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“Christ” is not the last name of Jesus … It’s a title

By Jeremy Myers
10 Comments

“Christ” is not the last name of Jesus … It’s a title
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/438614001-redeeminggod-117-what-does-it-mean-for-jesus-to-be-the-christ-john-2031.mp3

When someone talks about Christ, everybody knows they are talking about Jesus. Yet few people realize that the word “Christ” is not a name, but a title.

Defining Christ

Christ the KingThe word Christ comes from the Greek word christos, and is not actually a translation of the word, but a transliteration. The Greek letters of christos have simply been changed into English letters so that we get the word Christ. The same is true of the Hebrew equivalent, Messiah (Heb., Mashiach; cf. John 1:41).

The words themselves mean “anointed one” and can refer to someone who has been specially chosen by God to fulfill a function or complete a specific task, such as a king (1 Sam 9:16; 2 Sam 2:4-7; 1 Kings 1:34-45; Isa 45:1), priest (Exod 28:41; 30:30), or prophet (Isa 61:1). While the anointing upon these individuals was initially performed with oil, it later came to be thought of primarily as a spiritual anointing by God.

However, it is important to note that the term Christ has nothing to do with being divine. That is, while it is a biblical and theological fact that Jesus was fully God, we do not get this idea from the fact that Jesus is the Christ.

Yes, Jesus Christ is God incarnate. Yet “Christ” does not mean “God.” Even though I can say “The sky is blue” and “The sky is up,” this does not mean that the word “blue” means “up.” It doesn’t.

So also, even though the Bible teaches that “Jesus is the Christ” and that “Jesus is God,” the two statements are not theologically equivalent. Both statements are true, but both statements are saying different truths about Jesus.

After all, if Christ, or Mashiach, meant “God,” then what would the Bible be saying about those other individuals in Scripture, such as David, Saul, or Cyrus, who also called Mashiach?

It is best therefore, to think of the titles Christ or Messiah, as referring to someone who has received a special anointing by God to perform a specific task or purpose. Such a definition is true of every anointed person, whether it is a king, a prophet, a priest, or Jesus Himself.

“Christ” means “Anointed One”

In the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the title of “anointed one” (Mashiach or Christos) is used almost solely in reference to Jesus Christ. Paul takes the term even further so that it often refers not just to Jesus, but also to all who are in Jesus as part of His church (cf. Gal 3:27; Eph 3:4).

Eventually, the term “Christ” became so closely associated with the followers of Jesus, that eventually we became known as “Christians.”

So what is the best translation for the term Christ? While “anointed one” might be the most accurate translation, it is a bit of a mouthful to say “Jesus the Anointed One” all the time.

So is there a shorter term that might be preferable? Since most of the examples of anointed people in Scripture refer to prophets, priests, and kings, it is best to understand the term Christ in similar ways when it refers to Jesus.

Jesus is the pre-eminent prophet (Acts 3:18-24), priest (Heb 4:14-16), and king (Rev 19:16). Jesus is authoritative in how He judges, what He says, and where He leads.

Jesus is prophet priest king

Due to the wide variety of Messianic descriptions in the Old Testament, the Hebrew people often wondered what the Messiah would be like when He came. Would He be a king? A priest? A judge? A prophet? A deliverer? Would He be some combination of these, like the Priestly-King Melchizedek (Heb 5:5-11)?

When Jesus finally did arrive and declare Himself as the Messiah, the answer to all such questions was “Yes!” To speak of Jesus as the Christ is to speak of Him as our King, Priest, Prophet, Judge, Lord, Master, and Savior.

To speak of Jesus as the Christ is not only has the governmental role of ruler and king in view, but also the spiritual roles of prophet and priest, the legal roles of judge and counselor, and the personal roles of friend and brother.

So as it turns out, maybe the term Christ, left untranslated from the Greek christos, is the best word after all, as long as we recognize the rich significance and meaning of this term.

If you take all the roles from all the anointed leaders through all of biblical history, and combine them all together into one person, He looks just like Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the anointed King-Priest-Prophet-Judge-Lord-Master-Ruler-Savior.

As such, Jesus Christ rules and reigns not just over eternity, but also over every aspect of our lives here on earth as well.

Jesus the Christ

“Christ” and the Gospel

This understanding of Christ is critical for a proper understanding of the biblical gospel. There are some people in Christianity who think that the gospel is only about how to go to heaven when you die.

The truth, however, is that while the gospel does tell us how to have eternal life so that we can go to heaven when we die (I call this “The Target Truth” in The Gospel According to Scripture), this truth is relatively small compared to the large number and wide variety of gospel truths contained within the Scriptures.

The gospel message of Jesus Christ is not primarily about how to go to heaven when we die, but is instead about how to follow Jesus on this earth while we live.

The gospel is more about this life than about the next. And Jesus as “the Christ” shows and instructs us how to live this life.

When we see that Jesus as the Christ claims authority and preeminence over every aspect of our lives, this helps us learn to follow Him and seek His guidance as we go about our days and interact with others. Serving Jesus as our Lord and Master reminds us that we do not serve human kings or presidents, but only King Jesus. Our affiliation is not to a political party, but to the Kingdom of God (Acts 17:2-7).

Jesus is King for lifeSo when we read about Jesus Christ in the Bible, or when we read about how Christians are in Christ, it is important to not over-spiritualize word Christ, but instead to recognize that a statement is being bad about the Lordship and Mastery of Jesus over all things.

Yes, the term Christ itself means “anointed one” but Jesus was anointed to rule and reign over all things. The term Christ reminds us that as Christians, we follow Jesus as our Lord, Master, Ruler, and King.

In this way, the term Christ is central to the gospel because without Jesus as the Christ, there is no gospel. The good news message about Jesus is often described by Paul as “the gospel of Christ” (cf. Rom 1:16; 1 Cor 9:12; Gal 1:7).

If we want to understand the gospel, we must understand what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, the Kingly and Priestly Ruler of all.

There are over 500 references in the New Testament which mention the term Christ. We cannot look at all of them, so let us consider one key text which reveals what it means for Jesus to be the Christ.

John 20:31 – Jesus is the Christ

… but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31).

I stated above that the word Christ is not directly equivalent to being divine. That is, even though Jesus is God, and even though Jesus is the Christ, the two statements are not equivalent.

Though the title Christ carries rich theological symbolism and significance, one idea it does not carry is that of divinity.

Nevertheless, there are verses that seem to teach this connection. John 20:31 is one such verse. Some people use John 20:31 as evidence that divinity is included within the concept of Christ, for this text defines the word Christ with the phrase “the son of God.” A closer inspection of this passage reveals what John is really saying.

John 20:30-31 contains the purpose statement for the Gospel of John. He says that he wrote his Gospel account so that those who read it might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing they might have life in His name. This does indeed fit with what John writes in his Gospel.

Many refer to the fourth Gospel as “The Gospel of Belief” for it explains over and over that God gives eternal life to anyone who believes in Jesus for it (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

Since Matthew, Mark, and Luke are written more for Christians to help us learn how to follow Jesus in the path of discipleship, the purpose of John’s Gospel makes it the best one for unbelievers to read. John specifically wrote his Gospel account so that unbelievers might believe in Jesus.

Jesus ChristHowever, John did not write this Gospel account only for unbelievers. While he emphasizes over and over how a person can believe in Jesus for eternal life, John also knows that God wants much more for us than to just believe in Jesus.

Though it is critically important for someone to believe in Jesus for eternal life, this is only the beginning of all that God has for us in Jesus Christ.

God not only wants us to have life; He wants us to have it in abundance (John 10:10; see Abundant Life).

The Gospel of John is not just about how to receive eternal life, but is also about how to fully experience this life in Jesus.

So although John is the best Gospel for nonbelievers to read, there is lots of discipleship truth in this Gospel for believers as well.

John wants Christians to have all of the life that Jesus has for us, not just eternal life, but also the full experience of eternal life in Jesus Christ. And this comes, not just by believing in Jesus for eternal life—which is emphasized all over in the Gospel of John—but also by believing that Jesus is the Christ, that is, that He is King, Ruler, Master, Lord, and Savior.

Does saying that “Jesus is the Son of God” mean “Jesus is God”?

But what about that phrase “Son of God”? Does not this mean that Jesus is God?

Well, like “Christ,” the term “Son of God” is also a title. The way John uses this title in the verse shows that the two terms mean the same thing. John explains the word “Christ” with the term “Son of God.”

Since many people think that the title “Son of God” means “God,” they then conclude from this text that the term “Christ” also means “God.” But it does not.

During the Roman Empire, especially beginning with Caesar Augustus and following, the Caesars often referred to themselves as sons of God. By this, they were not claiming to be God incarnate, nor were they claiming (in most cases anyway) that they were the biological offspring of a Roman deity and a human woman.

By taking the title “the son of God,” the Caesars were saying that while they had been born as a human being to human parents, they had now become the adopted child of the gods. This status as adopted sons of God conferred upon them all the power and privilege that came with being part of the divine family, which meant that the Caesars had the divine right to rule over the Roman Empire.

So the title “son of God” is not primarily about being God or becoming a God, but is instead about ruling with the authority of God. Like the title “Christ,” it is about being King, Lord, Ruler, and Master over all things.

When a Caesar declared himself to be a son of God, he was not saying he was God, but was instead claiming that he had the right to rule and govern the Roman Empire.

This also is what it means to refer to Jesus as the Son of God, except that Jesus does not only rule over the Roman Empire, but over every kingdom, empire, and country on earth.

So here at the end of his Gospel account, John explains that he wrote his Gospel so that those who read it might believe that Jesus has the right to rule over all areas of life.

Not just over every corner of ever countries, however, but also over every act and thought of all people. John wants people to believe in Jesus not just for eternal life, but also for every other aspect of life as well.

Those who believe this will have the full experience of life that God wants for us. This is what it means to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (cf. 1 John 4:2-3, 15).

To learn more about the title “Christ,” and the meaning of other texts that use this term, take the Lesson on Christ in my Gospel Dictionary online course.

The Gospel DictionaryUnderstanding the Gospel requires us to properly understand the key words and terms of the Gospel. Take my course, "The Gospel Dictionary" to learn about the 52 key words of the Gospel, and hundreds of Bible passages that use these words.

This course costs $297, but when you join the Discipleship group, you can to take the entire course for free.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: christ, divinity of Jesus, gospel dictionary, John 20:31, Messiah, son of God

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Did Martha actually believe what Jesus said in John 11:25?

By Jeremy Myers
33 Comments

Did Martha actually believe what Jesus said in John 11:25?

We are all familiar with the story in John 11 of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 and the little conversation that Jesus had with Martha before He raised Lazarus.

John 11 Jesus Lazarus MarthaHere is how I have usually read John 11:39-44:

Scene: [Mary and Martha are upset with Jesus because they had sent a message to Jesus that Lazarus was sick (John 11:2), and Jesus had not come. Now, four days after Lazarus has died (John 11:39), Jesus decides to finally show up. Mary couldn’t bear to face Jesus, but Martha went out meet Him (John 11:20).]

Martha: Too bad you didn’t get here five days ago … when Lazarus was still alive … when we called you to come. I’m angry at you, but I still believe that God is with you (John 11:21-22).

Jesus: Your brother will rise again (John 11:23).

Martha: (Rolls her eyes and thinks, “What a terrible thing to say at a funeral. How does that help me now?”). Of course he will, in the future resurrection along with everyone else (John 11:24).

Jesus: I’m not talking about the future resurrection event. I am talking about me. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even though he dies physically, will then live physically, and will never die for all eternity. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26).

Martha: Absolutely! Of course I believe that (John 11:27).

Scene: [Jesus goes and raises Lazarus from the dead. Big party ensues (John 11:41-44).]

Is that pretty much how you have understood this event, and especially the answer that Martha gives to Jesus in John 11:27?

Recently, I have begun to wonder if I have been reading this text wrong all along.

John 11:27 and John 21:15-17

What got me wondering is the little conversation Jesus has with Peter at the end of John, where Jesus asks Peter three times “Do you love me?” and Peter answers three times, “Yes, you know that I love you” (John 21:15-17)

We all know, of course, that the first two times Jesus asks Peter this question, Jesus uses the word “agape” for God’s divine love, but Peter answers with “phileo,” which is brotherly love. The third time, Jesus uses “phileo” also, indicating to Peter that he knows that Peter’s love will never be perfect, and that’s okay.

But what got me thinking was that with the first two questions, even though Peter said “Yes” what he was really saying was “No.” Jesus asked, “Peter, do you agape me?” and in saying, “Yes, I phileo you,” Peter was actually saying, “No, I do not, cannot, and will not be able to agape you. But I do phileo you, and that’s the most I can honestly offer.”

The night of Jesus’ crucifixion gave Peter a glimpse into his own soul, and he knows what resides there, and so he answers Jesus honestly.

Anyway, the fact that Peter says “Yes,” but actually gives a modified “No” made me wonder if Martha wasn’t doing something similar in John 11, for if you look at the text carefully, she does not say that she believes what Jesus asks her. Instead, she states her belief in something else entirely, and in fact, a few verses later, when Jesus tells her to have some men roll away the stone, she proves that she did not believe what He said, because she argues with Jesus about rolling away the stone! This is where Jesus reiterates to her what He told her previously, that He was the resurrection and the life. If she had truly believed Him, she would not have argued with him later in the chapter.

Jesus Martha Lazarus

A New Reading of John 11

So now, I am wondering if John 11 could be read this way. The setup is the same, but the results are much different:

Scene: [Mary and Martha are pissed off because they had sent a message to Jesus that Lazarus was sick (John 11:2), and Jesus had not come. Now, four days after Lazarus has died (John 11:39), Jesus decides to finally show up. Mary couldn’t bear to face Jesus, but Martha went out meet Him (John 11:20).]

Martha: Too bad you didn’t get here five days ago … when Lazarus was still alive … when we called you to come. I’m angry at you, but I still believe that God is with you (John 11:21-22).

Jesus: Your brother will rise again (John 11:23).

Martha: (Rolls her eyes and thinks, “What a terrible thing to say at a funeral. How does that help me now?”). Of course he will, in the future resurrection along with everyone else (John 11:24).

Jesus: I’m not talking about the future resurrection event. I am talking about me. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even though he dies physically, will then live physically, and will never die for all eternity. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26).

Martha: That’s kind of crazy talk. Look, I believe you are the Christ, the promised Jewish Messiah. Isn’t that enough? (John 11:27).

Scene: Jesus says nothing, but looks at her with love filled eyes. They travel to the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus weeps. The people wonder why Jesus, if He loved Lazarus so much, couldn’t have healed him from his sickness (John 11:37).

Jesus: Take away the stone from the tomb (John 11:39a).

Martha: Are you okay Jesus? He’s dead. If you wanted to say your final goodbye, you should have done that four days ago when we called you. By now he stinks. Let him rest in peace (John 11:39b).

Jesus: Didn’t I tell you that I am the resurrection and the life? You didn’t really indicate that you believed me, but now I am going to show you that it’s true. Tell them to roll the stone away (John 11:40).

Scene: [Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Big party ensues (John 11:41-44).]

There is something compelling to me about this reading, but the main problem I have with it is that it messes with my understanding of John 20:31.

But what about John 20:31?

In the past, I used to think that John 20:31 was teaching that believing that Jesus is the Christ was the same thing as believing in Jesus for eternal life. But now I am not so sure.

Maybe, if this alternative reading of John 11 is true, then an alternative explanation for John 20:31 is also required.

Maybe John 20:31 is not teaching that believing that Jesus is the Christ is the same thing as believing in Jesus for eternal life, but rather, believing that Jesus is the Christ helps lead a person to believing in Jesus for eternal life.

This, after all, seems to be what happened to Martha.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will have eternal life. Do you believe this?”

She said, “No, but I believe you the Christ.”

Based on this belief, Jesus went on to show her that as the Christ, she could also believe in Him for eternal life.

Remember, at that time, most Jewish people thought that the Messiah, the Christ, would just be another human being with a special connection to God. They did not believe the Messiah would actually be God incarnate. Maybe Jesus is trying to move Martha from belief in Him as the Messiah to belief in Him as God in the flesh?

This also may explain why the apostles went about preaching what they did in book of Acts (see Acts 5:42; 9:22; 17:2-3; 18:5, 28).

Anyway, I am just curious what all of you think about that. Let me know!

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: belief, Bible Study, christ, eternal life, faith, John 11, John 20:31, Lazaraus, Martha, resurrection, Theology of Salvation

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Do you have to believe that Jesus is God?

By Jeremy Myers
29 Comments

Do you have to believe that Jesus is God?

the ChristDo you have to believe that Jesus is God in order to receive eternal life? Some people think so because of what John says in John 20:31.

These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Since most people assume that “Christ”=”God” and that “Son of God”=”God” they think that it is required to believe that Jesus is divine in order to receive eternal life.

But is this assumption correct? Is it true that the title “Christ” (or “Messiah”) means “God”? How about the term “Son of God”?

“Christ” and “the Son of God” do not require divinity

Many people believe that the terms “Christ” and “Son of God” refer to the divinity of Jesus – the fact that He was God. While that certainly has been a popular view in the past, and is the “traditional” view, more and more students of Scripture are realizing this view does not fit all the Biblical data.

Instead, the terms seem to refer to the role or function of someone who is being used by God in a special way to carry out God’s will on earth. Here is what I believe about the terms “Christ” and “Son of God”:

The terms “Christ” (or “Messiah”) and “Son of God” did not originally refer to someone who was divine, but to someone who had a special relationship with God and was therefore given a God-appointed task, which was often related to some sort of deliverance. However, as Jesus performed His ministry as “the Christ, the Son of God” the terms grew in significance to include the idea that the God-appointed task of Jesus required Him to be God in the flesh. The Gospel writers (especially John) emphasized the divinity of Jesus to prove that everlasting life is freely given to those who believe in the name of Jesus for it.

I believe this for many reasons. First, the term “Christ” (or “Messiah”) simply referred to an anointed deliverer. In Jewish literature, mere humans were often referred to as “Messiah.” No Jewish person thought that the promised Messiah would be God in the flesh. They were looking for, hoping for, and praying for a human deliver who would be specially anointed and gifted by God to lead the Hebrew people back into their rightful place among the nations.

Support for this idea is seen in the fact that the disciples believed Jesus was the promised Messiah long before they believed He was God incarnate. But the disciples do not appear to understand that Jesus is God incarnate until sometime after Jesus rises from the dead. Even at the Last Supper, they ask Jesus to “reveal the Father to us” and Jesus says, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me? He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Secondly, regarding the term “Son of God,” it was a term that was commonly used for Kings, Emperors, and Caesars. It was thought that Emperors and Caesars were the offspring of a deity, but were not themselves deity. An Emperor or a Caesar could become a god once they died, but they were not considered to be fully divine while alive.

Much more can be said about this. But the point is that the terms “Christ” (or “Messiah”) and “Son of God” are not, in themselves, equivalent with deity. One could believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, but not realize that He was also God incarnate, God in the flesh.

What does this mean for John 20:31?

The Gospel of John is often seen as “the only evangelistic book of the Bible.” I am not completely convinced that this is the case. In fact, I think every single book of the Bible is “evangelistic” but this is primarily due to how I understand the word “evangelism” than anything else.

I believe that John, in his Gospel, is trying to get people to see that Jesus is God, and is possibly trying to inject more meaning into the terms “Christ” and “Son of God” than the average person in the first century would have understood or immediately grasped.

In other words, one of the primary purposes of John is to impregnate the terms “Christ” and “Son of God” with new meaning and significance that cannot be used of any other human throughout history.

If this is true, John is not trying to teach that believing that Jesus is God is how a person receives eternal life, but that believing that Jesus is God brings a person to the place where they can believe in Jesus for everlasting life. There is a vast difference.

While I don’t think a person necessarily has to believe that Jesus is God in order to receive eternal life, I do think that believing that Jesus is God will help get a person to the place where they understand why and how Jesus can give eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it. A person does not need to believe that Jesus is God to receive eternal life, but why would they believe in Jesus unless they believed Jesus was God?

So while believing that Jesus is God may be logically necessary for receiving eternal life, it is not theologically required.

Yes! Jesus IS God

I do believe that Jesus is God, and I do believe that some of the later uses of the term “Christ” and “Son of God” in the New Testament refer to the divinity of Jesus.

Jesus is God! Jesus is fully divine.

But there is a difference between believing that Jesus is God and believing that it is required to believe that Jesus is God in order to receive eternal life.

I do not believe that to receive eternal life, one must grasp and understand the divinity of Jesus. According to Jesus Himself, He gives eternal life to everyone and anyone who simply believes in Him for it.

Of course, who would believe in Jesus for eternal life without understanding that Jesus is God? So in this sense, it is unlikely that anyone will believe in Jesus for eternal life without believing that Jesus is God, but once again, there is a difference between something being likely and something being required. After all, none of the apostles believed that Jesus was God until after Jesus had risen from the dead, but they did believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Anyway, let me get your thoughts on the subject in the comment section below, and if you want to learn more about how the gospel truth that Jesus is God fits in with the offer of eternal life through Jesus, take my online course on the gospel:

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: christ, evangelism, Jesus, John 20:31, Messiah, son of God, Theology of Jesus

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