The Orthodox emphasis on, and veneration of, Mary is natural when your theological starting point is the Incarnation.

But for Protestants, who start with Justification, there’s nothing all that special about her.

The problem with a Justification-first mentality is that it focuses on abstract legal concepts ahead of the person of Christ.

We all call ourselves Christians, yet for many traditions, Jesus is simply a tool for achieving the desired end of Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free.

Protestants should read and meditate on St. Athanasius’ ‘On The Incarnation,” which helps to frame Christ’s Incarnation in the correct place.

The scholastic emphasis on abstractions surrounding justification reflect the emphasis of 16th Century European Lawyers and Academics and their reaction to Rome’s faults more than the emphasis of the Scripture and Patristic Fathers.

Of course, through Christ we ARE justified. But it’s just one of the things that happened through his life, death, and resurrection.