Lessons in the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther For the Senior Department of Lutheran Sunday-Schools and for General Use · George Mezger
LESSON 21.
The Second Article. I Believe That My Lord Is True God And True Man. 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. 1. _Our Lord Jesus Christ is true God, born of the Father from eternity; but He is also true man, born in time of the Virgin Mary. He is like unto other men, except that He is holy and without sin._
2. _Christ, our Lord, is true God and true man in one person--the God-man. As such He is my Savior._ 3. _The Son of God did not only become man, He also humbled Himself, suffering and dying, dying on the cross._ 4. _Christ, our Lord, has done all this to be Jesus, the Savior of all men, to be Christ, the promised Messiah. He has done all this for me that He might become my Lord._ _There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus._ 1 Tim. 2,5. _The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth._ John 1,14. _She shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins._ Matt. 7,21. _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.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.