Jesus is the Anointed One, the Christ

There is only one God. He is our Father. That much seems pretty clear but there is a lot of confusion about exactly who Jesus is. The debate about Jesus’ identity goes back a long long way.  Was Jesus God Himself… the Father incarnate? Or perhaps a co-equal and co-eternal “person” in a triune Godhead? Some even speculate that Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel. Or was He simply who He claimed to be… no more and no less than the Anointed One, the Christ? Isn’t it enough to declare that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God?  The miraculously conceived  and virgin born Messiah? This wonderful simplicity got obscured and complicated thanks to the work of the so-called church “fathers” who gave us a near lethal dose of theology based on Greek philosophy.

Jesus Spoke His Father’s Words

Jesus said a lot of things that sound like how only God could talk. That shouldn’t surprise us since He did say the words He spoke were not His own. The Father had plainly declared “I will put my words in his mouth!” (Deuteronomy 18:18) Jesus confirmed this by saying “The words that I speak are not mine but my Father’s.” (John 14:24) Jesus came in His Father’s name, spoke His Father’s words and did His Father’s works, but that didn’t make Him God.

No Other Man Ever Spoke Like Jesus!

No other man ever spoke like Jesus. People who heard Him speak were amazed at His words.  Hearing Jesus talk was like hearing God Himself! Even unbelievers said “Never a man spake like this man!” (John 7:46) Jesus’ enemies accused Him of claiming to be God but is that really true? His enemies said a lot of things about Him that weren’t true. The chief priests even paid people to tell lies about Him! Jesus never claimed to be God but He did claim to be the Christ. He said He was the Son of God and that was more than enough to stir the hatred of His enemies.

What is Jesus’ True Identity?

Jesus’ identity has been an issue from the very beginning. One day Jesus asked his disciples “Who do men say that I am?” They replied “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets. Jesus asked again and said “But who do you say that I am?” Peter had the right answer.  “You are the Christ! The son of the living God!” Jesus replied “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah! This wasn’t revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my Father in heaven! And upon this rock I will build my church… and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”  If anyone ever asks you about Jesus just recite the words of Peter. “Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of the living God!” That’s enough. Jesus is not the Father incarnate, Michael the Archangel or a hypothetical second “person” in the trinity…. He is the Christ, the Anointed One.

Christ Was Truly a Man

We believe and declare “There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5) Hang on to this truth and never let it go. Believe it. Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten and unique Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Anointed One. He was crucified and then rose from the dead! He was one of us and He was truly a man. Indeed Christ came in the flesh!

PS: Straightforward, Biblical and understandable. We think that’s a pretty good combination. If you appreciate what you read here at wonderfultheology.com please send a link to a few of your friends. They’ll probably enjoy it too. God Bless.

Copyright 2022 by Bob Shutes

God’s Name is Wonderful

God’s name is Wonderful and the name of Jesus Christ is Wonderful too! God told one enquirer… “Why do you ask after my name seeing it is wonderful?” (Judges 13:18) Some translations say it this way:  “seeing it is secret, miraculous, a name that works miracles and is beyond human understanding. Others say God’s name is beyond  comprehension and too wonderful to understand, a mystery, sheer wonder, too amazing for you to believe and supremely wonderful!”

Jesus’ Name is Wonderful Too

Isaiah’s prophesy of Christ declares “His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) This makes perfect sense when you realize that Jesus came in his Father’s name. (If your father’s name is Anderson your name is likely Anderson too.) Jesus clearly said  “I have come in my Father’s name …. (John 5:43) The Father’s name is Wonderful and so is His Son’s! “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) Jesus did not claim to be the Father but he did claim to come in his Father’s name.

The Name of Jesus is a Name Above Every Name

The Apostle John saw Christ’s return and wrote “He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God. He has on his robe and on his thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19) The name of Jesus is a name above every name!

The Greatest Mystery of All

The greatest mystery of all is God Himself and the greatest revelation He has ever given to mankind is His name! Before creation was unfurled like a scroll for all to read there was God… and that is the greatest mystery of all! How is it possible that God had no beginning? How can it be that He has always been? This is so far beyond our understanding that our minds cannot even begin to grasp it.

God’s Name is a Revelation of His Being

God’s very name points us toward the mystery of His eternal being. He declared to Moses that His name is “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14) How fitting that God’s name is the first-person singular form of the verb “to be”. He is, after all, the Supreme Being, the self-existent One.

There is One… and Only One God

The God of the Bible leaves no doubt that He alone is God and beside Him there is no other! This was the fundamental truth bestowed upon the descendants of Abraham.  “Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4) Did you notice that God said “I AM”? He could have said “WE ARE” and declared plurality, but He did not. He declared His singularity. The coming of the promised Messiah did not change this fundamental truth! God did not become three with the birth of His Son.

The Name of God and the Name of His Son

God wants us to know Him! We should at least know His name… and His Son’s name too. The writer of Proverbs declared “What is His name and what is His Son’s name if you can tell?” (Proverbs 30:4) Jesus declared, “This is life eternal, that they would know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3) Thankfully, both God’s name and His Son’s name have been revealed! These are among the things that “belong to us and to our children forever.” (Deuteronomy 29:29) We may not know everything but now we know God’s name, and His Son’s name too.

What Is God’s Name?

What exactly is God’s name? Scripture calls Him the Father but what is His name? The divine name is YHWH (There are no vowels in Hebrew and these four letters are called the tetragrammaton). Today we can only guess at the correct way to pronounce it.  The same religious authorities that wanted to kill Jesus made it a crime punishable by death to even say God’s name out loud! Go figure! They should have been shouting it from the rooftops.  If you insert the vowels from Adonai and Elohim into YHWH it becomes YAHWEH. Then, if you Anglicize YAHWEH it becomes Jehovah even though there are no J’s in Hebrew. What is His Son’s name? Yeshua in Hebrew, but in English speaking countries we call him Jesus.

Now You Know the Name of God!

God wants you to know His name and His Son’s name… and now you do. These are straightforward and Biblical truths that introduce us to the mystery and revelation of God. Scholars and theologians may complicate things but this is a biblical and understandable foundation. Is there more we can say about all this? Of course there is! We’ll visit this topic again in coming posts. In the meantime, we hope this short summary has blessed you and helped you put a few things into focus.

PS: If you appreciate the  content you find here at wonderfultheology.com please let us know and send a link for this site to someone you care about. We don’t want your money but would love to have your help!  God Bless.

Copyright 2022 by Bob Shutes