Divine Names and Titles: 2. Christ

 •  5 min. read  •  grade level: 10
 
2—Christ.
This the most familiar of all the titles of our Lord, is frequently coupled with His name Jesus, especially in the Epistles, and the two form what is considered to be His full name.
The word is derived from the Greek word for anointing, and means The Anointed One. It is used as an equivalent for the Hebrew word Messiah, which has the same meaning, and which we may consider at another time.
That priests (Exodus 40:1515And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. (Exodus 40:15)), kings (1 Samuel 9:1616To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. (1 Samuel 9:16)), and prophets (1 Kings 19:1616And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. (1 Kings 19:16)), were anointed to their office, sufficiently explains why the title “Christ” should have been chosen by the inspired writers to express the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the Prophet, Priest, and King of whom Moses and the Prophets did write. The general use of this title is plainly seen in connection with Old Testament prophecies, as in Matthew 22:42; 23:10; 24:5, 2342Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. (Matthew 22:42)
10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. (Matthew 23:10)
5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:5)
23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (Matthew 24:23); Mark 12:35; 13:2135And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? (Mark 12:35)
21And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: (Mark 13:21); Luke 3:15; 20:4115And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; (Luke 3:15)
41And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? (Luke 20:41); John 7:26, 27, 31, 41, 42; 12:3426But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? 27Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. (John 7:26‑27)
31And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done? (John 7:31)
41Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? (John 7:41‑42)
34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? (John 12:34); in all of which places the character of “Christ” as described in the Old Testament is referred to. Were this, however, all the meaning connected with this special title, it would only have at most a secondary interest for us, poor lost sinners of the Gentiles; but such is not all its meaning. If we turn to Matthew 16, we shall there find a remarkable change given by the Lord in the force or meaning of this title or name.
At this time the Lord had been definitely rejected by His ancient people. He had come unto His own and His own had received Him not. In Chapter 12 Their leaders attributed His mighty works to Beelzebub (v. 24), thus committing the unpardonable sin (v. 32), and Jesus calling them a “generation of vipers,” and “an evil and adulterous generation,” pronounces the final judgment on the people (39-45), declaring that His brethren now were all who should do the will of His Father in heaven (50). He then goes forth as a sower to sow the seed of a new race, of whom Matthew 13 gives the history in parable. In Chapter 16 Peter, by the express revelation of God, not now from Old Testament Scriptures, places the name of “Christ” in a hew connection as “Son of the living God,” and Jesus declares that on this confession He would found His church, and at the same time charges His disciples no longer to proclaim Him on earth as Messiah (v. 20); that is to say, that having been rejected by His earthly people when presented to them as the “Christ,” Jesus takes up this same title and transfers it in resurrection (“the living God”) to a new and heavenly race, gathered from Jew and Gentile, the church of God, of whom henceforth He was to be the Head. The subject is resumed in Chapter 18, where the value of “the name,” taken in this new connection (with the church instead of with Israel), is shown (v. 20). The result of this wondrous change is that the name of Christ now ceases to be Jewish property, and becomes the cherished possession of Christians, the new race thus scripturally (1 Peter 4:1616Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. (1 Peter 4:16)) taking their name,1 not from Jesus, but from Christ. In proof of this we find that, whereas “Christ” only occurs some 22 Times in the Gospels, in the Epistles, as now belonging to us, it occurs over 220 times; “Jesus Christ” which is found only some 8 times in the Gospels, occurs about 90 times after. Looking at the new use of this wondrous name, it is seen at once that it has a far deeper meaning to the Christian than it ever had to the Jew. That wonderful expression, so constantly occurring that we are in danger of passing over its deep meaning, “in Christ,” could never be applied to the Messiah as suchapter It is Christ who is the Head of His body the church, as well as the head of every man (1 Corinthians 11:33But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)). The new life is Christ in us for He is our life (Colossians 3:44When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)). So inseparable is Christ now from His people, that in the well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 12:1212For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12), they, the body, with the Head are called “the Christ” (lit). What special thoughts are there then to feed our souls in connection with this name! We get in it the one Body, the union of all believers with one another and with Christ, we get our security “in Christ,” and our power for walk “Christ in us,” we get the Rock (Matthew 16) on which all our hopes are built. In short, in this name we see expanded in a full and glorious way in resurrection all the meaning that lay hidden in the latter half of the Lord’s own name, JESUS. And if we put the two together we get a full picture of the person and work of Christ. Jehovah the mighty God is our help, the God of Jacob is become our refuge and is now in resurrection our life, our portion forever. Jesus the humbled man, Christ the risen Lord, the two together tell all the story of the “sufferings of Christ and the glories that follow.”
 
1. It is interesting to observe that in the early history of the Church, among the heathen, Christ often became “ Chrest,” benign or gracious, and Christians “ Chrestians,” partly in contempt and partly in acknowledgment of their character.