The Article: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

The second article teaches us of the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, our Savior and Lord. And what we confess in this article is how Christ fully gave Himself, humbled Himself, and submitted Himself in every way to His Heavenly Father for our sake so that we might be redeemed.

In confessing this article, each Christian is simply saying: I believe Jesus Christ, fully man for He was born of the Virgin, and yet fully God because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, is my Lord who has redeemed me from sin, death, and the devil, and all evil. Before Him, I was captive to the devil, condemned, and enslaved to sin. For in the Fall of Man, the devil taught me disobedience so that what remained for me was wrath and damnation. But God, out of His great love, chose to send His only Son to suffer His wrath by dying on the cross.

But His death means my life and salvation, for He bore the sin of the world and as a lamb to slaughter, He gave His life in exchange for my own. And on the third day, early on the first day of the week, He rose again and opened paradise to me and all who believe and depend on His atonement and trust that their sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

This is the core of the Gospel which, when preached, brings with it the full force of God’s salvation in Christ to all who receive it and believe it.

Prayer: God of Salvation, thank you for sending Your only Son, Christ Jesus, my Lord, to put right what my sin made so very wrong. In His name, Amen.