Jeremiah Kaaya Pastor at Springs of Power Church, Teacher by professional

I believe the basic thing to do right before anything else, is to explore the meaning of both of these words: Jesus and Christ.

Jesus means "Savior"
Christ means "Anointed"

Now, how do you differentiate between Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus?

What came/comes first? Was Jesus originally a "Savior" before He is/was the Christ, OR was He "Anointed" before He was/is the "Savior"? Because to call Him Jesus Christ implies viewing Him first as a "Savior" and then as the "Anointed" one. To call Him Christ Jesus implies viewing Him as the "Anointed" one before He is/was a Savior.
Isaiah 42:1-4 tells Jesus is the Anointed of God. Isaiah 52:13-14, this one tells Jesus was to deal prudently and His form is more than that of the sons of men. My personal analysis though is that He was/is originally both. None of the two titles is to come first or second. In Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus was baptized and later alone recognized and endorsed by God the Father for the job of saving mankind. This is when also Jesus is “Anointed” for the same job. It is after this incident that we see Jesus standing to the devil after which He began to execute the work. As that, you realize that the two titles were to be and had been to be used together. Each was/is required because each served/serves a very crucial and central purpose. Jesus is equally importantly a "Savior" much as He is the "Anointed" one. Each is there for the other.

Savior is what He was/is. Anointed is the power to execute the work of salvation. Anointed could also be interpreted as the Chosen one. Jesus had to carry the Anointing of a Savior, and that is to be “Anointed”.

However though, the Anointing Jesus carried while on Earth was not for being a deity, this particular one was for the job of saving man. As in to recognize Jesus as a Savior and as a Christ in terms of a deity, had had nothing to do with whether He had come on Earth to save man or not. In Luke 2:11, the angel that appeared to the shepherds had this to say; “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. By this; Jesus had been a "Savior" and the Christ as a deity. However though, He equally needed the anointing while in human flesh that would propel Him to execute the work of salvation. Jesus is God but that should be another topic altogether. But to have been the "Anointed" one means there was/is no substitute for Him and for what He was to do. He alone, the Savior should have had the type of Anointing to save (Luke 4:16-21) “The Spirit of the Lord is 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…” It required Him alone with that type of Anointing (Isaiah 53:11). Thus the use of the terms interchangeably. 

To me, it doesn't matter the order in which they are being used because it all drives you to the same person and the same meaning; Jesus Christ OR Christ Jesus, in which both of them are equally important. Jesus is both the Savior and the Anointed one. None is to come first or second. Whichever way, it gives the same answer. It is like to say; Jesus the Anointed for the job Or the Anointed Jesus for the job. The Anointing had been there to be upon Someone and Someone had to be there to be Anointed. The difference is therefore the same.

May 15 2014 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

robert rothmann

I see Christ as a title not a last name & Jesus is a name, albeit a first name, therefore it should be Christ Jesus (being both respectful and familiar). RRR

April 14 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report