"Anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered" "Messiah (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five" hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as "Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ" "(Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matt. 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus" "spoken of by Isaiah (61:1), and by Daniel (9:24-26), who styles" "him "Messiah the Prince." "The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen. "3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen. 22:18), the "Prophet like" "unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15), "the priest after the order of" "Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" "(Isa. 11:1, 10), the "Immanuel," the virgin's son (Isa. 7:14)," "the branch of Jehovah (Isa. 4:2), and "the messenger of the" "covenant" (Mal. 3:1). This is he "of whom Moses in the law and" "the prophets did write." The Old Testament Scripture is full of" prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great "Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name" "denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and" accredited as the Saviour of men (Heb. 5:4; Isa. 11:2-4; 49:6; John 5:37; Acts 2:22). "To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that he is "the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of" "God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to" "believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be" brought unto God. That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of "God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian (1 Cor. 12:3;" 1 John 5:1). "The name given by the Greeks or Romans, probably in reproach, to" the followers of Jesus. It was first used at Antioch. The names by which the disciples were known among themselves were "brethren, "the faithful," "elect," "saints," "believers." But" "as distinguishing them from the multitude without, the name" "Christian came into use, and was universally accepted. This" name occurs but three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16). Our Lord warned his disciples that they would arise (Matt. 24:24). It is said that no fewer than twenty-four persons have at different times appeared (the last in 1682) pretending to be the Messiah of the prophets.
Definition of Christ:
"anointed"
Related Bible Dictionary Terms:
Baptism of Christ Coming of Christ Humiliation of Christ Intercession of Christ Kingly office of Christ Nativity of Christ Resurrection of Christ Revelation of Christ