Mary at the foot of the cross
Protestant view:
The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception is unbiblical because it contradicts what Paul said on Romans 3:23 (KJV) that:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
therefore Mary cannot be sinless because as Paul said that all had sinned including Mary which shares the fate of all humanity, besides, didn’t Mary acknowledged that she also needed a Savior?, she said thus on Luke 1:47 (KJV)
“And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior”
therefore, Mary cannot be sinless and the Catholic Dogma of the Immaculate Conception is not true and contradicts scripture because Mary acknowledges that she needed a Savior, because if she is sinless she wouldn’t need one.
Catholic Response:
It doesn’t mean that when the Church declares that Mary was immaculately conceived or sinless when her mother bore her, that she did not need a Savior. Thus this is a misinterpretation and distortion of what the dogma wanted to present, let us show what this dogma really mean. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church is says:
“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “FULL OF GRACE” THROUGH GOD, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. This is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, BY A SINGULAR GRACE AND PRIVILEGE OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND BY VIRTUE OF THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR OF THE HUMAN RACE, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”
(491, Catechism of the Catholic Church)
in its full form, the proclamation of the Dogma looks like this:
“We declare, pronounce, and define: that the doctrine that maintains the Most Blessed Virgin Mary at the first instant of her conception, BY THE SINGULAR GRACE AND PRIVILEGE OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND IN VIEW OF THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR OF THE HUMAN RACE, was preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”
(Pope Pius IX, Bull Ineffabilis Deus, Dec. 8, 1854)
it clearly shows the the Dogma does not deny the reality that Mary needed a Savior, but rather that it was God’s saving intervention which prevents Mary from falling into the same fate of humanity which falls into the state of original sin which they contracted from the sin of Adam and Eve. Meaning God already saved her in advance from the stain of sin which Mary is destined like any other man to fall. How? Non-Catholics and other fundamentalist whenever they cite this dogma always omit this certain part of the declaration,
“by the singular grace and privilege of almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”
this certain point of the declaration only shows that this dogma does not contradict scripture passages on Romans 3:23 nor on Luke 1:47 which admits that Mary needed a Savior, for the dogma rather confirms that it was this Savior which Mary needed that really saved her in advance from original sin, it was her Son our Lord Jesus Christ who through the merits of his future Passion, Death and Resurrection which saved and preserved her mother from falling into the common fate of mankind into original sin. Actually, since these anti catholics always focuses on Luke 1:47 in claiming that Mary needed a Savior forgot to look into the next 2 lines following it, for Mary says in these lines:
“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL ME BLESSED.
FOR HE THAT IS MIGHTY HATH DONE TO ME GREAT THINGS; AND HOLY IS HIS NAME.”
(Luke 1:48-49, KJV)
therefore, reading these verses it only shows that Mary was immaculately conceived that it was God who had intervened to save her from original sin that is why she said “For he that is mighty has done great things for me.” and He really did great things for Mary, for he had blessed her “with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:3, KJV). In this way, God had prepared her to be the dwelling place of God the Son, to be the Mother of the Savior who as Saint John said
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
(1 John 3:8, KJV)
in this way, it affirms the protoevangelium in the book of Genesis what God has said to the serpent:
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise they head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
(Genesis 3:15, KJV)
God indeed prepared Mary, it was through His Divine intervention through the singular grace and privilege which he had bestowed upon Mary, that when He sent His angel to speak to Mary about her mission, he thus addressed Mary in this manner:
“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one (endued with grace)! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women.”
(Luke 1:28, Amplified Bible)
in other translations is says thus:
“And the angel went in and said to her, Peace be to you, O full of grace; our Lord is with you, O blessed one among women.”
(Luke 1:28, Lamsa Version)
therefore Mary, is really full of grace, because it is through God that she is full of grace, since grace is a gift from God, therefore this grace preserved Mary from being stained by original sin. Because the Lord is always with her and prepared her to be the mother of the Savior of mankind.