Spring 2000
Christ The Anointed One
Author unknown

When our Lord Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom say ye that I am?” Peter responded, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” Matt 16:l5-16. He then told them to tell no one that He, Jesus, was the Christ.

In the Gospels, He is spoken of by the Name, Jesus, but He referred to Himself as "The Son of man." He opposed the open declaration that He was the "Christ" (Luke 4:41).

Before Jesus entered humanity, He had equal honor and majesty with the Father (John 17:5). He was that part of God called “The Word” (John l:l). As the eternal Word, He spoke the worlds into being. He emptied Himself of this position of honor and majesty, and put on a garment of human flesh (Phil 2:6-7).

Before Jesus could become the source of eternal salvation, He had to be tested and proven perfect, as a man (Heb 4:15; 5:8-9); only then could He qualify to become the author of salvation to those who would believe. Therefore, when Jesus moved as a man among men, He did not witness as to who He was (John 5:3l); but said that when the Holy Spirit came, He would testify of Him, and glorify Him (John l6:l3-14).

Because He humbled Himself, and was completely obedient, even unto the death of the cross, He was highly exalted, and has been given the name, Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).

In the Gospels, our Lord, as a man, was freely spoken of as Jesus; but once His ministry on earth was completed by ascending and sending the Holy Spirit to His Church, it was then proper for Him to be openly spoken of as “Christ,” or, “The Lord Jesus Christ.”

John, in writing His Gospel said, "These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name (John 20:31). It is evident that the name, Jesus, was His name as a man, but the name, Christ, represented His Deity, the Lord from heaven, the Son of God.

In I Cor 10:4, the Apostle Paul referred to the Rock in the wilderness from which an abundance of water came (Exodus 17:6). He said, "They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ." It was from Him that the sustaining supply came.

In situations where early believers needed to call the authority of God into operation, they spoke directly "In the name of Jesus Christ" as in Acts 9:34; and sometimes "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," as in I Cor 5:4-5.
It can be said from these Scriptures that we should take a stronger action of faith and speak boldly “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." By doing this we will make a stronger impact in penetrating the enemy's strongholds.

Jesus, the Son of man, had a body whose hands were laid in healing upon the sick. These hands were nailed to a cross. Finally, they were lifted up in blessing upon His disciples as He ascended to heaven.

Christ, the Son of God, has a body also. He is the head of that body, but we are the body (I Cor l2:27). A human body is composed of millions of individual living cells which are all blended together to make a unit. This is a vivid example of the body of Christ. We, each one of us, is a living stone, or cell; but we are all blended together by the one and same Holy Spirit, into one Body.

In this “one new man” (II Cor 5:17), we the body, and Christ the head, are inseparable. I Cor l5:l3 tells us that "if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen." Thus, if it is impossible for Christ to have risen, and us not have a part in the resurrection, then He and us are an inseparable unit.

This “one new man” is that man whom God has appointed to judge the world in righteousness (Acts l7:3l). I Cor 6:2 tells us that "the saints shall judge the world." Prayer was made in the Psalms for this “one new man” when the psalmist prayed, "Let thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself" (Psa 80:17).

In Christ, God has made us strong, but each of us must, in faith, rise up into that strength, for it is only through Christ’s corporate Body that the Lord’s purposes can be fulfilled in the end-time of the Church age, and in the ushering in of His Kingdom on earth.

Starting with Martin Luther, the Lord began the restoration of the Church into purity and power; and now we, the living cells of that spiritual Body, in the end-time, are becoming the feet spoken of in Romans 16:20. It is through us that Satan and all his evil agents will be removed from their usurped place of control. Our Lord has given us a message of victory concerning the soles of our feet (Isa 60:13-15).

Psalm 133 speaks of the Holy anointing oil upon the head of Aaron which ran down, even to the skirts of his garment; so also, the anointing upon Jesus Christ, our head, is being passed down and bestowed upon us, His body.

By the anointing and power of the indwelling Christ, He has made us to be the keen sharp threshing instruments promised in Isaiah 41:15-16. No one can fight this battle single-handed, but together we must rise and in His strength - the power of His might, and through His Name, become the mighty army against which no power can stand.