Chapter IV: Part 4

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.

REMEMBER:--

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._

MEMORIZE:--

_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.

QUESTIONS.

1. What do we confess regarding our Lord? 2. What do we also confess? 3. Recite the passage of Scripture where Christ is expressly called man. 4. How did our Lord show in His life here on earth that He was truly a man? 5. By whom was Christ conceived? 6. How was He, therefore, when He was born? 7. What, therefore, is the difference between Him and all other men? 8. We confess that Christ is God and man, What do we mean by this? 9. What did the Son of God become? 10. How do we read John 1,14? 11. Our Lord became true man; what did He also do? 12. What did He, as a rule, not show and use while He was here on earth? 13. What kind of man did our Lord become? 14. How was He born? 15. What was His whole life here on earth? 16. How poor did He become? 17. How did He die? 18. Why did Christ do all this? 19. For whose sake also did He humble Himself? 20. Why is my Lord called Jesus? 21. Why is He called the Christ?

LESSON 22.

The Second Article.

My Lord Has Redeemed Me, A Lost And Condemned Creature.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._

What does this mean?

_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil._

1. We have learned that our Lord is true God and true man. We have heard that the Son of God became man and humbled Himself even unto death for our sake to become our Lord and Savior. Our Catechism furthermore tells us _by what means Jesus Christ, true God and true man, became my Lord and Savior._ That is the great work of our Lord: He came into this world to save, to redeem us. His work is our _redemption._ Let us diligently and prayerfully consider this great work of our Lord--our redemption.

2. _Christ has redeemed me,_ so I confess. We were in great need of such a Lord and of the redemption which He was to bring. For without such a Lord _we are lost and condemned creatures._ We are _lost_ creatures. What does this mean? Remember the beautiful story of the _Prodigal Son._ The father in this story said of his son after his return that he had been lost. Wilfully and sinfully the son had left his home and his father and gone into a far country, where he spent all his goods with riotous living. He was now far away from his father, separated from him and his home. He was lost in that far-away country, where great misery and distress soon overtook him. Without his father he would have _perished_ with hunger. Thus we are lost without Christ. We have sinned against our heavenly Father, we have transgressed His commandments. By committing sins we have left our Father and are separated from Him. We are in a far-away country, in this sinful world, where misery and distress surround us. We are without God and without hope in the world. Without our Lord we must perish, suffer eternal death. _Without Christ we are indeed lost._ Every one of us must confess: I am a lost creature. _"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."_ Is. 53,6.

3. I confess also that I am a _condemned_ creature. God, as you have learned, is a righteous and jealous God. He _threatens to punish_ all that transgress His commandments. When Adam and Eye transgressed God's command, the threatened punishment came over them. _"In the day that thou eatest thereof,"_ God had told Adam, _"thou shalt surely die."_ Gen. 2,17. _Death_ is the punishment of all sinners, not only death here on earth, but _eternal death,_ that is, _eternal damnation._ That is the sentence which God passed upon all that have sinned, that they should be separated from Him in eternity, from Him in whom alone we find life and true happiness.--It was the _devil_ that tempted Adam and Eve to sin. They heard and obeyed his voice instead of the voice of their Father. He became their Lord and master. _"He that committeth sin is of the devil."_ 1 John 3,8. Because we have sinned, we are under the power of the devil, we belong to his kingdom. Without Christ we are all lost and condemned creatures, that is, _we are separated from God, our Father; we are under God's judgment of damnation; we are under the powers of sin, death, and the devil. They are our masters. "We were by nature the children of wrath."_ Eph. 2,3.

4. I am a lost and condemned creature; I am in the power of sin, death, and the devil. _Who can help me in this misery and redeem and save me?_ Surely not I myself. How could I deliver myself from these mighty enemies? I have nothing with which I might atone for my sins or remove God's wrath and curse. Neither can any other man help me, powerful and wise though he may be. _All_ men are lost and condemned creatures, just as helpless as I am. _There is only One who is able to help and redeem us, Jesus Christ, our Lord._ He is the _God-man._ He could conquer these fearful enemies, sin, death, and the devil. He is the _almighty God._ He alone among men is without sin, and therefore not in the power of the devil. He can redeem me, _and He has redeemed me._ In order to redeem the world, the Son of God became man, humbled Himself, and suffered and died. Thankfully I confess _that Christ has redeemed me, that He is my Lord._

5. I confess that Christ, my Lord, has redeemed me. But not only me did He redeem, but _all men,_ from Adam up to the last man that will be born before the Day of Judgment. God loved the _world,_ all _mankind,_ and He so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son to redeem and save the world. All men are lost and condemned creatures, all are under God's wrath and in the power of sin, and our Savior Himself said: _"The Son of Man is come to save that which was lost."_ Matt. 18,11. John the Baptist pointed to Him and said: _"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."_ John 1,29. _"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."_ 1 John 2,2. Christ, my Lord, has redeemed all mankind, and therefore I know that it is most certainly true: _He has redeemed also me._

REMEMBER:--

1. _Without Christ, my Lord, I am a lost and condemned creature. I am without God and hope in this world, separated from God and under the sentence of damnation._

2. _By nature I am in the power of sin, death, and the devil. I belong to Satan's kingdom. Sin, death, and the devil were my masters._

3. _In this dreadful distress no man was able to help me. Only Christ could redeem me, for He is the God-man; and He has redeemed me and all the world._

MEMORIZE:--

_He that committeth sin is of the devil._ 1 John 3,8.

_The Son of Man is come to save that which was lost._ Matt. 18,11.

_Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world._ John 1,29.

_He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world._ 1 John 2,2.

QUESTIONS.

1. What do we call the great work which Christ has done for us and all men? 2. What do I confess in the Second Article concerning myself? 3. From which parable of our Lord do we learn what it means to be lost? 4. Why was the Prodigal Son called lost? 5. How did he become separated from his father? 6. What happened to him in that far-away country? 7. How did we become separated from our heavenly Father? 8. What always separates us from God? 9. What do we furthermore confess concerning ourselves? 10. Why are we condemned creatures? 11. What does God threaten to those who transgress His commandments? 12. In what does the punishment of sin consist? 13. What death is meant? 14. Who tempted Adam and Eve to sin? 15. Of whom is he who commits sin? 16. Under whose power are we because we have sinned? 17. Who alone is able to help us in our misery? 18. Why can Jesus Christ surely help and save us? 19. Whom did Christ redeem? 20. How can you prove from Scripture that Christ has redeemed all men?

LESSON 23.

The Second Article.

Christ, My Lord, Has Redeemed Me With His Holy, Precious Blood.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._

What does this mean?

_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death._

1. Christ has redeemed and _purchased us,_ that is, He bought us. Our Lord had to pay a price, a very high price for our redemption. He has purchased or bought me not with _gold_ or _silver. "Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold."_ 1 Pet 1,18. Gold and silver are, indeed, highly prized among men. Much can be accomplished, much can be bought with gold and silver for the support of our life and for our comfort here in this world. But all the gold and silver, all the treasures in the world, cannot buy our redemption. Gold and silver cannot redeem one lost and condemned sinner from sin, death, and the powers of the devil, from hell and damnation. A much higher price was necessary. Our Lord has paid this price.

2. Christ redeemed and purchased us with His _blood._ He shed His blood for us. He gave His _life_ for our redemption. Consider the great love of our Lord. He gave His life not for His friends, but for us, who were His enemies. We call this blood a _holy_ blood. _It is the blood of a holy man._ Our Savior was born without sin, and He never committed a sin in His life. We have been redeemed, not with gold or silver, _"but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."_ 1 Pet. 1,19. We call the blood of Christ a _precious_ blood. This blood is the most precious thing in heaven and earth. It is the _blood of the Son of God,_ shed for our sins. _"The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin."_ 1 John 1,7.

3. Christ purchased us with His blood _and with His suffering and death._ Suffering and dying our Lord shed His blood for us. We say it was an _innocent_ suffering and death, because He did not deserve this. He was without sin, He never did any wrong. He did not suffer and die because of any guilt of His own. He suffered and died _on account of my guilt and the guilt of the whole world._ During His whole sinless life He fulfilled God's commandments. _We_ ought to have kept the commandments, but we could not do it because we were born in sins. Christ, our Lord, has fulfilled the Law of God _for us, in our stead._ He came into this world and was made under the Law that He might redeem us, who were under the Law. _We_ had transgressed the commandments, therefore the wrath of God was upon us, and we deserved His punishment. _We_ ought to have suffered death, eternal death. _Christ_ was _innocent,_ without sin, and still He suffered death on the cross. _He did all this for us, in our stead. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed."_ Is. 53,4.5.--It was a high price that Jesus paid for our salvation. He gave Himself for us. How thankful we ought to be to our dear Savior, who lived and died for us that we may be saved! How thankful we ought to be to our heavenly Father, who _"so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life"!_ John 3,16.

4. Christ paid a high price for me. He gave Himself a ransom for my salvation. But before His death on the cross my Savior cried out: _"It is finished."_ His great work is finished indeed. My Lord _has_ purchased and redeemed me and all mankind. Because Christ shed His precious blood, and suffered and died for us in our stead, we are redeemed and free from _our sins._ By leading a sinless life Christ has fulfilled all commandments of God for us; _in Him we have fulfilled them._ We are free from the curse of the Law. _"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us."_ Gal. 3,13. All the punishments for our sins were suffered by Christ. _In Him God has punished us,_ and therefore we no longer need to suffer punishment for our sins.--We have been redeemed from _all_ sins. There is not a single sin, either great or small, from which Christ, our Lord, has not redeemed us. _He has earned forgiveness of all sins for us._

5. The penalty of sin is _death,_ eternal death and damnation. Christ, our Lord, has taken away our sins, He has earned forgiveness for us; therefore _we have been redeemed from death._ He has suffered death for us and therefore we are free from death. Eternal death has no power over us; for _"Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light."_ 2 Tim. 1,10. We no longer need to fear death. In death our Lord gives us everlasting life.

6. Since Christ has suffered and died for us, _we have also been redeemed from the power of the devil._ Through sin the devil has power over us. Our sins are forgiven; by His death the Lord _destroyed the works of the devil._ Satan has lost his power over me. He cannot force me to sin nor keep me in his kingdom. _"Through death He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."_ Heb. 2,14. We thank the Lord for having redeemed us from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil.

REMEMBER:--

1. _I have been bought with a price. My Lord has purchased me, not with treasures of this world, but with His own precious blood, with His innocent suffering and death._

2. _In my stead Christ fulfilled all the commandments of God. In my stead He suffered and died for my sins. With His stripes I am healed._

3. _Now I am redeemed and free from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. In Christ I have forgiveness of all my sins._

MEMORIZE:--

_Ye know that ye ware not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot._ 1 Pet. 1,18.19.

_The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sins._ 1 John 1,7.

_Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.... He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed._ Is. 53,4.5.

_Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us._ Gal. 3,13.

_Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light._ 2 Tim. 1,10.

QUESTIONS.

1. What does it mean when we say that the Lord purchased us? 2. Wherein did the price which He paid for us not consist? 3. With what did our Lord redeem us? 4. Why do we call His blood a holy blood? 5. Why do we call it a precious blood? 6. What do we read 1 John 1,7? 7. Why do we call the suffering and death of our Lord an innocent suffering and death? 8. Why did our Lord not deserve suffering and death? 9. For whom did He suffer and die? 10. What did Christ during His whole life fulfil? 11. For whom did He do this? 12. What did we deserve for our sins? 13. Who suffered the punishment we had deserved in our stead? 14. What does the prophet say Is. 53,4.5? 15. What do we know regarding this great work of our Lord? 16. From what have we been redeemed? 17. What did Christ earn for us with regard to our sins? 18. From what have we also been redeemed? 19. What need we no longer fear? 20. In what respect are we redeemed also from the power of the devil?

LESSON 24.

The Second Article.

My Lord Has Won Me That I May Be His Own.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord._

What does this mean?

_I believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord, who has won me, that I may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness._

1. Christ, my Lord, has redeemed and purchased me, and we add: _He has won me._ He has won me after a hard fight with sin, death, and the devil. In the first prophecy of the promised Messiah, God said to the serpent, to Satan: _"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel."_ Gen. 3,15. This prophecy has been fulfilled in the coming of Christ, our Lord. He is the _Seed of the woman._ The serpent, Satan, indeed, bruised His heel. Christ had to suffer and die for us. But through His death on the cross our Lord has gained the victory He has bruised the serpent's head and destroyed his works. He has delivered us out of the hand of our enemies. Sin, death, and the devil no longer have any power over us. Christ has won us for Himself. _He has become my Lord. I now am His own,_ I belong to Him, to Him alone, who has bought me and won me. _Christ has won me in order that He may be my Lord and I His own._

2. Christ, my Lord, has won me that I may _live in His kingdom._ Without Christ we are all in Satan's kingdom, living under him. He is our evil master, who rules over us But Christ has delivered us out of the hand of our enemies that we should live in His kingdom.--_Our Lord has a kingdom here on earth._ For the purpose of founding this His kingdom, He came into the world and humbled Himself, and suffered and died for us. Our Lord, truly, is a King. He Himself told us so. When Pontius Pilate asked Him, _"Art Thou a king, then?"_ He answered: _"Thou sayest that I am a King."_ To His kingdom all those belong who believe and trust in Him and accept Him as their Lord and King. For this purpose my Lord redeemed and won me, that I, too, may belong to His kingdom and live under Him.

3. The kingdom of our Lord and King is a _most glorious kingdom._ The Lord Himself reigns and rules in His kingdom with His grace and love. In His kingdom we live _under Him._ He rules and governs my whole life. Under His rule and care I shall not want. I live under Him, under His protection. He protects me from the temptations of sin, the godless world, and the devil. My Lord and King is always with me. Under His care and protection I am _safe;_ for my King is _the almighty God, whom nothing can withstand._ All power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. Matt. 28,18. _This kingdom of our Lord we call the Kingdom of Grace;_ for with grace and love our King governs all who accept Him as their Lord and King.

4. For this purpose Christ has redeemed and won me, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and _serve Him,_ who has become my Lord. Before Christ became our Lord, we had other masters. We served our enemies, sin and the devil. We could not but serve them, and we served them willingly, even joyfully. How miserable to be a servant of Satan and sin, to do their will, to obey them! _The wages of sin is death,_ eternal, death and damnation. Our Lord has delivered us from sin and Satan, He has won us as His own. _"That we, delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life."_ Luke 1, 74.75. We live in the kingdom of our Lord under His care; we need not fear our enemies if we do not serve them. We serve Him who has delivered us. In His kingdom our Lord gives us strength to serve Him by living according to His commandments, by doing His good and gracious will. To serve this Lord is a _noble_ service. Can there be a nobler service than to serve God, the highest Lord, to serve the highest King, who has bought and won us out of the hands of our enemies, of sin and Satan? _Gladly_ and _joyfully_ will we serve Him, our Savior and our Lord.

5. We serve our Lord _in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness._ The kingdom of our Lord is, indeed, a glorious kingdom. In His kingdom we serve Him in _righteousness._ We are not righteous in ourselves, but our Lord has gained a perfect righteousness for us. He has fulfilled the Law in our stead. Clothed in Christ's blood and righteousness, we serve our Lord, and therefore our poor service is _well-pleasing_ to God.--We serve our Lord in _innocence._ We are free from the guilt of our sins. Sad to say, we daily sin in the service of our Lord, we deserve nothing but punishment; but God forgives us our sins_ daily and richly for Christ's sake, and so we are _innocent_ in His sight. In holiness and righteousness we will serve Him all the days of our life.--We serve Him in _blessedness._ It is blessedness to serve this our Lord. He blesses His servants with all His rich gifts. He blesses them here on earth and leads them to eternal blessedness in heaven. It is _everlasting righteousness and innocence and blessedness that our Lord gives us. He leads His servants to _His kingdom in heaven._ Here in this world His kingdom is a _Kingdom of Grace;_ in heaven it is the _Kingdom of Glory. "The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen."_ 2 Tim. 4,18.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Through His sufferings and death, Christ has become my Lord, and therefore I am His own. I am living in His kingdom, under Him, my King, being delivered from the hands of all my enemies. He cares for me and protects me._

2. _In His kingdom I am serving my King in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, which He bestows on me. For my Lord's sake God forgives me all my sins and accepts my poor sinful service._

3. _Our Lord's kingdom is a twofold kingdom, the Kingdom of Grace here on earth, in which our King reigns with His grace, with forgiveness of sins, and the Kingdom of Glory in heaven, in which we shall reign with our King, freed from all evil, in His glory forever and ever._

MEMORIZE:--

_I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel._ Gen. 3,15.

_Pilate, therefore, said unto Him, Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest, I am a King._ John 18,37.

_That we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life._ Luke 1,74.75.

_The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen._ 2 Tim. 4,18.

QUESTIONS.

1. From whom has our Lord won me? 2. To whom do I now belong? 3. Recite the first prophecy of the promised Messiah. 4. Who has no power over me since Christ has won me? 5. In whose kingdom may I live? 6. What does it mean to live under Him? 7. What will our Lord do as our King? 8. Why are we safe under His rule and protection? 9. How do we call His kingdom here on earth? 10. Because Christ is our Lord, what should we therefore do? 11. Whom must we serve when we are not in our Lord's service? 12. Why is this service a miserable service? 13. Why can we now serve our Lord? 14. Why is His service a glorious service? 15. who has given us the righteousness in which we serve our Lord? 16. Why are we innocent before God? 17. Why is it blessedness to serve the Lord? 18. How do we call His kingdom in heaven?

LESSON 25.

The Second Article.

Review Lesson.

(1) 1. In whom does every Christian believe according to the Second Article? 2. What do we mean when we say: I believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord? 3. What two things does our Catechism teach us about our Lord Jesus Christ? 4. What do we confess in the Second Article concerning the _person_ of our Lord? 5. Prove from Scripture that Christ is God's only Son, the only-begotten Son of the Father. 6. If Christ is God's only-begotten Son of the Father, He must be true God with the Father. How can you prove this from Holy Writ? 7. How did the apostles confess Jesus Christ as their God? 8. What do we confess about our Lord in the beginning of the explanation of the Second Article? 9. Together with whom is Christ true God? 10. In what respect is there no difference between Jesus and His Father? Christ is coequal with the Father. He has the same divine majesty, glory and honor.

(2) We confess that Jesus Christ is God's only Son and therefore, together with the Father, true God from eternity. 1. What do we furthermore confess concerning our Lord? 2. How can you prove that Christ is true man? 3. Christ is indeed true man, born of the Virgin Mary. But there is one great difference between Him and all other men. Which is it? 4. Why was Christ conceived and born without sin? 5. Christ is true God and true man; there are, however, not two Christs, one true God and the other true man; there is but one Christ. What is He? 6. The Son of God became true man, but He did more. What kind of a man did He become? 7. How does the Second Article describe the lowly life of our Savior here on earth? 8. Why did Christ humble Himself so deeply? 9. What does the name Jesus mean? 10. Why is He called Savior? 11. Why was Jesus called the Christ?

(3) We learn from our Catechism not only who Jesus, our Lord, is, but also what He has done for us to become our Lord. 1. What does our Catechism say concerning the work of our Lord? 2. Christ has redeemed me; how do we therefore call His work? 3. Why was it necessary that I should be redeemed? We are by nature lost and condemned creatures. 4. From which parable of the Lord can you learn what it means to be lost? 5. Why are we also condemned creatures? 6. Who had pronounced judgment upon us because of our sins? 7. What was this punishment? 8. We were under the power of sin, death, and the devil. Who alone could help us in this distress? 9. We confess that Christ redeemed me, a lost and condemned sinner; but I am not the only one whom He has redeemed. Whom did He also redeem? 10. Prove from Scripture that our Lord redeemed all men. 11. What conclusion may and should I draw from this truth?

(4) Our Catechism says that our Lord has redeemed and purchased us. 1. What is the meaning of the Word purchase? 2. Christ has bought us with a price. What is the price our Lord paid for our redemption? 3. Why could we not be bought with gold or silver? 4. We have been purchased with His blood. How did Christ purchase us with His blood? 5. It is, indeed, a high price which our Lord paid for us. Why do we call His blood a holy blood? 6. Why is it called a precious blood? 7. What does Christs blood do for us regarding our sins? 8. Christ has purchased us with His suffering. Why do we call His suffering an innocent suffering? 9. In whose stead did Christ suffer all the punishment of sin? 10. What is the punishment of sin?--11. Christ has purchased us with His holy blood and His innocent suffering. From whom did He purchase us? Christ redeemed us from the power of sin, and death, and the devil. 12. How did Christ redeem us from all sins? 18. What did He fulfil in our stead? 14. Why are we also free from death? 15. Being free from sin we are also free from the power of the devil. Why are we free from his power?

(5) Christ, our Lord, has redeemed and purchased us. He has also _won_ us. He has won us after a severe fight with sin, death, and the devil. 1. Which is the first prophecy of this conflict between our Savior and the devil? 2. Christ gained the victory in this conflict. He won us. To whom do we now belong? 3. We are Christ's own; we live in His kingdom. To whose kingdom do we belong without Christ? 4. Christ has won me from the power and the kingdom of the devil; Christ now is my King. Who belongs to His kingdom? 5. What do we call His kingdom here on earth? 6. Why do we call it the Kingdom of Grace? 7. In His kingdom we live under Him. What does this mean? 8. Not only do we live under our King, under His care and protection, we also serve Him. How do we serve Him? 9. Out of whose hand has our Lord delivered us? 10. How do we serve our Lord? 11. Without Christ we had to serve sin and the devil. Why is this service such a degrading service? 12. Why should we gladly and willingly serve our Lord in His kingdom? 13. We serve our Lord in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Which righteousness is here meant? 14. In what respect are we innocent in the eyes of God? 15. Why does His service bestow blessedness upon us? 16. To what kingdom does our gracious Lord lead us after this life? 17. Why is this kingdom called the Kingdom of Glory?

Let us give thanks to our dear Savior, who has become our Lord, that we may be His own and in His kingdom live under Him and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Amen.

LESSON 26.

The Second Article.

How Our Lord As Victor Descended Into Hell And Rose Again From The Dead.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.... He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead._

1. We believe and confess in the Second Article of our faith that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, became also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, that He suffered, was crucified, died on the cross, and was buried. All this our Lord has done to redeem us lost and condemned creatures from all our sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, that He may be our Lord, that we may be His own and live under Him in His glorious kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness and blessedness. Our Lord died and was buried for our sakes to redeem us. Is, then, our Lord still in death and in the grave? Do we believe in a dead savior? Do we serve a dead and helpless king? Thank God, we do not! _We know from Holy Writ that our Lord came to life again, that our living Lord descended into hell and on the third day after His death rose again from the grave._

2. We confess in the Second Article: _"He,"_ our Lord Jesus Christ, _"descended into hell."_ When our Lord descended into hell, He was no longer dead. It is true, when they took Him from the cross and buried Him, He was really dead. Nobody, indeed, had taken His life from Him, He had laid it down of Himself, of His own free will, laid it down for us that we might not suffer eternal death; _but in His grave Christ, the Son of God, took His life back again. "Christ was put to death in the flesh, but quickened_ [came to life again] _by the Spirit."_ 1 Pet. 3,18. As our living Lord He went down into hell, into the place whither the evil spirits, the devils and condemned men, have been banished. Christ did not enter the gates of hell _in order to be punished there for His sins;_ for our Savior was without sin and blemish. He did not descend into hell _to suffer the penalty for our sins;_ this He had already done on the cross. He descended into hell _to show that He had won the victory over the devil and all his hosts._ "He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them." Col. 2,15. As the triumphant Victor over all His enemies Christ entered hell, the abode of Satan. Now we are certain that the old Evil Foe cannot keep us in his power, that _we are free from hell and damnation._

3. _On the third day our Lord rose again from the dead._ You have often heard the Easter-Gospel, the joyful tidings of Christ's glorious resurrection: Our Lord is not dead, but He lives. When, very early in the morning, the women came to the grave to anoint the body of their Master, they did not find Him, the grave was empty, and an angel of God brought them the message: _"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."_ Luke 24,5.6. After His resurrection our Lord showed Himself to His disciples as their living Savior. They saw Him, they spoke to Him, and ate with Him. _The Lord convinced them that He was risen._ They are the witnesses of His resurrection. Even the _soldiers_ whom the enemies had placed around the grave as a watch, lest His disciples might come by night and steal the body, could not deny that the grave was empty, that the Lord had risen. Matt. 28,4.11-15. _We are sure that Christ, our Lord, is not dead, but lives; for God Himself tells us in His Word that Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father._ Rom. 6,4. Joyously we confess: _"I know that my Redeemer liveth."_ Job 19,25.

4. Christ is risen. He came forth from His sepulcher with _the same body_ that was laid in the grave. _The tomb was empty._ The disciples knew Him when He showed Himself. They saw the print of the nails in His hands and His feet and the wound in His side. He let them touch His body in order to convince them that He was not a spirit. Luke 24,39.40. But after His resurrection His body was _glorified;_ it was free from all human weakness and sufferings, free from death.

5. _The resurrection of our Savior is full of comfort and consolation for us. "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."_ 1 Cor. 15,17-19. This would be our sad lot if Christ were not risen. All our faith and hope in Him would be in vain. But He _is_ risen, and now we know _that He is the true Son of God._ We know that Christ _has gained the victory over all our enemies,_ sin, death, and the devil, who could not keep Him in their power. We know that Christ _has paid the penalty for our sins,_ that our sins are forgiven. We know that we have a _living_ Savior, _who is with us alway,_ to govern and protect us in His kingdom. We know that we shall not perish when we die, that our risen Lord will not leave us in the grave, but will _raise us again unto eternal life. "Because I live, ye shall live also."_ John 14,19. Our Lord is risen, and so we put our trust in Him both in life and death. "Jesus, my Redeemer, lives! I, too, unto life must waken Endless joy my Savior gives; Shall my courage then be shaken? Shall I fear, or could the Head Rise and leave His members dead?"

REMEMBER:--

1. _Christ descended into hell to show Himself as Victor over our enemies, over the devil and all his hosts._

2. _Christ is risen. We know that our Redeemer lives. We have a living Savior, our sins are forgiven. Our King lives forever; under Him we live in everlasting righteousness and innocence._

3. _Christ is risen; He has conquered death. Though we must die, He will recall us from our graves and raise us to eternal life and everlasting blessedness._

MEMORIZE:--

_I know that my Redeemer liveth._ Job 19,25.

_If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished._ 1 Cor. 15,17.18.

_Because I live, ye shall live also._ John 14,19.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where did Christ go after He had come to life again in the grave? 2. Why did Christ not descend into hell? 3. What was His purpose in descending into the abode of Satan? 4. When did our Lord rise from the dead? 5. What message did the angel bring to the women at the grave? 6. Who are the witnesses of His resurrection? 7. How did our risen Lord convince His apostles that He was alive again? 8. Who even could not deny His resurrection? 9. What makes us perfectly certain that Christ is risen and lives forever and ever? 10. How was Christ's body after His resurrection? 11. What does that mean, Christ's body was glorified? 12. What do we know regarding our sins since Christ is risen? 13. What consolation does His resurrection give us for our Christian life? 14. What consolation does it give us in the hour of death?

LESSON 27.

The Second Article.

The Triumphant Ascension Of Our Lord.

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.... He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty._

What does this mean?

_Even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity._

1. After His resurrection our Lord _remained here on earth for forty days._ During these days He repeatedly appeared to His disciples; He showed Himself alive to them by many proofs. He convinced them that He was not dead, but lived. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God, _His_ kingdom. He finally gave them His great command or commission, to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel of their living Savior to all men. Acts 1,3.

2. On the _fortieth day_ when the apostles were assembled in Jerusalem, the Lord appeared to them again. He told them: _"Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high."_ Luke 24,49. He commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received the gift of the Holy Ghost, that in His power they might be His witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Then our Lord led them out to _Mount Olivet,_ as far as to _Bethany._ And there He lifted up His hands and blessed them. _While He blessed them, He was parted from His beloved apostles and carried up into heaven._ While the disciples looked on He was taken up higher and higher, until a cloud received Him out of their sight. Luke 24,50.51; Acts 1,8.9. In this manner our Lord was received up to His heavenly glory _Visibly,_ before the eyes of His disciples, He ascended on high and entered into the glory of His Father.

3. Christ ascended into heaven, _and He did so for our sake._ He ascended up on high as _the triumphant Victor_ over all His and our enemies. His entrance into heaven assures us _that He has opened heaven again for us through His sufferings and death._ Before His death He gave His apostles the promise: _"In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you."_ John 14,2. This promise He has fulfilled. He went up to heaven to prepare a place in His Father's house for all who believe in Him, their Savior.--Our Lord ascended into heaven, _and where He is, there shall we, His friends and disciples also be._ He will not leave us behind in this world. As truly as Christ went up to heaven, we, His own, will follow Him to His and our Father's house. _"Where I am, there shall also My servant be."_ John 12,26. Our Lord prayed for us before His death upon the cross: _"Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me."_ John 17,24. "Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension we by faith behold our own."--Remember: _Our Treasure, our Lord and Savior, is in heaven, and where our Treasure is, our hearts and hopes should also be._

4. _"He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God,"_ thus we read Mark 16,19. We, therefore, confess that our ascended Lord now _"sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."_ What does this mean? It does not mean that in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father, there is a special throne, prepared for our Lord, the God-man Jesus Christ, upon which He is now seated in divine glory, adored and praised by all the heavenly hosts, and that, because He is sitting on that throne, He is _far away from us, His own._ It means--and so our Catechism explains it--that our dear Lord, after being raised from the dead, _"lives and reigns to all eternity."_ It means that Christ, though He was dead, lives and is alive forevermore, that our living Lord is with us and reigns over us as our gracious King to all eternity. He is, and will be, according to His almighty power, our King forever and ever.

5. Christ, indeed, ascended into heaven. He now is in heaven, in the glory of His Father; _but He is not far away from us. He is with us._ We cannot see Him, as His apostles saw Him, but He is with us _invisibly in His Word, His Gospel._ When we read or hear His Gospel or think about it, our Savior is always at our side. He Himself has promised us: _"I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you."_ John 14,18.-- _Our Lord lives and reigns to all eternity,_ that is, He rules and governs us, His own, His disciples. He leads and protects us against all our enemies. Out of His almighty hand no enemy can pluck us. Our mighty Lord on God's throne is our Good Shepherd, who leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Ps. 23.--Christ's resurrection, His ascension, and His sitting at the right hand of God assure us of the fact that He is indeed our Lord, and will be our Lord and King to eternity; and in His kingdom we shall live and Him we shall serve in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Christ, our Savior, ascended into heaven as the triumphant Victor over all His and our enemies. He entered into heaven, into the glory of His Father, there to prepare a place for us._

2. _His ascension assures us that the gates of heaven are open to all who believe in Him, that we shall be where He is to see His glory._

3. _Our Lord sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, that is, He, the God-man, lives to eternity, lives, and is with us in His Word, and reigns over His own with His almighty power forever and ever._

MEMORIZE:--

_In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you._ John 14,2.

_I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also._ John 14,3.

_Where I am, there shall also My servant be._ John 12,26.

_I will not leave You comfortless; I will come to you._ John 14,18.

QUESTIONS.

1. How long did our Lord remain on earth after His resurrection? 2. What did He do during these forty days? 3. Where were His disciples assembled on the fortieth day? 4. What promise did the Lord give them? 5. Why were they to be endued with the power of the Holy Ghost? 6. Where did Christ lead the apostles? 7. In what manner was the Lord taken up into heaven? 8. Who were the witnesses of His ascension? 9. What has Christ prepared for us in His Father's house? 10. What does our Savior say John 12,26? 11. Since our Lord is in heaven, who also shall be there? 12. What does the sitting of Christ at the right hand of the Father not mean? 13. With what words does our Catechism explain it? 14. How is our Lord with us after His ascension? 15. What does it mean that our Lord reigns over us? 16. Of what does His resurrection, His ascension, and His sitting at the right hand of God make us certain?

LESSON 28.

The Second Article.

Christ Will Come To Judge The World

Which is the Second Article?

_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead._

1. When our Lord ascended into heaven and His disciples were looking after Him as He was taken up before their eyes, higher and higher, two men stood by them in white apparel, two angels, who said: _"This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."_ Acts 1,11. We confess therefore that our Lord _will come again,_ that He will come again in like manner as His apostles saw Him taken up into heaven. He will come _visibly._ All men on earth will see our Lord coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21,27. He will not come again in deep humility and poverty, as He came when He was born in Bethlehem, but with great power and glory. _"The Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels."_ Matt. 16,27. All men will see Him as the almighty King surrounded by His heavenly hosts. Every one will then have to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and every one will have to bow to Him. _Our Lord will come again visibly and in great glory._