And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord

Here we are introduced to the second Person in Whom we profess belief. His resume includes four titles, each expressing a powerful aspect of His identity.

Jesus - This is a man. His name means "God saves," but this was given to an embodied and finite individual by human parents at a particular limited time in a particular location on earth. Jesus is a fully human son of Adam.

Christ - In Hebrew, the word is"messiah." It's Greek for "anointed one." But this isn't just any anointing. This word comes with baggage in its context. God had been promising a son of David who would come and crush the head of the Enemy. An oppressed people had waited for thousands of years for this promised one to receive his anointing.

His Only Son - It's necessary to know that in context, this is a royal title. Son of God means that He is the fully divine heir to the Kingdom of God. He is the only heir, and therefore the only way to inherit anything at all is through Him. We can only share in the kingdom as the Bride of Christ, adopted as God's children by way of our marriage to His Son.

Our Lord - Jesus Christ, God's only Son is the Church's Husband. Her submission to Him is compulsory, and His affectionate provision for Her is eminent. There can be no more true, good, or beautiful way. Indeed, there is no other way at all.