Dictionaries :: Christ

Christ:

anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered "Messiah" (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ (Act 17:3; 18:5; Mat 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah (Isa 61:1), and by Daniel (Dan 9:24-26), who styles him "Messiah the Prince."

The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen 22:18), the "Prophet like unto Moses" (Deu 18:15), "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Psa 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Isa 11:1,10), the "Immanuel," the virgin's son (Isa 7:14), "the branch of Jehovah" (Isa 4:2), and "the messenger of the covenant" (Mal 3:1). This is he "of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Saviour of men (Hbr 5:4; Isa 11:2-4; 49:6; Jhn 5:37; Act 2:22).

To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian (1Cr 12:3; 1Jo 5:1).

Christ:

anointed

Christ:

See JESUS, THE CHRIST

Christ:

"anointed," translates, in the Sept., the word "Messiah," a term applied to the priests who were anointed with the holy oil, particularly the High Priest, e.g., Lev 4:3, 5, 16. The prophets are called hoi christoi Theou, "the anointed of God," Psa 105:15. A king of Israel was described upon occasion as christos tou Kuriou, "the anointed of the Lord," 1Sa 2:10, 35; 2Sa 1:14; Psa 2:2; 18:50; Hab 3:13; the term is used even of Cyrus, Isa 45:1.

The title ho Christos, "the Christ," is not used of Christ in the Sept. version of the Inspired Books of the OT. In the NT the word is frequently used with the article, of the Lord Jesus, as an appellative rather than a title, e.g., Mat 2:4; Act 2:31; without the article, Luk 2:11; 23:2; Jhn 1:41. Three times the title was expressly accepted by the Lord Himself, Mat 16:17; Mar 14:61, 62; Jhn 4:26.

It is added as an appellative to the proper name "Jesus," e.g., Jhn 17:3, the only time when the Lord so spoke of Himself; Act 9:34; 1Cr 3:11; 1Jo 5:6. It is distinctly a proper name in many passages, whether with the article, e.g., Mat 1:17; 11:2; Rom 7:4; 9:5; 15:19; 1Cr 1:6, or without the article, Mar 9:41; Rom 6:4; 8:9, 17; 1Cr 1:12; Gal 2:16. The single title Christos is sometimes used without the article to signify the One who by His Holy Spirit and power indwells believers and molds their character in conformity to His likeness, Rom 8:10; Gal 2:20; 4:19; Eph 3:17. As to the use or absence of the article, the title with the article specifies the Lord Jesus as "the Christ;" the title without the article stresses His character and His relationship with believers. Again, speaking generally, when the title is the subject of a sentence it has the article; when it forms part of the predicate the article is absent. See also JESUS.

Christ:

SEE [JESUS CHRIST].