Which is the Second Article?
_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._
What does this mean?
_I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from
eternity, ... is my Lord._
1. _"I believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord"_ thus the Second Article of
our Creed begins. Every true Christian, every child of God, confesses: I
believe in my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord.
We do not only believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and
earth, but likewise in our Lord Jesus Christ. You know what it means to
believe in Jesus Christ. It means, I know and am assured by God's Word
that Jesus Christ is my Lord, and with all my heart I trust and confide
in Him as in my Lord. Our Catechism teaches us _two things_ about our
Lord Jesus Christ: 1. _who our Lord Jesus Christ is,_ and 2. _what He
has done for me to become my Lord._
2. _Who is our Lord Jesus Christ?_ We confess _"I believe in Jesus
Christ, His only Son,"_ that is, God the Father's only Son. Many are
called, and in truth are, God's children. _"Ye are all the children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus."_ Gal. 3,26. All who believe in our Lord
Jesus Christ are sons and daughters of God. How, then, can we say that
Jesus Christ is God's only Son? Our Catechism says: _"I believe that
Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, is my
Lord."_ All those who believe in Christ are God's children; God has
_adopted_ them as His children for Christ's sake. Christ, however, is
God's _own Son, begotten, born of the Father from eternity._ Before God
created heaven and earth, Christ was God's Son, begotten of the Father.
God Himself says to this His only Son: _"Thou art My Son; this day_
[that is, from eternity] _have I begotten Thee."_ Ps. 2,7. _"God so
loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."_ John
3,16. Christ is God's Son, begotten of the Father from eternity, and it
is for this reason, too, that in the First Article we call God the
_Father._ He is the Father of His own only Son, through whom He is also
our Father.
3. Whoever is born of human parents is a true man; he has a human body
and a human soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born of the Father from
eternity, and therefore _He is true God._ We confess that we believe in
Jesus Christ, true God. He is true God in the same sense as the Father
is true God. _Together with the Father He is the one true God._ He
himself has said: _"He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."_ John
14,9. _"I and My Father are one."_ John 10,30 The Father is the
_almighty_ God; likewise the Son, our Lord, is the _almighty_ God. _"All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth."_ Matt. 28,18. God the
Father is always with us wherever we are; likewise the Son, our Lord, is
with us always. _"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world."_ Matt. 28,20. God the Father has created all things; likewise
the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. _"All things were made by Him; and
without Him was not anything made that was made."_ John 1,3. He tells us
that we should _honor_ Him as we honor the Father. _"All men should
honor the Son even as they honor the Father."_ John 5,23. He tells us
that we should believe in Him as we believe in the Father. _"Ye believe
in God, believe also in Me."_ John 14,1.
4. Jesus Christ is true God from eternity. When our Lord was dwelling
here on earth among men, He _showed_ that He was true God. His apostle
John tells us: _"We_ [the apostles] _beheld His glory, the glory as of
the Only-begotten of the Father."_ John 1,14. With His almighty word He
healed the sick, He made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to
hear, He brought the dead to life again: the daughter of Jairus, the son
of the widow in Nain, and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.
Remember how the winds and the sea obeyed Him, how He stilled the storm
and walked on the sea as on dry land, how He changed water into wine.
5. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, the only-begotten Son of the
Father._ His disciples confessed it time and again. Simon Peter
confessed regarding the Lord: _"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God."_ Matt. 16,16. Thomas said to Him, _"My Lord and my God."_
John 20,28. And Jesus was well pleased with their confessions and
accepted them. _"This_ [our dear Lord] _is the true God and eternal
life," is what John the Apostle tells of Him._ 1 John 5,20. And St. Paul
writes: _"Who_ [Christ] _is over all, God blessed forever."_ Rom. 9,5.
_From our Bible, from the Word of God,_ we know it to be most certainly
true that our Lord is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity.
6. Never forget that our dear Lord, together with the Father, is the one
true God. _Therefore I believe in Him and trust in Him with all my
heart._ In every need and trouble, in every danger, I lift up my hands
to my Lord and God and _pray_ to Him. He will not forsake me, for He is
_"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday to-day and forever."_ Heb. 13,8.