I recently provided my personal theological evidence for the Immaculate Conception in the the 3rd edition of my newsletter, Notes From the Field. It involves the angels words, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” But I wanted to also provide some classical evidence for the general public. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is coming up and I want people to understand that this doctrine of the faith isn’t random, but is based on long standing thought and theology
BONUS: Read the “mind blowing” theology I promised in the video above (Newsletter subscriber exclusive)
The Catholic argument for the Immaculate Conception of Mary revolves around several key theological points and Scriptural interpretations:
Sinlessness of Mary:
Genesis 3:15 – God says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” This as an indication that Mary, as the mother of Our Lord, was preserved from sin, thus having complete enmity with Satan. “The Woman” would require a singular nature to be distinguished in this way. We understand that nature to be one that is entirely free from sin.
Luke 1:28 – The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary, “Hail, Full of Grace,” or “Hail, favored one.” The term “full of grace” (Kecharitomene in Greek) implies a state of being filled with God’s grace, which many theologians interpret as Mary being without sin from the moment of her conception.
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No Ordinary Greeting
It isn’t an ordinary greeting to be hailed as “full of grace”. It’s easy to see this as just a fanciful greeting by an angel. That is not true. Any holy soul might be called “highly favored” but none but Mary could ever be called “full of grace”. That’s a greeting that stands out, not blends in.
Mary as the New Eve:
Just as Eve was created without sin, Mary, who is the New Eve, was also preserved from original sin to be a fitting mother to Christ, the New Adam. This parallel enhances the argument that Mary needed to be immaculate to fulfill her role in salvation history. I’ll tie this down a little better in the next few points.
The Role of Mary in Salvation:
Mary’s role was not just passive; she was actively involved in the Incarnation as the mother of Jesus. If she were to bear the Son of God, she needed to be free from all sin to not pass on any stain of sin to Jesus, who was to be born without sin. This has to be clearly understood—Jesus could not have been a worthy sacrifice for the sins of man were he to have been born in sin. Original sin passes from parents to child. So Mary had to be preserved from original sin in order to not pass sin onto Jesus, who was to be “the Lamb of God who takes way the sins of the world.”
Patristic and Scholastic Development:
Early Church Fathers like St. Augustine spoke of Mary’s sanctity but did not explicitly define her Immaculate Conception. However, over time, theologians like John Duns Scotus in the Middle Ages developed the theological rationale. He argued that the merits of Christ’s redemption were applied to Mary at the moment of her conception, thus she was preserved from original sin.
Papal Definition
The doctrine was solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 in the bull “Ineffabilis Deus.” The Pope declared that “the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”
Consistency with the Holiness of God
The argument also includes the notion that it would be unbefitting for the Son of God, who is holy, to dwell in a womb that was once touched by sin. Thus, Mary’s Immaculate Conception is seen as a fitting preparation for the Incarnation.
The Catholic Church holds that this doctrine is not just a theological construct but a revealed truth, part of the deposit of faith, which was gradually understood and defined over time. It underscores Mary’s unique role in God’s plan for salvation, highlighting her as the “Immaculate Conception” – preserved from sin uniquely by God’s grace.
