DHK & Latreia --
You are right. As you post it, it does look very much like a circular argument. However, for me, there are other issues which come into play, such as the one which began this whole thread.
My thoughts would run something like this:
1. Jesus as man, perfect humanity, is the Last Adam. I get that from Scripture. (1 Corin. 15: 45). Since this name is applied to him, it is not out of line to take that name and apply certain principles to it. What does it mean that there is a Last Adam (Scripture will NOT answer this question). In what ways was He like Adam (Scripture will not answer this either). If God called Jesus the Last Adam in Scripture, what tie in does that have to the first Adam (again, Scripture does not answer this either).
You see, your "sola scripturalist" stance means that you simply read 1 Corin. 15:45, make a mental note that Jesus is the Last Adam, and move on, for Scripture says nothing more regarding this than that. And under the prohibitions of "sola scriptura" you are prohibited from thinking and drawing logical conclusions based on comparisons of OT to NT texts, aren't you? In other words, to quote your own words, "if the Bible doesn't say it, I don't believe it."
Well, how convenient. And, of course, totally hypocritical, since the Bible does not use the word "Trinity" either, but you are more than willing to work this out because you think it is hidden in there somewhere and by golly, you WILL exegete it out if it kills ya!!!
2. Since Jesus is the Last Adam, and this name seems to have a meaning which states that God's redemptive work restored to us One Who is again an "Adam" to mankind, what does that mean? What does it mean that mankind once again has an Adam? Again, you will not find this answer from Scripture. You will only begin to find answer if you accept that God has a covenantal structure called the family in which He works and then apply what you know of the covenantal family to Jesus and His work here on earth.
3. Extrapolating further, I believe that since mankind again has an Adam, a covenantal family head such as the first Adam was, it is not unreasonable to posit that there must also be an Eve to this Adam. God's redemption of mankind restores ALL that is lost in the Fall in the Garden, not just half of it. To have an Adam without an Eve is to have the divine family on earth here with a covenantal head and no covenantal helpmeet. This is an incomplete redemption.
4. Ipso facto, then, if Jesus is created in the same manner as the first Adam, i.e., that is without the use of male seed and female egg, then it is also applicable that certain similarities exist between the first Eve and the New Eve. We know that Jesus is called "the Son of God." We know that Adam is called the same thing. (Luke 3: 38) The similarities begin to pop out all over the place. Both are the first born of the covenantal family they are to take charge of. Both are tempted in the flesh -- where Adam fails, Jesus succeeds. Etc. etc.etc.
It is reasonable therefore to believe that just as the first Eve was created without sin (*GASP!!!*) so was the New Eve. Why not? You tell ME why these parallels cannot be applied between the first and the second Eve just as they are between the first Adam and the Last Adam.
If God had created the first Eve without sin, then you tell me WHY He cannot apply the Blood of Christ to Mary before Her birth and thus present the world with the New Eve who will, as the Early Fathers wrote of Her "undo the knot of the first Eve's disobedience by her own obedience". It is not that She is INTRINSICALLY SINLESS as Jesus was in His essence. It is that She is cleansed as a fit vessel for God's service BEFORE BIRTH. Now you tell me why you think God cannot do that.
5. And finally, since I have the promise from Jesus the Christ Himself that the Church would never be prevailed against by the gates of hell, I trust that the pronouncement of this doctrine by the Holy Father in Rome was permitted by the Holy Spirit
because it is true. Ultimately, it really is that simple.
It is the same protection of the Church which came into play when a Monophysite bishop was promoted to the papacy by means of deceit and foul play. This man, in his desire for that office, consorted to become pope with the Emperess of Constantinople. Through a series of arranged events, he was elected to the chair after running around the empire for almost 2 years preaching the Monophysite heresy in every parish where he celebrated the Eucharist. He was dedicated to the message and was expected to announce it as formal doctrine upon ascending to St. Peter's throne.
But amazingly, upon his reception to the papacy, when asked if he would now preach the Monophysite message, he simply said "Now that I am pope, I cannot".
WHAT!!
Oh, the emperess was OUTRAGED and sent soldiers to arrest him, drag him out of Rome and back to Constantinople, where he repented of his schemes and evil and died in prison.
Yes, the
one and same Holy Spirit Who protected us from being Monophysite heretics in the 20th century was not sleeping at Vatican I. He allowed for further development of this doctrine for the reason that it is the truth.
Your real problem is that you do not believe that God is really God, that He could and would establish a Church in Christ's Blood and then protect it at all costs from apostacizing. You need to seriously ask yourselves what kind of Father you believe in Who would give His Son to bring forth the Church from His side, and then just abandon it and let it go over a cliff.
That is most certainly NOT the God I believe in, and if He were to be that weak, uncaring, and unconcerned about us and our having a place where we could find truth, honest to Pete, I wouldn't believe at all. That would be just like the pagan "gods" of Hinduism who are there but do not care.
So from a covenantal standpoint, a redemptive standpoint, and a standpoint of the Father protecting Christ's Bride that She be not raped by the evil one -- yes, I believe and accept this teaching.
There are also good arguments from the standpoint of Jesus getting His flesh from Her as well as Her being the New Ark of the New Covenant. As I said, all of this takes eisogesis and working with the Scriptures as a whole, but when the only thing you teach people every week is "Git saved, git saved, git saved, git saved.....ad nauseum" then it is probably hard for you to know exactly HOW to do this thing called exegesis.
PS....Latreia
It wouldn't matter if there were 100 differing ideas regarding the Immaculate Conception. The only thing that matters is what was established in council and ratified by the Holy Father. Once this is established, all the yappin' and woofin' stops and you either believe what has been established or you are a heretic. Pure and simple.
It's like all the noise some of the Preterists are making regarding their disbelief in a literal physical resurrection. The Church has spoken, the Creed states "...I believe in the resurrection of the body..." and they are heretics.
And dat's dat!!
[ January 03, 2003, 04:07 PM: Message edited by: CatholicConvert ]