Which is the Second Article?
_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried._
What does this mean?
_I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from
eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord._
1. We confess that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God, begotten of the
Father from eternity and therefore true God. We also confess _that He is
born of the Virgin Mary and therefore is a true man,_ with a human soul
and a human body. Holy Scripture expressly calls our Lord a man. _"There
is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."_
1 Tim. 2,5. Our Lord is indeed true man. While He was visibly dwelling
here on earth, He lived as a man among men. He was born in Bethlehem as
a little child. In the house of His mother and His foster-father Joseph
He grew up like other children. He became hungry and thirsty, He ate and
drank, He grew tired and slept, and lastly, He died.
2. Christ, our Lord, is _true_ man, man in the true sense of the word.
He is our Brother. But there is _one great difference_ between Him and
all other men. We confess in the Second Article that He was _conceived
by the Holy Ghost._ Though our Lord was born of a human mother, He did
not have a human father. He was conceived by the power of God the Holy
Ghost without sin. _"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee_ [the Virgin
Mary], _and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore
also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God."_ Luke 1,35. Christ, our Lord, was born _holy, without sin,_ and
during His life He never committed any sin, but always fulfilled the
will of God, His Father.
3. Christ, our Lord, is true God and true man. There are not two
Christs, one who is God, and another who is man, but _only one Christ,
who is God and man at the same time, God and man in one person, the
God-man._ He is _Emmanuel,_ that is, God with us, God in our flesh and
blood. Matt. 1,23. How this is possible we cannot understand, but we
firmly believe it because God Himself has revealed it to us in His Word.
The Son of God, the true God, became a true man, born of a woman. _"The
Word_ [the Son of God] _was made flesh_ [man], _and dwelt among us."_
John 1,14.
4. The Son of God, the true God, became man, but more than that. _He
also humbled Himself._ He did not, as a rule, show forth His divine
glory nor use His divine powers, but was like any other man. He did not
come to us as a great prince, in kingly splendor, but though He is our
God and King, He came to us _as a low, poor man._ From Bible History you
know the life of the God-man, how He was _born_ a little child in
Bethlehem, of the Virgin Mary, a lowly maid in Israel, though she came
from the royal house of the great King David. And after He was born, He
_suffered._ His whole life was a constant suffering. He was despised by
His people, persecuted by the priests and Pharisees. He was so poor that
He did not have where to lay His head. Remember how He suffered that
unspeakable agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and in the courts of His
enemies, where they passed that cruel sentence of death upon Him who had
never committed a sin. And _under Pontius Pilate,_ the governor of
Judea, He was _crucified,_ nailed to a cross. And on the cross He
_died,_ died the death of a criminal. And after His death His friends
_buried_ His body, just as they would have buried that of any other man.
Verily, the Son of God, our Lord, _deeply humbled Himself;_ He humbled
Himself unto death, even the death of the cross.
5. _Why did our Lord do all this?_ Why did the Son of God become man?
Why did our Lord humble Himself so deeply? He did it for our sake, for
the sake of all men, for those who are His enemies. _He did it for me
that He might become my Lord and Savior._ Therefore our Lord was called
_Jesus._ This name means helper, savior. It was given to our Lord by the
will of God; for He had an angel tell Joseph: _"She_ [the Virgin Mary]
_shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He
shall save His people from their sins."_ Matt. 1,21. Jesus is our
Savior.--Our Lord is also called _Christ._ Christ means the _Messiah._
Our Lord is the Messiah whom God had promised to His people in the Old
Testament. All the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament
have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Lord.--Our Lord Jesus Christ
is the Savior, and He is our _only_ Savior. _"Neither is there salvation
in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved."_ Acts 4,12.