Our belief and ground concerning the incarnation of Jesus Christ is, that we confess and believe, that the only begotten Son of God, who was with the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24), and was in the form of God (Phil. 2:6), was foreordained before the foundation of the world; whose goings forth are from the beginning; by whom the world was made, John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2; and who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes, and came forth from the Father, came into the world; came down from heaven; and through the power of the Most High was conceived in Mary, and became man in her. For the Word became flesh (John 1:14), so that it was seen with the eyes, and handled with the hands; of the word of life. 1 John 1:1. Born of Mary (Luke 2:7); given unto us as a son (Is. 9:6), and crucified, died, and buried for us; raised from the dead, for God raised up his child Jesus (Acts 3:15; 10:40; 1 Thessalonians 1:10); and he ascended up where he was before (John 6:62), for he that descended is the same also that ascended, Eph. 4:10. We also believe, that the Son of God, when the time was fulfilled, became Abraham’s son, David’s son, Abraham’s seed, the Son of man, and the son and fruit of Mary, when he became man; not that the Son of God took his origin or beginning from Abraham, or David, or Mary; for we have above shown by the Scriptures, that he was with the Father before the foundation of the world; and was before Abraham was. John 8:58. We therefore believe, that Jesus Christ, without any division, visible or invisible, mortal or immortal, wholly and entirely, is the first-begotten, own, true, Son of God, as all believers have confessed him, as we can read in the holy Scriptures. Peter confessed him as the Son of the living God. Likewise also John the Baptist confessed him; for he said: I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. John 1:34. Nathanael said: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.” Martha in like manner confessed that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God, who had come into the world. John 11:27.
This is our confession concerning the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now if some one should ask us whether we do not believe that the Son of God assumed flesh and blood, in which he dwelt; and that the Son of God remained the same as he was, invisible, immortal, unchangeable, as is the Father; we answer thus: If it were true that the Son of God remained invisible, immortal and unchangeable, as the Father, and assumed flesh and blood from Mary, in which he dwelt, it could not be said with truth, that the Son of God became man; but according to truth it would have to be said, that the Son of God assumed a man, in whom he dwelt; for to assume is to assume, and to become is to become, and assuming cannot be called becoming. There further follows from it, that if the Son of God remained invisible, as the Father, he could not be crucified, and in this case he that hung on the cross, is not the Son of God; for he was seen, and God has but one Son. It further follows from it, that if the Son remained invisible, God did spare his Son, contrary to the words of Paul, where he says, that God spared not his Son, but delivered him up for us all. Rom. 8:32. And God would in this case also not have given us his Son, contrary to the teaching of John, where he says: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.” John 3:16.