Article 02

The Word, or Son of God, who became truly man

“The Son, who is the Word of the Father, was begotten from eternity of the Father, and is the true and eternal God, of one substance with the Father. He took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary, of her substance, in such a way that two whole and perfect natures, the Godhead and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided. Of these two natures is the one Christ, true God and true man. He truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, to reconcile the Father to us and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt but also for all actual sins of men.”

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A drowning person knows exactly what he needs. He does not need another person in the water drowning with him: he needs a person who is safely above, reaching down to rescue him. The Bible tells us that each one of us is like that drowning man: unable to save each other, needing rescue from above.

The second of the 39 Articles (a concise explanation of what Anglicans believe) is about Jesus. “The Son, who is the Word of the Father, was begotten from eternity of the Father, and is the true and eternal God, of one substance with the Father.” This tells us that Jesus has always existed. In this way he is like God the Father – and unlike everyone else.

How could Jesus be 100% God and 100% man? The second article explains it like this: “He took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary, of her substance, in such a way that two whole and perfect natures, the Godhead and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided. Of these two natures is the one Christ, true God and true man.” Jesus derived his humanity from his mother and his divinity from his Father.

The benefits to us of Jesus’ dual nature are enormous. Because he is a human being he can sympathize with us in our troubles. He understands what suffering is like because he has suffered. But if Jesus was only a human being, he could be of no more help to us than anyone else. He could lend a sympathetic ear, but he would not be able to do much more. However, because Jesus is also God, he can do something for us that no one else can: he can save us from our sins and give us eternal life. Because he is God, his death on the cross can be the means by which God will exchange our sins for his righteousness. Thank God for someone who is like us and unlike us!

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Reconciliation is a goal sought by many people today. Parents yearn for reconciliation with their estranged children; husbands and wives visit counselors to find ways to be reconciled to each other; and international diplomats and peace keepers struggle to bring reconciliation between warring factions in countries split apart by civil war. We would all like to have harmonious relationships within families, communities and nations – but this kind of peace seems impossible to achieve.

Our main problem is not that the world is divided against itself, it is the great wedge that sin drives between us and God. The Bible describes a holy and righteous God, on the one hand – and a human race, on the other, which is simply incapable of maintaining any standards of thought and behavior. No matter how hard we try, human beings remain flawed and tarnished and are consequently separated from their Creator. Only God himself can bridge the gulf – and he has done so by sending Jesus into the world.

The second of the 39 Articles sums up Jesus’ mission: “He truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, to reconcile the Father to us.” Jesus, fully God and fully man, brought about this reconciliation between God and mankind by his death on the cross. How could one man’s gruesome execution two thousand years ago be such an incredible achievement? The article explains that Jesus was “a sacrifice… for all actual sins of men.” He who lived a perfect life, gave that life as a sacrifice in place of our sinful lives, and received the punishment that we deserved. Jesus’ death satisfied God’s requirement that justice must be done. For those who accept that Jesus died for them, full reconciliation with God is freely given. What could be more important than reconciliation with God? What could be better than being at peace with God?