The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

4:29).
CHAPTER THREE
THE OFFICE OF CHRIST
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John
At least forty-nine times in his Epistles, Paul uses the expression “the/our Lord Jesus
Christ,” bringing together the three primary names of Jesus. As noted already in our study,
“Lord” is His title, “Jesus” is His name, and “Christ” is His office. Actually, “Christ” is a
favorite name of the Apostle Paul, and he uses it independently of other titles some 211 times in
his writings. In addition, he often uses this title with other names and titles of Christ. For this
apostle, the title “Christ” had a very special significance.
The Greek word Christos, translated “Christ,” literally means “anointed one” and was
used in the Septuagint to translate the word “Messiah” (cf. Daniel 9:25,26). The Messiah in the
Old Testament and the Christ in the New Testament, therefore, refer to the same Person,
although their contextual use affects their perspective somewhat. In the Old Testament,
“Messiah” is always used in the context of a Messianic hope, whereas the predominate use of
“Christ” in the New Testament is as an official name of Jesus in the context of a work
completed.
Theologians speak of the three anointed offices of Christ, meaning Christ as prophet,
priest, and king. This expression seems to have been first used by Eusebius in the third century to
explain the Biblical teaching concerning the office of Christ. Even though the writers of
Scripture did not express it in so many words, the fact that Christ was viewed by them in the
context of the Old Testament anointed offices is particularly evident in the book of Revelation.
The title of the book implies the nature of the prophetic office in revealing or making known
what was otherwise hidden from man (Revelation 1:1) . In John's first vision of Christ (1:13), the
Lord is viewed wearing a talar, a technical word referring-to the robe of the priest. The office of
king is seen in Revelation 11:15, where the theme of the book may be summarized: “And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and
ever.” This theme is developed throughout the book until the Lord is pictured as returning and
having “on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS” (19:16).
Although the Old Testament context is important in understanding the implications of the
name “Christ,” we must again remember that Jesus not only took the reputation of a name upon
Himself but also added something of His reputation to the name. This is certainly evident as we
see how the Apostle Paul gave the title “Christ” greater clarity in his writings. Paul ministered
mostly among Gentiles, to whom the title “Christ” would be meaningless without the Old
Testament background. In his various epistles he gave the title “Christ” a fuller meaning for such
readers, particularly in the context of the union and communion of Christ and the believer. In
many respects, therefore, the apostle must be credited with transforming the office of Christ into
a personal name for the One who was the Messiah and much more.