Lord’s Day 12
Q31. Why is he called Christ, meaning Anointed?
Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance; our only high priest who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Luke 3:21–22
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”
Luke 4:14–19
“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Hebrews 1:9
“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
Acts 3:22
“For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.”
Deuteronomy 18:15
“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.”
John 1:18
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
John 15:15
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Hebrews 7:17
“For he testifieth, Thou a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
Hebrews 9:12
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption .”
Hebrews 10:11–14
“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
Romans 8:34
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Hebrews 9:24
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:”
Matthew 21:5
“Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”
Luke 1:33
“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Matthew 28:18–20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
John 10:28
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.”
Revelation 12:10–11
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
"Jesus" is the mediator's personal name, while "Christ" functions as a title that further defines who He is. He is Jesus in such a way that He is also the Christ: the promised Savior and Messiah. Both names point to His office, though not with equal precision. The name Jesus describes the mediator's role in general terms, while Christ expresses it more fully and specifically, since it captures all three dimensions of His office: prophetic, priestly, and royal. The name Christ means "the Anointed One." So He is Jesus the Savior in such a way that He is also Christ the Anointed, holding an office with three distinct parts, as just noted. The reason all three are contained within the name Christ is that prophets, priests, and kings were all anointed in ancient times. That anointing signified two things: appointment to the office, and the conferring of the gifts necessary to carry it out faithfully. The logic, then, runs as follows: whoever is to serve as prophet, priest, and king, and is called "the Anointed," bears that title because of those three offices. Christ was to be prophet, priest, and king, and He is called the Anointed. Therefore, He is called the Anointed, or Christ, on account of all three roles, so that the full scope of the mediator's office is captured in the single title of Messiah, Christ, the Anointed One. In working through this question from the Catechism, we need to examine four things:
I. What is meant by the anointing of Christ, given that Scripture never describes Him being physically anointed?
II. What is the prophetic office of Christ?