If Mary is considered to be sinless, does that make her divine?

 

As much as this would logically make sense, it's incorrect. Yes, Mary was sinless, but it's not because she's divine, or part of the Trinity. The immaculate conception regarding Mary being sinless grabs the majority of Protestants' attention, as they claim that Scripture states that nobody is righteous and everyone has fallen to sin. This is correct, and Mary did need a saviour. However, I would like to point out that no one who is a devout Christian of any faith group can deny that God can do anything. We all know that limits do not bound God.

 

As mentioned, Mary was not sinless because she was divine; Mary was sinless through God's grace. God freely took away Mary's mark for original sin, because, well, He could; He's God. God created all of us and had Mary's life all sorted out from the beginning. Mary was a human being, so she did need a saviour, like all of us. However, she was saved from sin earlier on in time. Saying this is not implying that God took away any of her free will. Mary had the free choice to choose from right and wrong, yet she always chose God's will. Mary had the free will to respond "yes" or "no" to carrying Jesus in her womb; she had the freedom to take the initiative to tell Jesus to do something at the Wedding at Cana.

 

In regards to Mary's soul, in preparation for receiving Jesus, God gave Mary the grace to be saved from sin. Mary was filled with the Spirit to respond to God's will from the beginning. Wouldn't God want an almost perfect mother for His Son? An interesting fact is that humankind fell from grace from the events that took place in the Book of Genesis. However, Mary was considered full of grace in Luke 1. This shows that Mary was created differently, and was "full of grace" even before Jesus' sacrifice on the cross to redeem the world.

 

"It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary's soul was effected without original sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from original sin and adorned with God's gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live she was free from all sin" Martin Luther, sermon "On the Day of the Conception of the Mother of God," 1527

 

Mary's life free from sin was by God's grace alone, not because she did anything to deserve it or was part of the Trinity. God chose her among women, and she is the most blessed among women. When we acknowledge Mary's sinlessness, we acknowledge God's abundant grace and mercy.

 

Remember, when we started to talk about Mary, we looked at Mary as the New Eve? Well, Mary as the new Eve and her immaculate conception overlaps. If the New Adam and the new Eve undid the knot of the first Adam and Eve back in Genesis, then wouldn't the new Eve have to be fully obedient and be full of grace to do God the Father's will?

 

"You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others, for there is no blemish in you nor any stains upon your Mother. Who of my children can compare in beauty to these?" St Ephraim the Syrian [Nisibene Hymns 27:8 (c. A.D. 370)