Christ is a title, and it means Anointed or Chosen One. The word Christ is the Greek (or New Testament) equivalent of the Hebrew (Old Testament) word for Messiah. The name Jesus is the human name given to Mary by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:31). The full name of Jesus Christ is Jesus the Anointed One or Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Messiah!” (Mark 8:29)
As a show of authority, the kings, priests, and prophets were anointed with oil in ancient Israel. Anointing was a symbolic act to indicate God’s choosing. The most significant anointing was that of Jesus by the Holy Spirit:
Then Peter began to speak: “You know the events that took place throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the Devil, because God was with Him. We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem… He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that through His name everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:37-42)
Jesus is The Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the One who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies, the Chosen Savior who came to redeem sinners, and the King of Kings who is coming back again to set up His eternal Kingdom. The next time you think of Jesus, think of these names and titles. No one else fulfills all these titles and positions!
(shared from BibleStoryPrintables.com)
Follow along each day during the holiday season as I post a different name of Jesus and Christmas ornament you can download to decorate and hang on your CHRISTmas tree! It’s a wonderful way to discover who Jesus Christ is, and what His birth at Christmas means to each of us.
