to the life in a poor carpenter’s home and developed naturally through every stage of life—yet without sin. Mary knew Him as her Saviour; at the announcement of His birth she said, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” She was a wonderful wom an, but still just a woman and not more than a woman. Jesus loved and honored her and at His death com mitted her to the care of John. She had no place in the redemptive work of Christ. She is not a member of the Godhead. She was not born mi raculously nor did she return to Heaven without dying. She is no me diatrix between God and man or be tween Christ and man. There is only one Mediator — Christ, as plainly stated in I Timothy 2:5. Mary is last mentioned in the Bible in Acts 1:4 where with the disciples she waited in the upper room for the descent of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is said of her death or that of Jo seph although it is assumed that she was a widow at the time Jesus was crucified, for otherwise Jesus would not have assigned her to the care of His beloved disciple. As for the brothers (or really, half-brothers, for God was the Fa ther of Jesus), they are mentioned in I Corinthians 9 :5 as workers in the church. James, apparently the eld est of the four brothers, became a leader in the Jerusalem church Gal. 1:19; Gal. 2:9) and apparently
he wrote the Epistle of James. Oth er mention of him is made in Acts 12:17: 15:13; 21:18. It is believed that Judas was the author of the Epistle of Jude. The brothers did not at first believe in Christ as the Mes siah but later all came to believe in Him and at least James died a mar tyr for his faith. ASTROLOGY Q, Do you think the stars have anything to do with our destiny? Should we consult them for guid ance? A. No. Our destiny is decided by our relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is the guidebook which we should consult to learn the will of God for our lives. BEARDS Q. Should men wear beards now- a-days? I know many of them did in Old Testament days. A. Well, I suppose one could say this is a matter of personal taste. Many show people have adopted this fad. It certainly makes them con spicuous in a world that is mostly clean shaven. In the Bible both bearded and unbearded are men tioned (Psalm 133:2; Gen. 41:14). SELAH Q. What does the word “ Selah ” mean? It is mentioned in the Psalms and in Hab. 3:3, 9, 13. A . The word literally means eleva tion. It does occur 71 times in Psalms and also in the Habakkuk passage to which you have referred. Stainer gives six opinions as to its meaning: (1) a pause; (2) repeti tion, like da capo; (3) the end o f a strophe; (4) a playing with full power as fortissimo; (5) a bending of the body, an obeisance; and (6) a short, recurring symphony as a ritornello. Likely it meant most often an orchestral interlude or a pause, for the Psalms were sung. 27
WORLDLY PLEASURES Q. Can you give me a good rule by which I can judge worldly pleasures ? It is so hard to know what is right and what is wrong in this regard. A. Well, how about I Corinthians 10:31: “ . . . Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” ? Can you sincerely ask the Lord to bless what ever you are about to engage in? Will it hurt someone else’s faith? Will it help you spiritually, mentally or physically? Q. Please tell me what Scriptures show that Christ has brothers and sisters bom to Mary and Joseph after His birth. Why do the Roman Catholics claim this is not true? What became of them and Mary? A . Two passages, Matthew 13:55, 56 and Mark 6:3, which are almost identical, give the names of these brothers and mention the sisters. We know that there were at least two sisters "because of the use of the plural. These brothers of Jesus are also mentioned, in company with Mary, in Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 3:31- 35 and Luke 8:19-21. Matthew 13:55, 56 reads as follows: “ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? and his breth ren, James, and Joses [Greek form for Joseph], and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? . . .” The Catholic Douay New Testa ment contains a footnote on this passage “ explaining” that these “brethren” were not the children of Mary the wife of Joseph but of Mary the wife of Cleophas. Of course this is not supported by fact at all. For some inexplicable reason the Catholics insist upon believing in the perpetual virginity of Mary. It is part of the Mariolatry that makes of her a saint and practically a goddess. The Word of God reveals her as a godly young Israelite girl MAY, 1965 d J D I C T ' C BROTHERS AND SISTERS
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