Christ

Occurrences in Scripture

The word "Christ" appears hundreds of times throughout the New Testament. In the Gospels it usually functions as a title tied to the question "Who is Jesus?" Representative passages include the following:

• In John 1:41, Andrew says, "We have found the Messias," and John explains, "which is, being interpreted, the Christ."
• In Matthew 16:16, Peter confesses, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
• In Mark 14:61–62, when the high priest asks, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus answers, "I am."
• In Acts 2:36, Peter proclaims that "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
• According to Acts 11:26, "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."

In the Pauline epistles, the title is frequently joined to the name, as in "Jesus Christ" and "Christ Jesus." The expression "in Christ" also appears often.

Background and Meaning of the Word

The Greek Christos derives from a verb meaning "to anoint" or "to rub (with oil)" and means "anointed one." The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, used this word to render the Hebrew mashiach, which has the same meaning.

In the Old Testament, anointing was a sign that God had appointed a person to an office. Examples include the following:

• Kings: In 1 Samuel 24:6, David calls Saul "the LORD's anointed."
• Priests: Leviticus 4:3 speaks of "the priest that is anointed."
• Prophets: In 1 Kings 19:16, Elijah is told to anoint Elisha as his successor: "Elisha ... shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room."

Isaiah 45:1 even calls the Gentile king Cyrus the LORD's "anointed."

Significance Across Scripture

In the later Old Testament period and within Judaism, an expectation of a coming ideal king developed on the basis of the Davidic covenant. Passages such as Psalm 2:2 and Daniel 9:25–26 were read in connection with this expectation. The New Testament holds that this expectation was fulfilled in Jesus (Acts 4:26–27). For this reason the title serves as a starting point both for the interpretation of messianic prophecy and for Christology.

The word is, at root, a title. Because "Christ" is not a surname, "Jesus Christ" expresses the confession "Jesus, who is the Christ."

Interpretations and Issues

• The threefold office: Since John Calvin, the Reformed tradition has taught that Christ fulfills the offices of prophet, priest, and king together. Question 31 of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Westminster Shorter Catechism address this teaching. The framework is also widely used in other Protestant traditions, such as the Methodist and Holiness churches, although the biblical text itself does not use the term "threefold office."
• Difference from Judaism: Judaism does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. This is a key issue dividing Christianity and Judaism.
• The messianic secret: Scholars have offered various interpretations of Jesus' intent in the scenes in Mark where he tells others not to reveal that he is the Christ (Mark 8:29–30).
• False christs: Matthew 24:23–24 warns that false christs will arise. First John 2:22 calls the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ the antichrist. The general assemblies of various Korean denominations have treated claims that a particular individual is the returned Christ as a principal ground for heresy designations.

In the Korean Church

Korean Bible translations, including the New Korean Revised Version and the Common Translation, all use the transliteration geuriseudo ("Christ"). The Sino-Korean term gidok (基督) comes from a Chinese transliteration, so gidokgyo (Christianity) means "the religion of Christ." In Korean churches, prayers are commonly concluded with the words "We pray in the name of Jesus Christ."