I need some help reconciling Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and the Immaculate Conception.
Mary was conceived without original sin - how does that jive with “all have sinned”?
This is a standard Fundamentalist Bible verse - I need some help defending the faith.
God Bless you during the Christmas Octave!
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Hey DM,
This might be somewhat repetitious because I did not have the time to read everyones posts due to the late start on catching this thread, sorry.
Rom 3:23 is talking about personal ( actual ) sin not original sin. We don’t get into original sin until chapter 5.
St. Paul just told these Judaisers that they were no different than the gentiles ( considered sinners ) This would have been a shock to them. They thought that just by circumcision, once they entered into to the covenant, that there was no way that they could ever fall from grace. Sounds kinda familiar to modern day OSAS, doesn’t it. ( All one has to do is believe & heaven is yours no matter what )
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One would have to ask does all mean everybody ? Nope ! Did Jesus sin ? How about a 6 month old baby that dies ? How about someone severely mentally retarded ? Is it possible for any of them to sin ?
Just like the way that people interpret Rom 3:10ff. If you read the whole Psalm (14) you see that these people that don't seek God & don't do good are persecuting God's people ( vss. 3 & 4 )
If we look at Acts 17:27 we would have scripture contradicting scripture. Could this be so ? We do indeed seek God.
If we look at 1 Tim 2:4, God wills all to be saved. Are all going to be saved ? ( Mt 7:21 )
If we look at 1 Pet 3:9, God wills that none should perish but that all come to repentance. Will all come to repentance ?
Jesus would of sinned & probably would of been stoned by disrespecting His mother in public by calling her woman. In context He called her woman for a reason ( Gen 3:15 ) Eve did not get her name until the fall of man, before that she was known as the woman. What state of grace was the woman created in ?
Hopefully these little tidbits can be of some help to you. If not, just keep asking questions. My experience out here is that there are many knowledgeable folks of the faith that will be more than happy to help.
May God Bless, Static ( 1 Tim 1:15 )