[Sidenote: The Second Article]
_And 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; He descended into hell; the third day
He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on
the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come
to judge the quick and the dead._
_This means--_
I believe not only that Jesus Christ is the true and only Son of God,
begotten from eternity in one eternal, divine nature and substance;
but also that all things are made subject to Him by His Father, and
that in His humanity He is made Lord of me and of all things which, in
His divinity, He, with the Father, has created.
I believe that no one can believe in the Father or come to the Father
by his own learning, works or reason, nor by anything that can be
named in heaven or on earth, save only in and through Jesus Christ,
His only Son--that is, through faith in His name and lordship. [John
14:6]
I firmly believe that for my sake He was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
without human or fleshly work, without bodily father or seed of man,
to the end that so He might purify my sinful, fleshly, unclean,
damnable conception, and the conception of all who believe in Him, and
make it spiritual through His own and His almighty Father's gracious
will.
I believe that for me He was born of the pure Virgin Mary, without
harm to her bodily and spiritual virginity, in order that, by the
mercy of His Father, He might make my sinful, damnable birth, and the
birth of all who believe in Him, blessed and harmless and pure.
I believe that He bore His cross and passion for my sin and the sin of
all believers, and thereby has consecrated all sufferings and every
cross, and made them not only harmless, but salutary and highly
meritorious.
I believe that He died and was buried to slay entirely and to bury my
sin and the sin of all who believe in Him, and that He has destroyed
bodily death and made it altogether harmless, nay profitable and
salutary.
I believe that He descended into hell to overthrow and take captive
the devil and all his power, guile and wickedness, for me and for all
who believe in Him, so that henceforth the devil cannot harm me; and
that He has redeemed me from the pains of hell, and made them harmless
and meritorious.
I believe that He rose on the third day from the dead, to give to me
and to all who believe in Him a new life; and that He has thereby
quickened us with Him, in grace and in the Spirit, that we may sin no
more, but serve Him alone in every grace and virtue.
I believe that He ascended into heaven and received from the Father
power and honor above all angels and all creatures, and thus sitteth
on the right hand of God--that is, He is King and Lord over all that
is God's, in heaven and hell and earth. Therefore, He can help me and
all believers in all our necessities against all our adversaries and
enemies.
I believe that He will come again from heaven at the last day, to
judge those who then are living and those who have died meanwhile, and
all men, all angels and devils must come before His judgment-seat and
see Him in the flesh; that He will come to redeem me and all who
believe in Him from bodily death and all infirmities, to punish our
enemies and adversaries eternally, and to redeem us eternally from
their power.