Our Lutheran churches teach that the Word, that is, [Jesus] the Son of God (John 1:14),  assumed the human nature in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 2 So there are two natures — the divine and the human — inseparably joined in one person. There is one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried. 3 He did this to reconcile the Father to us and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of mankind (John 1:29). 4 He also descended into hell, and truly rose again on the third day. Afterward, He ascended into heaven to sit on the right hand of the Father. There He forever reigns and has dominion over all creatures. He sanctifies those who believe in Him, by sending the Holy Spirit into their hearts 5 to rule, comfort, and make alive. He defends them against the devil and the power of sin. 6 The same Christ will openly come again to judge the living and the dead, and so forth, according to the Apostles’ Creed.

On our altars, in Lutheran churches, we have two candles. They represent that Jesus Christ is both true God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.  Christ, a title of Jesus that means ‘Anointed One’, suffered and died to reconcile us born rebels to God the Father.

Jesus is, and remains, for all eternity the God-man, the One who appeased God’s wrath against our sin and won for us everlasting life. Without Jesus, you would have no way to be reconciled with your Creator. You would remain lost and overwhelmed by your sin, original sin as we learned yesterday ~ that we inherited all the way back to Adam and Eve. 

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,