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Q. How do you argue for Mary's Immaculate Conception from the Bible?

A.

Like the answer we gave for the Assumption of Mary question, it's important to make it clear that we don't HAVE to argue teachings of the Catholic Church from the Bible alone. Jesus told the Apostles to go out and spread the Good News and teach all nations. He promised that the Holy Spirit would protect the Church from teaching error, so we can trust that the Church's doctrines (matters of faith and morals) are correct (John 14:26; 16:13; Matt 28: 18-20, Luke 10:16, 1 Tim 3:15). They taught orally and also wrote things down. In fact, the 27 books of the New Testament were declared by the Catholic Church to be inspired by God and now are part of the Bible and all Christians accept this. While no teaching of the Catholic Church is contrary to the Bible, Catholics maintain the belief of the early Church that the teachings of the Church are passed along both orally and in writing. Click here to view the two slides from "Where We Got The Bible" on "Using Scripture to Refute Sola Scriptura."

While the Immaculate Conception is not explicit in the Bible, it is there implicitly. Before we discuss that, let's know what we're talking about. Here is a great explanation of the Immaculate Conception from a Catholic Answers Tract; it contains an important Biblical reference:

The Immaculate Conception

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary.

The traditional translation, "full of grace," is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of "highly favored daughter." Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for "daughter"). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE TRACT

The Beginning Apologetics booklet, tract #6, by Father Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham gives a great explanation with Biblical references. You should click here to view the entire section--especially important are the Biblical References and writings of the Early Church Fathers. I'm summarizing the Biblical Typology of Mary as the New Eve and Ark of the Covenant.

THE KNOT TIED BY ADAM AND EVE: A fallen angel (the devil) came to a woman created without sin (Eve) and received her cooperation in disobeying God and helping Adam to disobey God. This caused the fall of the human race.

THE KNOT UNTIED BY JESUS AND MARY: An angel of God (Gabriel) came to another woman created without sin (Mary) and asked her to obey God perfectly. She contributed greatly Jesus' mission, which redeemed the human race.

GOD CREATED ARK OF COVENANT WITHOUT STAIN

From page 22:

"God took great pains to prepare and preserve the vessel that contained His written word. It was made of enduring acacia wood and pure gold. God demanded that his holy container be without stain or defect. God struck Uzzah dead instantly because he dared to touch, and therefore profane, the precious Ark (2 Samuel 6:7). If God took such care to preserve the OT Ark from stain, defect, or profanation, how much more would He carefully preserve the NT Ark, which carried the even holier cargo of the living Word, from all sin?".