The Third Article of the Creed

1 Q: What is taught in the Third Article: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary?

A: The Third Article of the Creed teaches that by the operation of the Holy Ghost the Son of God took a body and soul like ours, in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary, and that He was born of that Virgin.

2 Q: Did the Father and the Son also take part in forming the body and creating the soul of Jesus Christ?

A: Yes, the whole Three divine Persons co-operated in forming the body and in creating the soul of Jesus Christ.

3 Q: Why then is it simply said: He was conceived by the Holy Ghost?

A: It is simply said: He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, because the Incarnation of the Son of God is a work of goodness and love, and the works of goodness and love are attributed to the Holy Ghost.

4 Q: In becoming man did the Son of God cease to be God?

A: No, the Son of God became man without ceasing to be God.

5 Q: Jesus Christ, then, is God and man at the same time?

A: Yes, the incarnate Son of God, that is, Jesus Christ, is both God and man, perfect God and perfect man.

6 Q: Are there, then, two natures in Jesus Christ?

A: Yes, in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, there are two natures, the divine and the human.

7 Q: In Jesus Christ are there also two Persons, the divine and the human?

A: No, in the Son of God made man there is only one Person, namely, the divine.

8 Q: How many wills are there in Jesus Christ?

A: In Jesus Christ there are two wills, the one divine, the other human.

9 Q: Did Jesus Christ possess free will?

A: Yes, Jesus Christ possessed free will, but He could not do evil, since to be able to do evil is a defect, and not a perfection, of liberty.

10 Q: Are the Son of God and the Son of Mary one and the same Person?

A: Yes, the Son of God and the Son of Mary are one and the same Person, that is, Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

11 Q: Is the Blessed Virgin the Mother of God?

A: Yes, the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God, because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ, who is true God.

12 Q: How did Mary become the Mother of Jesus Christ?

A: Mary became the Mother of Jesus Christ solely through the operation and power of the Holy Ghost.

13 Q: Is it of faith that Mary was always a Virgin?

A: Yes, it is of faith that the most holy Mary was always a Virgin, and she is called the Virgin of virgins.