Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

In my opinion, God chose Mary for multiple reasons:

1) Because of God's undoubted knowledge and foreknowledge of her personal and spiritual qualities, and of her ability to raise the Son of God and to successfully endure the trials that she would experience as His mother as a result of opposition to Him (starting when He was two years old or less, all the way up to His crucifixion);

2) Because of her descent from David (along with Joseph) in fulfillment of prophecy (starting with 2 Samuel 7:16), but (unlike Joseph's descent in Matthew 1:2-16) being descended from David through Nathan (rather than Solomon) (as indicated by the genealogy in Luke 3:23-38), thus avoiding the curse placed on Jeconiah -- also known as Coniah -- and his descendants by God in Jeremiah 22:30;

3) Because (in God's foreknowledge) of the fact that she lived at a time when she would be required to travel to Bethlehem (where Micah 5:2 had indicated that the Messiah was to be born) just before giving birth as a result of the census ordered by Augustus, and because of her betrothal to a descendant of David;

4) Because she lived in Nazareth, to which she and Joseph would return to raise Jesus, which would allow ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1;

5) Because she was a virgin (in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14), and yet was betrothed to Joseph, which would allow Jesus to have an earthly father.

Perhaps Mary was the only individual who even possibly could have satisfied all these requirements.

September 05 2016 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

FRANK GARSHONG

In my opinion, Mary just "found favour with God", not her merit or works of holiness or righteousness - Luke 1:30

September 15 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Daniel Olsson

The answer is likely that God is omnipotent and eternal and created Mary and her life according to his own wishes and needs. It is obvious that we humans lack the ability to sufficiently understand the workings of the heaven, but with faith in Jesus and as a result the full guidience of the Holy Spirit, we can start to understand. Amen. Thus, God is the beginning and the end, the starter and finisher of all things.

May 23 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Danny Hickman Supporter Believer in The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

If I'm understanding the question correctly, the drift of it is whether there was something efficiently particular about the virgin Mary that prompted God to choose her to birth his only begotten Son, the Savior of the world, into this existence. She's a topic of great discussion because of the way she's treated by Catholics. So I believe this question is taking aim at her status as the fourth person of the Persons of God, (the Trinity) because that's essentially how she's treated by them. (they say she was sinless; that makes her equal with God; there's no other right way to say it; that's heresy in its purest form).

The virgin Mary was an everyday young lady whom God chose to bless; that's it in a nutshell! 

This is how she framed it: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Luke 1:46-49).

She said nothing about herself except that she was 'a nobody.' (She used the phrase, "humble servant," but that's what she was saying; she's expressing her surprise, although thankfulness, for being chosen for such a great life changing dynamic by the God of heaven and earth. She gave all of the praise to him).

The angel Gabriel told her why she was chosen by God: "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!.. you have found favor with God."

(Let's unpack what he said) 

favor ~ something done or granted out of goodwill rather than from justice or for renumeration; a kind act.

goodwill ~ kindness; altruism. 
renumeration ~ reward; pay.

She wasn't chosen because she was deserving; God didn't owe her or her family anything; it was simply an act of kindness toward her. (Every female child is born a virgin, she didn't earn that distinction). 

God chose the virgin Mary to be the birth of the Savior by the same distinguishing characteristic of his nature that he used to choose Elizabeth to be the mother of John the Baptist. The stories are told by Luke in unison. Both women are unsuspecting recipients of (here it is) God's amazing grace; Elizabeth is barren and too old to get pregnant without God's intervention, and no virgin (a woman who hasn't known a man) can have a baby. 
Both women were used to exemplify God's numerous and incredible attributes; his love, grace, mercy and providence, as well as his unfathomable might and power! 

I don't think there was anything distinguishable about the virgin Mary from the prophet Samuel's mother Hannah, who before his birth had been previously barren (1 Samuel 1:5); or any other mother, for that matter. Like she predicted, we call her blessed; we don't call her special. 

Of course, the mother of the Savior would have to be unsoiled by sexual contact to be eligible to be "come upon and overshadowed" (Luke 1:35) by the Holy Spirit. She had never known a man; that does not mean she was sinless. (when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to be crucified he did so on a foal, a colt that had never borne a rider; this is symbolism at its finest; it needs no explanation). Mark 11:2.

I don't think there's anything more to it than what I've written; the virgin Mary was chosen to be blessed like any other person chosen by God. There's only one deity and Jesus is he; there's only one who has ascended into heaven and descended from heaven, Jesus the Son of Man (John 3:13). All other humans are born in sin. (that means we're born of the earth; that's why we must be born again of heaven, of the Spirit of God, if we're to live the eternal life).

The virgin Mary's parents were born in sin. Guess what that makes the virgin Mary...

March 03 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report