Month: September 2024

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16

Without a doubt “Christ” is the quintessential title given to the Lord.  It is used 555 times in 552 verses of the New Testament and is only surpassed in use by His personal name, Jesus (stated 983 times).  It would be safe to say that one would not have a clue who Jesus is unless he or she had some concept that He is the Christ.

Literally Christ means “anointed” and comes from the Greek word “Christos.” The Hebrew word “mashiach” (messiah) also means anointed and was translated as “Christos” in the Septuagint.  At the most basic level the term Christ means the Jewish Messiah, the anointed of God. In the first century, both the Greek speaking Gentile world and Hebrews understood this word.  “Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:17). The Christ was God’s chosen one who was sent into this world.

The first time Jesus went to the synagogue after He began His public ministry, He was given the book of Isaiah and read from chapter 61.  He announced “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).  When Christ was finished reading, He closed the book, sat down, and announced, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The significance of this declaration is almost always missed in our culture and generation, but they totally got it at the time He said it. He was clearly saying that He was the LORD’s anointed; He was the Messiah; He was the Christ.

April 16

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

Statistics can be a very useful tool in analyzing title combinations such as Christ Jesus. It is interesting to discover that of the 69 times the phrase occurs in the New Testament, Paul uses it 66 times. It is used by the writer to the Hebrews once and by Peter twice. The question that begs to be asked is, Why?  Why is this almost exclusively a Pauline idiom?

Whereas the other apostles followed the Lord during his earthly ministry and often called Him Jesus to His face, Paul, then known as Saul of Tarsus, was not counted among Christ’s disciples. Paul rejected the Nazarene as the Messiah and persecuted the church. While the others found it more natural to form the phrase “Jesus Christ” (because it emphasized their close relationship) Paul didn’t have this experience.

Grace is another word that Paul dominates. He was overwhelmed and humbled by the grace that saved such a sinner and murderer of God’s people. It was this same humility that caused him to acknowledge the Christ title before saying the name Jesus. Saul of Tarsus who rejected the Messiah was transformed by the Savior and after he started using his Greek name, Paul would openly acknowledge Him as God’s anointed – The Christ. He then was a follower of Christ Jesus. 

April 15

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham,
Matthew 1:1*

Jesus Christ. To those who love Him it says all. It’s His name; it’s His title; it’s precious. This title combination is used more than any other in the New Testament, beginning with the first verse and then found in every book except 3 John. Peter preached it at the birth of the church on Pentecost. Paul used it more than any other apostle and finally, the last verse in the Bible ends, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Jesus Christ. To little children and the un-churched it’s His family name. They think He was called “Jesus Christ,” His mother “Mary Christ,” and His step-father “Joseph Christ.” They don’t know how special or how important He is. They’re clueless and the worst part is that they don’t even know that they don’t know Him.

 Jesus Christ. To the God-haters and Christ-rejecters it’s a curse word. They use it to blaspheme the LORD. They see it as no big deal, because in their eyes, He is no big deal. No other name on earth is used as profanity. No one invokes the name of Buddha if he hits his thumb with a hammer. The names of Mohammed and Krishna are not used in vain. It is proof again that the name is so great and so special that the enemies of God feel they need to put it down.

Jesus Christ. Peter concludes His second epistle with these words: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:17,18)

*(also in Acts 2:38; 3:6, 20; 4:10; total use: 186 times in 178 verses)

April 14

Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
Mark 6:3

Attitudes and opinions change over time and according to culture. Here and now, carpenters are regarded as skilled professionals that earn a better than average wage for a service that is in high demand. Apparently, that wasn’t the case when Jesus lived in Nazareth; “they were offended at Him.”

I think I understand why. Many years ago, I lived in a very poor country and learned much about Third World life-styles. We lived in a town where electricity was available for less than four hours a day, so carpenters plied their trade with hand tools. There were no furniture stores where we lived, so when someone needed a table, chair, or set of drawers they hired a carpenter. These tradesmen usually lived in the poorer section of town and often made furniture much nicer than they could afford for themselves.

Carpenters also seemed to have the worst reputation among the blue-collar workers. They all seemed to lie; their work was never ready on time, and they usually charged more than the price they first quoted; besides, most were alcoholics. Knowing that Jesus also worked with wood, often led to jokes about Christ being the world’s only honest carpenter.

Christ must have been different. He would have been a skilled craftsman, wasn’t a drunk, and would have kept His word. His work must have been in high demand and that’s exactly where the problem was. I can imagine the reaction of the wealthier class – “The nerve of Jesus closing up shop to preach. I have a lot of things for Him to do. Who does this carpenter think He is anyway?”

Jesus’ neighbors never came to the realization that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. To them He was just the Carpenter.

April 13

But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.
Acts 3:14*

Some time after Peter healed the lame man in the temple, he preached a powerful sermon to those who gathered there to marvel.  All, or certainly most, of the crowd would have been present to see the crucifixion just a few months before and would have heard rumors of the resurrection. The former fisherman turned evangelist pointed out that Jesus was really the Holy One and the Just who they traded off for a murderer. More than a few in that group would have been part of the mob that cried out: “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15).

The title “Holy One” labeled the One whose blood was on their hands as the Messiah and the Just meant He was innocent; He was not guilty of any crime. The Holy Spirit must have used those titles to convict them of sin and judgment which brought many to faith in Christ and brought about a great conversion.

One tremendous truth in this title of Christ is that it is one that can also be given to believers.  Romans 1:17 declares “the just shall live by faith.” Those who were guilty of condemning the guiltless to death could be forgiven and then made just (i.e. justified) before God.  Only Christ, the Just one, could do this.

Romans 3:25-26 declares: “…in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be The Just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

*See also Acts 7:52; 22:14; Romans 3:26

April 12

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:16

God was from the very beginning; before anything else, before time and space, and before matter and energy, there was God. That is the starting point, not earth, not the universe. They came from God, not God from them, so you start with God. He is the giver. He is the origin. He is Creator.

An atom can be weighed and a scientist knows how many nanos are in a second. The starting point is what is known. From there, the unknown can be extrapolated. 

An Indian arrowhead is nothing more than an odd shaped piece of flint. Each one of the hundred or so chips out of the rock could be formed by a random act of erosion, yet no educated person would conclude that is what happened. The size, shape, symmetry, balance, and material allude to utility and function. The logical conclusion is that it was made by someone smarter than the rock itself.

To say that the universe started with a Big Bang and gravity and forces of nature formed it into what we can observe now is ludicrous. Whatever was the supposed core of the Big Bang was never observed, measured, or reproduced in the laboratory. It’s unknown.   What actually can be proved is nothing comes from nothing.  If matter didn’t exist before the Big Bang, then gravity, inertia, and energy didn’t exist either. Scientists are forced to say that someone or something was out there before the universe existed, but whatever it was, they don’t want to acknowledge Jesus as God.

Without trying to prove that God exists, the Bible states a simple fact: “God created the heavens and the earth.” We can also see in scripture that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 1:17; 3:16, etc.). Therefore, if God is Creator and Christ is God, then Christ is also Creator. As Colossians 1:16 confirms, “All things were created through Him and for Him.”

April 11

Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus,
having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:20

The word “forerunner” brings to mind images of the Ford Model-T or the Commodore computer. They were cutting edge innovations in their day, but gave rise to bigger and better things. That is certainly not the case in today’s title.

A better definition is the one who goes on before to prepare the way for others to follow. Christ has paved the way for His church in many ways. He is the Firstfruits, the Firstborn over all creation, and a Guide even to Death. In each case, the Lord Jesus has gone before His people to pioneer the way for them.

In the verse above, Christ became our Forerunner in His capacity as High Priest. Since we have both the nature and practice of sinners, we are in no way ready to come into the presence of a Holy God. He is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29), so we would not even come close to Him, much less have fellowship with the Almighty. As “Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”, He atones for our sins, makes the substitutionary offering, and intercedes for us. None of these things could we do for ourselves.

The Savior got everything ready for us to go to heaven. He gave us citizenship in heaven by taking our sinful nature and making us holy even as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). He went to Mount Calvary and offered Himself as Propitiation, so our debt of sin could be paid (Hebrews 2:17). As Great High Priest, Jesus has passed through the heavens ahead of us to intercede for us, knowing full well our weaknesses, and then allows us to approach the throne of grace boldly to obtain mercy in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Alexander Pope was first to coin the phrase “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” If that’s the case, then a wise man is one who follows Christ Jesus as his Forerunner.

November 23

 “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!”
Mark 1:24

It might seem obvious, but I’ve learned a lot from my twenty year study of the titles of Christ. What started as a challenge to find a name of the Lord for every day of the year ended with a deeper love for and fellowship with my Savior. I also discovered things that I never heard preached on before and I never knew were there. One example of this is insight I’ve gotten from the “demonic titles.”

Sometimes when Christ healed the sick, He also cast out demons and a few of those carried on a conversation with Him. They addressed Jesus of Nazareth by name without any formal introduction, because they knew who He was. After all, He cast them out of heaven before the foundation of the world.

The thing that surprised me about the demonic titles is that they all speak truthfully of who He is. The evil spirits address Him as Christ, the Son of God, and even the Son of the Most High God (Luke 4:41, Mark 5:7), but they never called Him Lord or Savior. The title Holy One of God was never spoken except by fallen angels as if it were a phrase they heard in heaven before Satan rebelled against the Lord of Hosts.

I find it interesting that demons never insulted the Son of God nor made disparaging comments about Him as did His human adversaries. Christ’s dissenters called Him Beelzebub (Matthew 10:25), a Samaritan (John 8:48), and a glutton (Matthew 11:19), not knowing the condemnation they were laying up for themselves. “But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves” (Jude 10).

The demons not only knew who Christ was, they knew that their punishment was ready to be handed down and they begged Him not to cast them into hell before their time. Although condemned and without hope, they appealed to Him on the basis of who He is: the Holy One of God.

October 25

For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.
Hebrews 3:3

Even today Moses holds a unique place in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people. He was their deliverer and principal figure in the foundation of Israel as a nation. However, although this man of God was great in all he did, he pales in comparison to Jesus Christ, who is Worthy of More Glory than Moses.

Moses 1.     Name mentioned 797 times in the Bible. 2.     Law of Moses (Joshua 8:31) called law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). 3.     Mediator of the First Covenant (Exodus 34:27). 4.     Moses’ face reflected glory of God (Exodus 34:29). 5.     A prophet (Deuteronomy 34:10) 6.     Led the children of Israel out of bondage from Egypt (Exodus 13:3). 7.     Built the foundation of the nation of Israel (Hebrews 3:4).

Jesus 1.     Name mentioned 983 times in the New Testament 2.     Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) called law of Spirit of life (Romans 8:2). 3.     Mediator of a Better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). 4.     The body of the glorified Christ shone (Rev. 1:14-16). 5.     The Prophet (John 6:14) 6.     Delivered the world out of the bondage of sin (Galatians 1:4).  7.     Built the foundation of the church (1 Corinthians 3:11).

In the very least Jesus Christ is Worthy of More Glory than Moses, but on a much grander scale, He is worthy “to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12). Praise and worship be to the Lord of Glory.

October 23

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven…
Hebrews 12:25

This verse comes across as a stern warning: “Listen to what God says.” In one way, this is the theme of Hebrews. The book opens with, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). It goes on to say, “For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (Hebrews 2:2-3).

The whole idea is that God held people accountable to listen to and obey Him in the Old Testament, whether His message came through prophets or angels. Now, the stakes are much higher. God has given a new covenant, a much better deal, to the human race. Eternal life and death are at stake, so God Incarnate came Himself to present the offer. Not to listen to Him would be a terrible mistake.

Yet millions of people rejected the message and refused Him Who Spoke on Earth. The writer to the Hebrews was concerned about those who heard and ignored the Living Word of God while He taught on earth. Their fate was already sealed, and it was too late for most of them. How much worse the judgment on those who refused the conviction of the Holy Spirit at a time when He was turning the world upside-down!

God spoke and there was the Word. To reject Him is to reject eternal life. To believe on Him is to listen to and obey Him Who Spoke on Earth.

April 10