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THE FOURTH ARTICLE
Q. 85. How sloes the fourth Article of the Creed read?
A. And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
Q. 86. Of what is it spoken in the fourth Article of the Creed?
A. In the fourth Article of the Creed it is spoken of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Q. 87. How could Jesus Christ suffer, He being God?
A. Jesus Christ suffered and died as God-man by His own good will, for our sins. He Himself said: I lay down My life, that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have the power to lay it down, and have the power to take it up again (John 10:17-18).
Q. 88. What do the words: “under Pontius Pilate” express?
A. The words: “under Pontius Pilate” denote the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea.
Q: 89. Why is it said: “suffered”?
A. It is said “suffered” to signify that the. Lord Jesus Christ not only seemed to suffer, as same heretics said, but truly and actually did suffer all the tortures of a death on the cross.
Q. 90. Why is it also added: “and was buried?”
A. “And was buried” it was also added to assure that Jesus Christ really died and was buried.
Q. 91. Did Jesus Christ suffer for us all?
A. Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice for all, and obtained for all grace and salvation; but this benefits only those of us, who, for their parts, of their own free-will, have “fellowship in His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” (Philip. 3:10.)
Q. 92. How can we have fellowship in the suffering and death of Jesus Christ?
A. We have fellowship in the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ through a lively and hearty faith, through the Sacraments, in which is contained and sealed the virtue of His saving sufferings and death, and lastly, through the crucifixion of our flesh with its affections and lusts. ‘They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Gal. 5:24.) “Know ye not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death?” (Rom. 6:3.)
Q. 93. How can we crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts?
A. We can crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts by bridling the affections and lusts and by doing what is contrary to them. For instance, when anger prompts us to revile an enemy and to do him harm, but we resist the wish, and, remembering how Jesus Christ on the cross prayed for His enemies, pray likewise for ours; we thus crucify the affection of anger.
Q 94. What then does the fourth Article of the Creed teach?
A. The fourth Article of the Creed teaches that our lord Jesus Christ, in order to deliver us from punishment for our sins, took upon HIMSELF this punishment for all mankind, was condemned by the Jews to be crucified, at the time when their country was administered by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, that for the sake of our salvation He suffered on the cross the awful tortures, really and truly died thereon and was buried.
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