Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Wednesday, 17 July 2024 06:17

Jesus is the Promised Christ
by Sarah Wootten Corinth Missionary Baptist Church

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,” (1 John 5:1, ESV). This is the fifth time in the letter of 1 John that Jesus has been referred to as the Christ. We have seen that the Christ is our righteous advocate (2:1), that believers have fellowship with Him (1:3), that antichrists deny Him as the Christ (2:22), and that we are commanded to trust in Him (3:23). But what does it actually mean to believe that Jesus is the Christ?
“Christ” is simply the Greek word for “Messiah.” The two words mean the same thing, which is “Anointed One.” In the Old Testament, people were anointed and set apart to God for specific purposes. For example, the prophet Samuel anointed Saul before he became king. Elijah anointed Elisha as the successor to his ministry. The priests were anointed with oil to consecrate them for the ministry. Some of these individuals were faithful to the tasks God placed before them, others were not. But when John refers to Jesus as the Christ, he isn’t simply reminding us of the times in Jesus’ life where oil was poured on Him to mark Him off for a purpose. No, John is reminding us of His role as the chosen, promised deliverer.

God told His people through the Old Testament prophets that the Messiah, the Anointed One, would one day come to rescue them, and Israel waited for His arrival. Andrew told his brother, “We have found the Messiah,” (John 1:41, ESV). The Samaritan woman said that the Messiah would come and teach them all things (John 4:25). If people were watching for His arrival, why did most of them not recognize Jesus as the Christ when He came?

The Israelites misunderstood the Old Testament prophets concerning the coming Christ. Thus, they were expecting someone else. Honestly, you can’t blame them. I mean, read Psalm 2:7-9, and your first thought will probably be that by military strength, the promised Son will conquer the earth and have as His inheritance the nations. While it’s true that the Son will return a second time and conquer in a more warrior-like fashion (see Revelation 19), at His first coming, He came “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,” (Isaiah 53:7, ESV). If I was expecting a conquering warrior and ended up with a slaughtered lamb, I would have missed Him too.

Even still, the Old Testament is clear about how the Messiah was to come and what He would accomplish. The Son of God came to the earth through the miraculous birth of a virgin woman (Isaiah 7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Jesus is the ruler from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10). He healed the blind, deaf, lame, and mute (Isaiah 35:5-6). He was a gentle teacher to all who came to Him in faith (Isaiah 42:3). Then the time came for Him to quietly suffer and die on a cross (Isaiah 53:7). His hands and feet were pierced (Psalm 22:16), but none of His bones were broken (Psalm 34:20). His death paid in full the penalty for sin that is owed by believers (Isaiah 53:11-12). And just as Jesus prophesied about Himself, after three days, He rose from the grave (John 2:18-22).

So when John tells us that those who believe that Jesus is the Christ have been born of God, he’s saying that all true Christians believe that Jesus is the promised Anointed One who came to accomplish salvation for His people. This is the Messiah who was prophesied about in the Old Testament, and Jesus fulfilled every requirement.
Is this how you view Jesus? It’s not enough to view Him merely as a good teacher or prophet, although He was both of those things. Nor can we disregard the “unbelievable” details of the story to make it more palatable, like the virgin birth. He is not a good luck charm we only pay attention to when we are in trouble. No, Jesus is the Christ who gave His life so that salvation would be accomplished for His people.