Q: Why is he called "Christ," meaning "anointed"?
A: Because he has been ordained by God the Father
and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit1
to be
our chief prophet and teacher2
who perfectly reveals to us
the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance;3
our only high priest4
who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body,5
and who continually pleads our cause with the Father;6
and our eternal king7
who governs us by his Word and Spirit,
and who guards us and keeps us
in the freedom he has won for us.8
1 Luke 3:21-22; 4:14-19 (Isa. 61:1); Heb. 1:9 (Ps. 45:7)
2 Acts 3:22 (Deut. 18:15)
3 John 1:18; 15:15
4 Heb. 7:17 (Ps. 110:4)
5 Heb. 9:12; 10:11-14
6 Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24
7 Matt. 21:5 (Zech. 9:9)
8 Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:28; Rev. 12:10-11
Q: But why are you called a Christian?
A: Because by faith I am a member of Christ1
and so I share in his anointing.2
I am anointed
to confess his name,3
to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks,4
to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil
in this life,5
and afterward to reign with Christ
over all creation
for all eternity.6
1 1 Cor. 12:12-27
2 Acts 2:17 (Joel 2:28); 1 John 2:27
3 Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10; Heb. 13:15
4 Rom. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9
5 Gal. 5:16-17; Eph. 6:11; 1 Tim. 1:18-19
6 Matt. 25:34; 2 Tim. 2:12