What is the Immaculate Conception?

Response

Many individuals mistakenly assume that the Immaculate Conception pertains to the conception of Jesus Christ. While Jesus’ conception was indeed immaculate—meaning without the stain of sin—the Immaculate Conception does not concern Jesus at all. It is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church regarding Mary, the mother of Jesus. The official declaration of the doctrine states, “The blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a unique grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Christ Jesus the Savior of Mankind, preserved free from all taint of original sin” (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 1854). Essentially, the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was shielded from original sin, devoid of a sin nature, and indeed sinless.

Catholics observe the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8. In Eastern Orthodoxy, December 9 marks the Feast of the Conception by St. Anne of the Most Holy Theotokos. (Anne is traditionally recognized as Mary’s mother.) The Eastern Church does not adhere to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, although they do regard Mary as “all-holy,” signifying she never sinned.

The Immaculate Conception does not involve a virgin birth. Catholics believe that Mary was conceived in the usual manner, but God granted her immunity from imputed or inherited sin. Mary has been sinless for the entirety of her existence. This purity enabled her to be the “second Eve” who gave birth to the “second Adam” «And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. », (see 1 Corinthians 15:45). Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit «And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. », (see Luke 1:35).

In you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35), Mary was a pure and holy “ark,” suitable to carry the Son of God. Like the ark of the Lord in Moses’ time carried the elements of the Old Covenant within it, Mary carried the Author of the New Covenant within her.

The Roman Catholic Church bases its teaching of the Immaculate Conception on tradition along with a couple of passages of Scripture. One is Genesis 3:15, the protoevangelium. There, God speaks to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.” Catholics point to the fact that the conflict between the serpent and the woman is equal to the conflict between the serpent and the woman’s Offspring. They explain this by saying the woman (Mary) must be as sinless as her Offspring (Christ). The other passage cited by Catholics in support of the Immaculate Conception is Luke 1:28, “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’” The Greek word translated as “highly favored” can be rendered as “favored with grace.” Thus, according to Catholic dogma, Mary had an abundance of grace, making her sinless, and that’s why God chose her to bear His Son.

The Roman Catholic Church argues that the Immaculate Conception is necessary because, without it, Jesus would have received His flesh from one who was herself a slave to the devil, whose works Jesus came to destroy. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8). Mary, as the mother of the Redeemer, needed her flesh to be free from the power of sin, and God granted her that privilege.

From her time in the womb, Mary was sanctified because of her special role in bringing the Son of God incarnate into the world.

One issue with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is that it is not found in the Bible. Even Catholics acknowledge that Scripture does not directly teach the Immaculate Conception. The Bible never portrays Mary as anything other than an ordinary human female whom God selected to be the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mary was unquestionably a godly woman “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”, (Luke 1:28). Mary was indeed a wonderful wife and mother. Jesus certainly loved and cherished His mother “Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.”, (John 19:27). However, the Bible does not provide any basis to believe that Mary was sinless. In reality, the Bible gives us every reason to believe that Jesus Christ is the only Person who was not “infected” by sin and never committed a sin (see Ecclesiastes 7:20;Romans 3:23;2 Corinthians 5:21;1 Peter 2:22;1 John 3:5).

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is neither biblical nor necessary. Jesus was miraculously conceived inside Mary, who was a virgin at the time. That is the biblical doctrine of the virgin birth. The Bible never suggests that there was anything remarkable about Mary’s conception. Mary is not an exception to the Bible’s declaration that “all have sinned” “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”, (Romans 3:23). Mary needed a Savior just like everyone else.

For the rest of us, “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”, (Luke 1:47).