What Does "Christ" Mean?
"Who Do You Say I AM?"
The term "Christian" originated in first-century Antioch. It means "little-christs" and was just a convenient way to describe people who had radically changed upon following Jesus of Nazareth.
These early believers were taught by Jesus' Apostles—those who followed Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry, witnessed Him risen, and were empowered by the Holy Spirit to record Jesus' teachings and share them with others (Acts 2).
The Apostles didn't just believe that Jesus was risen. For them, it was an empirical fact. Indeed, it was doing science that finally compelled doubting Thomas to recognize Jesus for Who HE IS and exclaim "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:19-31)
Now, notice this carefully. Being a Christian doesn’t mean going to church, reading the Bible, correcting your bad habits, or living a morally significant life. While these are important, they follow in the cart behind the proverbial horse. The real power to be Christian is in the Name, Nature, and Ministry of Jesus Christ Himself.
When Jesus asked His disciples "Who do you say I Am?" Peter answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:15-16).
When He asks you the same question—what will you say?
"My Lord and My God!"
Thomas, Apostle of Christ c. 30 AD
Priest + Prophet + King = Christ
It is impossible to understand what Christ means apart from the Hebrew context from which it comes. The English word "Christ" is transliterated from a Greek term that shares meaning with "Messiah" — a Hebrew word meaning “Anointed-One.”
Jesus Is first of all Israel's Messiah. Many dispute this, but if Jesus really rose from the dead, then His being the Messiah is certain. Of course, the resurrection is the best evidence that Jesus Is Who He claimed to be.
Jesus' did in fact claim to be Israel’s Messiah (Mark 14:60-62; John 4:25-26) — and it is historically very certain that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.
So, who do you say He Is?
God chose Israel as the human means through which He would reveal Himself to the whole world. Prior to Christ, this was accomplished through three ministries. The priest spoke to God on behalf of the people. The prophet spoke to the people on behalf of God. And the king led the people in unity under God. The Hebrews looked forward to a day (and many still do) when these ministries would unite in the Perfect-Servant of God—the Messiah.
The Messiah Is at once the ultimate deliverer of God's Word (the Prophet), the final perfecter of humanity before God (the Priest), and the ruler of God's united Kingdom (the King).
That is what "Christ" means.
I AM the Way: The Perfect Priest
Prior to Jesus, most of those tasked with carrying out these ministries didn’t excel. They were “only human”— that is, not human enough. They couldn’t fix in others what was broken in them. They had the same basic problem that we do. They lacked perfection. The word used to denote this state of affairs is “sin”— an archery term that means “to miss.”
Of course, sin demands a specific solution—a Perfect one. Why? Because nobody can fix in another what is broken in them. And combining our imperfections won't cause perfection to emerge someday. This is why secular-humanism is a logical non-starter.
There’s really just one possible solution. We need a Perfect-Human to fix all that is broken in us with what Is Perfect in Him. This is the Priest-ministry of the Christ. He gave Himself to bridge the infinite gap between human brokenness and God’s Perfection. Naturally, to do this He must be God—and a Man. (Colossians 1:27-28)
The Christ is the only Perfect-Priest who can represent mankind before God.
That’s why Jesus said: “I AM the Way.”
I AM the Truth: The Perfect Prophet
The Truth is perfect information about the way things really are.
There is a fundamental rule of meaning called the principle of analogy. In a nut-shell it says that you can’t give something away unless you have it yourself. "Something" cannot "emerge" from "nothing." The importance of this idea is hard to overstate.
The principle of analogy works like this: life must come from Life; love must come from Love; beauty must come from Beauty; order must come from Order; goodness must come from The Good. And last but not least, truth must come from The Truth.
As the Perfect-Being Who lacks nothing, God Is the Source of every fundamental feature of meaning and being. Do you need an analogy? Water runs downhill to the sea (gravity). Energy travels from hot objects to cold ones (thermodynamics). Information is the product of intelligence, and love must be given by a person (meaning).
All reality displays this "flow," and from it we can infer an Ultimate-Headwaters. Of course, our Source has to be higher up and further back than everyone who is “only human.” We seek the Logos Who unites perfect meaning to its perfect purpose.
The Christ is the only Perfect-Prophet who reveals Perfection’s purpose. Because as God and Man, He embodies Perfection’s purpose. (John 1:1-14; Colossians 1-2)
That’s why Jesus said: “I AM the Truth.”
I AM the Life: The Perfect King
Since the Christ Is the Image of the invisible God, and He in Whom the fullness of God dwells; and since His Image Is the very Source of human-meaning—there is no human lack that Christ cannot fill with Himself. In Christ, our comparisons, strivings, divisions, and prejudices all vanish. Indeed, every human lack is exhausted by His Perfection. HE IS Perfect-Humanity. (Genesis 1:27; Colossians 1:15-19; Galatians 3:26-28)
It is the Nature of Christ to be One with God. And it is His Perfect-Nature that justifies Him to give us a perfect-law. The command of Christ is that all of mankind should love God—and love one another. Life in a Perfect-Community of Love is the essence of God's Kingdom. (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34-35)
The Christ is the only Perfect-King who unites humanity to God, and to each other. (John 17)
That’s why Jesus said: “I AM the Life.”
What's In a Name?
The Christ Is the the Perfect Priest, Prophet, and King. In short, HE IS the God-Man.
Peter insisted that there is only one Name given under heaven by which we must be saved—Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Name “Jesus” is a transliteration of a Hebrew Name that means “I AM Salvation.” The Good-News is "in Jesus' Name." (Acts 4:5-12)
A Christian is anyone who rightly recognizes Jesus for who HE IS, and then receives Him as their own Priest, Prophet, & King. Jesus Christ Is the one and only Source of a Christian's perfection. HE IS their salvation.
Is He yours?