Article 15

Of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, God and man in one person, and the necessity of believing it. Concerning this we confess: that it is necessary for all Christians to believe that the knowledge of the only Son of the Father is, as one of the principal articles of our faith, in the highest degree essential to salvation. It is therefore not enough to know Christ only after the flesh, or His humanity; that is, that He was born of Mary, and became like us in all things except sin. But we must also (which is the most important) know Him after the Spirit, and His eternal Godhead; that is, that before all time, in eternity, in a manner that cannot be told, He was born of or proceeded from the true God His Father, and that He is the true and real Word and Wisdom which proceeded from the mouth of the Most High, and which for this reason was equal with His Father in brightness, glory, power, might and eternal Godhead, before the foundation of the world. And that this only Son of God, for our justification, became a visible man, so that by His present, visible humanity, which is not of this tabernacle or sinful substance, but in essence far different from sinners, He might give us a holy, blameless example in doctrine and in conduct, and so stir up all men to follow Him.

And that according to His divine power and might He was able to deliver us from the captivity of sin, hell, the devil, and death, and save us forever; seeing that no other means or name in heaven or on earth is given to men for salvation. To this end, Christ was made for us, by God, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. Therefore neither Moses with his threatening and punishing law of commandments, nor Aaron with the whole Levitical priesthood, and all their sacrifices and offerings, which were made only for the remembrance of sins, and so passed by polluted mankind without giving them any help (for no corruptible man could redeem his brother and reconcile him with God, since all human, sinful substance was not able to redeem the soul from eternal death); but this was fulfilled and accomplished by the slain Lamb, who was foreordained and was made manifest in these last times. He restored what He had not taken away. He, the innocent one, took the guilt of us all upon Himself, and He alone was found worthy in heaven and earth to open the book with its seven seals. And by His coming into this world (which can never be praised enough), He opened the entrance to the kingdom of God, which had been closed by sin; not by the blood of bulls and goats, or of any corruptible man, nor by corruptible silver or gold; but Christ paid and accomplished this by His own dear and precious blood, and so obtained an eternal redemption.

And as the sun in the heavens is endowed by God with a glorious splendor, so that it is the eye of the world, which lights up the darkness, and spreads its beautiful light over all visible things, and receives nothing from any of them; so also Christ Jesus, the true Sun of righteousness, and what is still more, the Creator and Ruler of the sun, and of all things, did not take to His assistance any created substance by which to accomplish the work of our salvation; but came with His most praiseworthy light from God out of heaven, and shone into this dark world, where He was received, and rose, as the beautiful day-star, in the hearts of many men; and was thus a Giver, but not a receiver. Therefore the praise and honor for this redemption must be ascribed to the only God of heaven and earth, and not to any created man; otherwise we would rob the Creator of the honor that belongs to Him, and ascribe it to sinful, created flesh like ourselves; thereby making flesh our arm, our Redeemer, our God and Savior; and so, departing with our hearts from God our salvation, we would fall into damnable idolatry, seeking life from the dead, where it cannot be found.

In this we are to know the love and goodness, and also the severity of God, and how greatly the Almighty God hates sin. His severity and justice we know from this, that through the one sin of the first man the whole human race became corrupted; and that this could be paid and atoned for by no other means than through the death and blood of God's own, only begotten Son. God's goodness and everlasting love are known from this, that He, the Blessed One, so graciously looked upon and recognized the weakness and nothingness of man; and so, as He often sent angels, as His faithful messengers, in human form to men upon the earth, knowing that this sinful, mortal, earthly flesh and blood is not able to look upon the immortal, heavenly glory of the angels; much less can man with his sinful and mortal eyes look upon the immortal, eternal, holy splendor and glory of the eternal Creator of all things; therefore the eternal, invisible and immortal Son of God, through His unfathomable love, had Himself to become a visible, mortal man, for a little while lower than the angels, and to appear in the form of a servant, like His brothers and sisters; so that the glory of the eternal and only begotten Son of God was felt and seen in human form, that He might be a true example for us, to follow His footsteps. In this we may especially know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge: that the holy, heavenly, only begotten, blessed Son of God, Jesus Christ, became man, died and rose for us, while we were still ungodly and His enemies.

And though Christ suffered for us in the flesh, and was crucified, and died, yet it was not possible that He should be held by death, or that His holy flesh should see corruption. But He Himself had the keys of death and hell, and the power to open and to shut, to lay down His life, and to take it again; and He is the one who lives, and was dead, and, behold, He is alive forevermore.

Therefore all true believers must believe that the true knowledge of Jesus Christ, both of His true divinity and of His pure, immaculate humanity, is necessary to salvation. And to this, life and eternal salvation are promised by the Holy Ghost; and that Christ would build His church upon this foundation, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against her. On the other hand: that all unbelievers, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (that is, that the Son of God became man, and coming in this way, appeared in the flesh), are not of God, but of the spirit of antichrist, who began already in the days of the apostles, and is to exalt himself still more in the last times.

Concerning the necessity of this knowledge of Jesus Christ, read: "And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17, verse 3; Hosea 13, verse 4.

"If you had known me, you would have known my Father also," and so on. John 14, verse 7.

"Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet from now on we know him no more." Second Corinthians 5, verse 16.

"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2, verse 11; Romans 14, verse 11; Colossians 2, verse 2; Philippians 3, verse 8.

"And Jesus said to Peter, after Peter had confessed and declared the man Jesus to be Christ, the Son of the living God: Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say also to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16, verses 17 and 18.

And after the apostle Thomas had confessed the visible and palpable man Jesus as his Lord and God, Christ did not rebuke him for it, but accepted it as the belief of the truth, saying: "Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20, verse 29; John 17, verse 20; First Peter 1, verse 8.

Read in this connection the various Scripture passages, how the apostles, through the Holy Ghost, labored with all their might to impress on men, not that the eternal Son of God dwelt concealed in the man Jesus; but, on the contrary, that the visible man Jesus was the Christ; that is, the Anointed and the Savior of the world, sent down from heaven; and to this, the promise of life is given. Read: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name." John 20, verses 30 and 31.

"Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God." First John 4, verse 15; First John 5, verse 5; Second John 1, verse 3; John 6, verse 47.

"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." First John 5, verses 1, 5 and 10; Acts 18, verses 5 and 28.

"Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son." First John 2, verse 22.

"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh [that is, that the eternal Word became flesh, and being thus flesh, came into his own] is of God; and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, of which you have heard that it should come; and even now it is already in the world." First John 4, verses 2 and 3; Second John 1, verse 7.

Read further, how we have been redeemed and bought by no other means than only by the death of the Son of God.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son," and so on. John 3, verse 16; Romans 5, verse 8.

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son," and so on. Romans 5, verse 10; Hebrews 5, verse 9.

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all," and so on. Romans 8, verses 31 and 32; First John 3, verse 16.

"You know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." First Peter 1, verses 18 and 19.

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." First John 4, verse 9.