Where in the Bible does it say Mary is sinless?

When someone asks, "Where in the Bible does it say Mary was sinless?” the first thing to understand from an Eastern Orthodox perspective is that Scripture itself teaches us that the Church—not the Bible alone—is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Christ promised that “the gates of hell shall not overcome the Church” (Matthew 16:18), and St. Paul explicitly calls the Church “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Christ also promised His apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them “into all truth” (John 16:13). These passages show that the Church, guided and preserved by the Holy Spirit, is trustworthy in the doctrines it hands down. This is crucial because historically, the Church existed for centuries before the New Testament canon was finalized. It was the Church—already worshipping, teaching, and guided by the Spirit—that recognized which writings were Scripture. For this reason, Orthodoxy does not separate the Bible from the Church; both are inseparable parts of Sacred Tradition. Doctrine is therefore not restricted to isolated verses but comes from the life of the Spirit-filled Church. This broader perspective helps explain why the belief in Mary’s sinlessness is rooted in the full witness of early Christianity rather than a single proof-text. While Scripture does not say in one sentence, “Mary was sinless,” it does give us key indications of her unique holiness. In Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel greets her with “Hail, thou that art highly favoured” (or “full of grace” in other translations), and declares, “the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.” This unique greeting—addressed to no other person in Scripture—was always understood by the ancient Church as referring to Mary’s exceptional purity and grace. Early Christians did not read this verse in isolation but through the lens of the Church’s living Tradition. The early Fathers bear witness to this understanding. St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373) calls Mary “all-holy,” “pure,” and “innocent,” presenting her as the New Eve whose obedience heals the disobedience of the first Eve. Western Fathers like St. Ambrose (c. 340–397) speak of her as “immune from every stain of sin,” while St. Augustine (354–430), despite his theological framework, refuses to attribute personal sin to her out of reverence for Christ. These testimonies matter because they reflect the consensus of the early Church—the same Church Christ promised to guard and guide into truth. In the East, the Church’s worship further expresses this belief. St. Romanos the Melodist (c. 490–556) repeatedly emphasizes Mary’s purity in his kontakia. The Akathist Hymn (c. 626), one of the most central hymns in Orthodoxy, calls her “spotless,” “undefiled,” and “all-blameless.” In Orthodoxy, liturgical worship is not merely poetic but theological; it expresses what the Church actually believes. Byzantine liturgical texts from the fourth to ninth centuries consistently describe Mary as “immaculate,” “all-holy,” and “most pure,” revealing that this understanding is deeply embedded in the Church’s prayer life. Later theologians articulate the same belief more systematically. St. John Damascene (c. 676–749) teaches that Mary was uniquely sanctified, cooperated fully with divine grace, and remained holy throughout her life. St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) explains her purity using the theology of theosis, teaching that Mary reached the highest level of holiness possible for a created person and lived in continuous communion with divine grace from her earliest years. Her sinlessness is therefore not a mechanical exemption but the fruit of her perfect cooperation with God. Even the early Protestant Reformers upheld this ancient understanding. Martin Luther (1483–1546) called Mary “without sin” in his early sermons, and Ulrich Zwingli (1484–1531) described her as “entirely without sin” while defending her perpetual virginity. This shows that belief in Mary’s extraordinary purity was not limited to the Orthodox East or the medieval West—it was part of the wider Christian inheritance before later Protestantism departed from it. So while there is no isolated verse that states, “Mary was sinless,” the belief arises naturally from the Church that Christ founded, the Church He promised to preserve, the Church He called the pillar and foundation of truth, and the Church He guided by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures, the Fathers, the liturgy, and the universal witness of early Christianity all testify that the one who bore God in the flesh was uniquely prepared, purified, and sanctified by grace. Her sinlessness is not an isolated idea but a reflection of the glory of her Son and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

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