Sola Devotions

The Smalcald Articles – part 16

Scripture Text: John 1:1, 14

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John 1:1, 14 

From the Confessions: The Smalcald Articles

III. That only the Son became man, not the Father nor the Holy Spirit.

Pulling It Together: When we confess that we “believe in God,” we are saying that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Only one of these persons “was made man.” We call this the “incarnation,” or the “in the flesh” of God. God was made flesh; “by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary.” As the Nicene Creed further states, God became man “for us and for our salvation.” God came down from heaven to enter this world as mortal flesh so that sinful humanity might be redeemed. No sinful person could deliver the human race from sin. God needed to descend from heaven to conquer sin and death as a being who is fully God while fully human. This too, is a divine mystery that may only be apprehended by faith.

Prayer: Help me believe the truth of the mystery that is you, Lord. Amen.

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In the Luther Household is a six-session Bible study on the Lutheran understanding of marriage and family. Based on foundational texts from Scripture, the study also draws from the real-life experience of Martin and Katie Luther, who were not only husband and wife, but the parents of several children. It includes excerpts from Luther's personal writings to family and friends as they faced the good and bad that come in everyday living.

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