The title Christ means ‘anointed one’
Published 8:58 am Friday, August 12, 2022
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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Dear Rev. Graham: Is it true that Christianity is different from every other religion? — W.R.
Dear W.R.: At the center of Christianity is the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, not the practice of religion. Jesus, the Son of God, is the central figure. Many voices make other claims. Atheists say there is no God. Polytheism may allow that Jesus is one of many gods. When people are saved from sin by the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross, the heart must turn from all other gods and turn to the One true living God as revealed in the Scriptures. As believers in Jesus the Savior, we as ambassadors for Christ, boldly echo the ringing conviction of the Apostle Peter when He affirmed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The title Christ means “anointed one.” It is the term in the Greek language for the ancient Hebrew word Messiah — the anointed one whom God would send to save His people. Peter and his fellow Jews, the first believers of the early Christian church, recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
As world leaders struggle with insurmountable problems, as storm clouds gather around the globe, they accentuate the brightness of the One who proclaimed, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He is the promised Messiah of ancient Israel. He is the hope of the hopeless, helpless Gentiles — which includes most of the population of the world. What a glorious Savior He is!
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)