1 Corinthians 1:9
“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
John 12:21
“They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”
God has designed fellowship of believers as a forum of encouragement and interaction. Our fellowship is in Christ. Sadly, some are ever searching but never seem to come to the Truth. All of us have difficulty at times in understanding others, including understanding ourselves.
When faced with this difficulty it’s wise to consider the name and titles of Christ Jesus our Lord. In relation to His identity we find our identity. An old Puritan Preacher Baxter once put it like this, “For every look at yourself you need to take 10 looks at Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let us put our finger on this factor which enabled the first century believers to endure persecution and triumph over adversity, persecution and endless difficulties.
Some naively think that Christ was Jesus surname.
Christ – A significant Person
The English word “Christ” is derived from the Greed word “Xristos.” This Greek word is equivalent to the Hebrew word “mashiyach” or “messiah”. The word means, “the Anointed One.” This phrase is used in the Old Testament in relation to the coming Messiah or Christ. In Psalm 110:1, the Messiah was to be David’s son and David’s lord. Israel anticipated that the anointed one, Christ would come to usher in The Kingdom on earth and The Messiah would rule over all nations from David’s throne. In John 1 it is recorded how the disciples discovered that Jesus was in deed the Messiah. When Jesus took them to Caesarea Philippi and challenged them, “Whom do you say that I am,” the reply was Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ (the anointed), the Son of God.” It is this confession that you and I make when we accept Christ. It is the foundation of our faith.
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:5 that many will come claiming to be Christ (the anointed one) and shall deceive many.
Beware of those who claim to be God’s anointed. In essence every believer in Christ, is in the anointing. We are not the anointed but in the anointed One. That’s why we call ourselves Christians – in Christ – in the anointing.
The early Christians were so convinced as to who Jesus was that they were prepared to argue and debate the fact. In Acts 9:22, Paul is said to have preached, “Proving that this is the very Christ.” Our confidence in Christ is objective. We do not build our faith on some whimsical emotion or feeling about Christ, but we consider the facts objectively. When our faith is riveted in how we feel about God, its subjective. In contrast, objective belief is outside of ourselves and is based on evidence and hard facts. Jesus proved He was indeed the Christ.
In spite of the disciple’s failures, they could not deny that Jesus was the Christ. In my own life I value with conviction the evidence and therein I find comfort and solace. In our own selves we know our imperfections, but in Christ we become God’s perfect, holy ones. The Gospel portrait gives ample evidence in favour of His significant person – Romans 10:9 resents the assurance of our salvation.
There is the second name “Jesus”.
The name given to Christ is Jesus. The name Jesus is an anglicised version of the Hebrew Yeshua, which is Joshua. The name means Saviour.
Consider Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Remember that the Law of Moses was given to him by God. But Moses could only take them to the brink of the promised land. In typology the promised land is the Land of Grace, the Land of Salvation. It’s significant that Israel needed a Joshua, a Saviour to lead them into the Land of Promise. The Law brings us to the cusp of Grace, but it is Yeshua (Jesus) from whom Grace comes – John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
In the New testament salvation is spoken of in three tenses:
First we are saved from the penalty of sin. Our past sins are forgiven. In Jeremiah it says “your sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” The penalty of sin is condemnation, in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation – Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
It’s a precious truth to remember that we are saved from sins penalty. Our spirit is regenerated.
Secondly, we are saved from the power of sin.
The power of sin over our lives has wrecked our reputation. It has taken hold of our minds. Sins power enslaves us to the works of the flesh, or old nature and binds us to our weaknesses and habits. Jesus breaks the power of sin in our lives. The drunkard is saved from the power of his indulgence of alcohol. The gambler, the gossiper, the hedonist can find deliverance from the power of sin. The struggle with the old nature and our new nature is Christ is current, it’s present but with faith in Christ, we can deal with the power of sin. The Holy Spirit within us glorifies Jesus and helps us to conquer the power of sin. Look away from self and look to Christ and the things of the earth will grow dim. Victory is ours in Jesus our Saviour – Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Thirdly, we will be saved from the presence of sin. Sins presence is evident in the world. We are daily confronted with its presence. Our hope and confidence is that in the next life we are saved from sins presence. There is no more pain, sorrow, sickness, nor sin in heaven. So as we battle, presently, with sins power we are guaranteed of ultimate victory from its presence. This corruptible body will put on immortality. In this sense salvation is in three tenses:
Past - saved from its penalty.
Present - saved from its power.
Future - saved from its presence.
Finally, the name “Lord” speaks of His supreme position.
The Old Testament speaks of Jehovah; in Hebrew the word is Yahweh. Yahweh was and is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God is wholly apart from His creation. God inhabits eternity. In Judaism, as in Christianity, belief is monotheistic. The Hebrew people believed in the sacredness of God to such an extent that they employed the Hebrew word “Adonai” which means Lord as a softer representative term for God.
Jesus was hailed as Lord in the sense of being called Jehovah. Psalm 110:1 “The Lord says to my lord,” is another relevant verse that supports the Trinity. The verse anticipates Jesus as Lord seated on the right hand of the Father. Some Old Testament manuscripts read Jehovah said to my Jehovah or the Lord (Adonai) said to my Lord (Adonai).
Peter declared Jesus as Lord in his Pentecost services – Acts 2:36 ““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Jesus is Lord. He holds the authority. Peter also re-quotes Psalm 110 to underscore that Jesus is Lord – Acts 2:34 “For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand.”
It would be Biblically wise for us when using the name Jesus (Saviour) to couple it with Lord, i.e. the Lord Jesus. God exalted Jesus, the man, as Lord over all things. There is now one Lord – Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
What God looks for in us is not primarily our success, but our faithfulness to His Lordship. The Hebrew Adonai is equated with the Greek “Kurios” which in turn is translated “Lord.” As Lord He is the Master of your destiny. It is with reverence and deep respect that we refer to Him as Christ (Messiah) Jesus (Saviour) our Lord (Master).
Let me conclude this presentation with that Hebrew greeting:
Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
In Greek “Christ Jesus is Lord” is Xristos Jesu Kurios.
May our lives be graced by the holy names of our Redeemer.
