The Immaculate Conception Error!
“As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3: 10, 23
As I begin to debunk this erroneous doctrine of ‘the immaculate conception of Mary’, let me quickly submit that I’m not out for religious bashing. But rather, I’m out with a holy motive of love, to rescue some of our well-meaning, lovely brethren in the Lord. Who are inadvertently indoctrinated into this erroneous doctrine that is obviously very disastrous.
“The 8th of December, 1854, Pope Pius IX was sitting on his throne; a triple crown of gold and diamonds was on his head: silk and damask- red and white vestments on his shoulders; five hundred mitred prelates were surrounding him; and more than fifty thousand people were at his feet in the incomparable St. Peter’s Church of Rome. After a few minutes of most solemn silence, a cardinal, dressed with his purple robe, left his seat, and gravely walked towards the pope, humbly prostrating himself at his feet, and said:
‘Holy Father, tell us if we can believe and teach that the Mother of God, the Holy Virgin Mary, was immaculate in her conception.’
The Supreme Pontiff answered: “I do not know; let us ask the light of the Holy Ghost.”
The cardinal withdrew; the Pope and the numberless multitude fell on their knees; and the harmonious choir sang the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus.’
The last note of the sacred hymn had hardly rolled under the vaults of the temple, when the same cardinal left his place, and again advanced towards the throne of the pontiff, prostrated himself at his feet, and said;
‘Holy Father, tell us if the Holy Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, was immaculate in her conception.’
The pope again answered: ‘I do not know; let us ask the light of the Holy Ghost.’
And again the ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ was sung.
Again the eyes of the multitude followed the grave steps of the purple- robed cardinal for the third time to the throne of the successor of St. Peter, to ask again:
‘Holy Father, tell us if we can believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God was immaculate.’
The pope, as if he had just received a direct communication from God, answered with a solemn voice:
‘Yes! We must believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary was immaculate in her conception… There is no salvation to those who do not believe this dogma!’
And, with a loud voice, the pope intoned the Te Deum; the bells of the three hundred churches of Rome rang; the cannons of the citadel were fired. The last act of the most ridiculous and sacrilegious comedy the world had ever seen, was over; the doors of heaven were forever shut against those who would refuse to believe the anti-scriptural doctrine that there is a daughter of Eve who has not inherited the sinful nature of Adam.
She was redeclared exempt when the God of Truth said, “There is none righteous; no, not one: for all have sinned!” (Rom. 3:10, 23)
No trace of this teaching is found in the first centuries of the Church.”
(50 Years in the “Church” of Rome, The Conversion of a Priest, by Charles Chiniquy, Chick publications, 1985, pp. 233-234 [c. 1886])
(As quoted in Rebecca Brown’s ‘Prepare For War’)
Dear brethren in the Lord, it is very clear that this doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary, is unscriptural. The doctrine was enacted without consulting ‘The Book Of Truth’-The Holy Bible. And of course, the Holy Spirit does not speak against scriptural Truths.
We can’t afford to risk our salvation and faith on what man says. No matter his title, position or whatever. Like the Berea Fellows in the book of acts of the Apostle, when we receive an instruction, exhortation or doctrine from our teachers, we should be wise enough to compare them with scriptural truths (Acts 17:11).
Anybody can claim to have heard the Holy Spirit, but for us to be on the safest side, we must compare what we receive with the scriptures. I for one, I do not take everything I’m taught in Church, no matter who it is I received it from. If I compare, and it does not concur to scriptural truth, I discard it.
To this end, I often tell people that I listen to every sermon with filter in my ears. And that is including my present Pastor. Because I believe salvation is a personal race.
On the Day of Judgment, I can’t blame my failure on anyone but myself. Hence, The Lord Jesus said, we should be as wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove…
The scriptures admonishes us to worship God in spirit and Truth. We are commanded to walk in the Spirit. We’re are told that when the Holy Spirit comes, he’ll guide us into all truth. But particularly, Jesus says he will not speak of himself, but rather, he will take of mine, and show them to you. Jesus words are as entrenched in the word of God- the Bible.
Anything outside the written word of God, is definitely not from the Spirit of Jesus- The Holy Spirit.
To this end, the Apostle Paul says; anyone who preaches any other gospel, apart from the original gospel, let him be accursed—Gal 1:8.
Hence, to avoid the curse of God, we must confine ourselves to only scriptural truths.
It is my earnest prayer, that the Lord Jesus, will restructure your heart, and pull you out of this erroneous doctrine (if you’re involved) with this word in season in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ!
Remain Blessed!
Emeke Odili
