What is the explanation of the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed in Small Lurther Cathechism?

Answer 1

Apostles' Creed explainedArticle 1: I believe in God the Father, almighty, creator of heaven and earth.: God exists, he is one God in three persons (the Holy Trinity) and he created everything: plant, animal, human and angelic life.

Article 2: And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.: Jesus is the son of God and he is divine. Christ is a title meaning anointed. Jesus comes from the Hebrew word Jeshua which means God saves.

Article 3: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit.: This affirms the human nature of Christ born of a human mother, but no human father. He was concieved by the power of the Holy Spirit. So he is fully divine and fully human.

Aritcle 4: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. Jesus suffered, he felt pain and he really died. Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Jedea, gives a historical and chronological reference to when this happened and that it was not only the Jews, but Gentile who share the blame.

Aritcle 5: He descended into hell, the third day He rose again from the dead.: Hell is not the place of the damned, but the place of the dead. This also afirms that on the third day He rose again. He came back from the dead by his own divine dower.

Aritcle 6: He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty: He ascended both body and soul into heaven.

Ariticle 7: From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead: The affirms the Second Coming of Christ when he will disclose whos in Heaven and whos in Hell and why. For Catholics private judgments happen immediately after death when you either go to hell, heavan or purgatory.

Article 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit.: This reminds us of the third person--the Holy Trinity--God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All Equal in one.

Article 9: I believe in the Catholic Church, the communion of saints: Matthew 16 "I will build My Church". The Church is seen as the continuation of the three fold mission Christ had while here on earth to teach, sanctify and govern. The Church continues his prophetic mission of teaching through the Magisterium, his priestly mission of sanctification through the celebration of the seven sacraments and his kingly mission of being shepherd and pastor through the hierarchy. The Church includes not only living baptized persons, but also the saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory.

Article 10: I believe in the forgiveness of sins. All men and women are sinners and in need of forgiveness. Christ came to save the world from sin.

Article 11: I believe in the resurrection of the body. Death is a momentary separation of body and soul. When the world ends our body and soul will be united again and we will either go body and soul to heaven OR body and soul into hell.

Article 12: I believe in life everlasting. As Christ died so shall we, as he rose so shall we rise.