In this lesson we transition from a focus upon the Father and the works more properly associated with him to a focus upon the Son and the works more properly associated with him. We transition from the works of creation and providence generally speaking to the work of redemption.
This section of The Apostles’ Creed does not begin with the Son’s eternal being but with his special revelation in the incarnation as “Jesus Christ.” That is significant. We know God’s triune nature through the incarnation. The name God gave to his incarnate Son just before his conception teaches us much about him. In Luke 1:30-33 the angel Gabriel tells Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
The name Jesus is the English transliteration of the Greek word Ιησούς (pronounced yay-soos), which is a transliteration of the Hebrew word יֵשׁוּעַ (pronounced yah-shoo-ah), which means “the LORD saves” or “salvation is from the LORD.” God gave his incarnate Son this name to emphasize the work he was sent to accomplish, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 41 Why was our Mediator called Jesus? A. Our Mediator was called Jesus, because he saves his people from their sins. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
The word Christ is the English transliteration of the Greek word Χριστός (pronounced kris-tahs), which comes from the root χριο (pronounced kri-ah). Χριο means “anointed,” as by oil. Χριστός means “anointed one.” The Hebrew word with the same meaning is מָשִׁ֫יחַ (pronounced ma-she-ahk), which is transliterated into English as messiah. The word Christ is not a surname. It is a title. In OT times the prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with the Holy Spirit, which was oftentimes signified by olive oil, at the time of their installation. The authority and ability to execute their office depended upon this special anointing (cf. Num. 11; Ps. 51:11). Jesus is the eschatological prophet, priest, and king. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit above measure (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Acts 2:33; 1 Cor. 15:45). He was therefore authorized and enabled to accomplish the work he was sent to do. He has brought forth the first fruits of a new creation by defeating death and giving his people eternal life by the Spirit. The life we have in him is by virtue of his own anointing with the same life. We, the body, have life through our union with him, the head. As Ps. 133:2 says, “It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” He has become to us, as the Apostle says, “life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45), so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 42. Why was our Mediator called Christ? A. Our Mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Ghost above measure; and so set apart, and fully furnished with all authority and ability, to execute the offices of prophet, priest, and king of his church, in the estate both of his humiliation and exaltation.
After fixing our attention upon the historical Jesus Christ, the Creed looks back into eternity. Jesus is different from every other person in redemptive history. He is the only begotten Son of the Father. Some translations of the Creed read “only” instead of “only begotten.” Why the difference? The original Greek word is μονογενες (pronounced mah-nah-geh-nes). This is the word the Apostle John uses in John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18. The earliest English translations render it as “only begotten,” which carries the sense of uniqueness through origin. More recently, however, Greek scholars have questioned this translation, contending that it has nothing to do with origin but simply means “only.” I believe the original rendering is correct (cf. Ps. 2:7; Prov. 8:25; Mic. 5:2; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:2-3, 5). Jesus is the only Son from (i.e. origin) the Father. This from-ness is his begotten-ness or generation. He is the only eternally begotten or generated Son from the Father. As The Nicene Creed says, he is “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.” Before becoming Jesus Christ in the incarnation, the Son was eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons in one true and living God. So we confess in WCF 2.3: “In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.” The Son’s begotten-ness is what defines him as Son. It is the personal property that distinguishes him from the Father and Spirit, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 10. What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead? A. It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son from all eternity. Jesus’ deity was absolutely necessary for our salvation. Again we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 38. Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be God? A. It was requisite that the Mediator should be God, that he might sustain and keep the human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God, and the power of death; give worth and efficacy to his sufferings, obedience, and intercession; and to satisfy God's justice, procure his favor, purchase a peculiar people, give his Spirit to them, conquer all their enemies, and bring them to everlasting salvation.
Jesus is also described by the title “our Lord.” This title refers to one with authority. He is the one Head over his church. It is to him that we owe our total allegiance and obedience. And it is to him that we have entrusted our lives. The Apostle Peter thus concludes his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:34-36, saying, “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” This Lordship is equivalent to Jesus’ mediatorial office as king, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 45. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executes the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them officers, laws, and censures, by which he visibly governs them; in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory, and their good; and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel. The Apostle Paul also teaches in Romans 10:9-13, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The simple confession of Jesus’ lordship was one of the earliest Christian creeds. For Jews who were already trained in the Scriptures it was enough to profess that Jesus was the promised Messiah whom God had made Lord over his people to be admitted into communing membership in his church.
Review Questions
This section of The Apostles’ Creed does not begin with the Son’s eternal being but with his special revelation in the incarnation as “Jesus Christ.” That is significant. We know God’s triune nature through the incarnation. The name God gave to his incarnate Son just before his conception teaches us much about him. In Luke 1:30-33 the angel Gabriel tells Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
The name Jesus is the English transliteration of the Greek word Ιησούς (pronounced yay-soos), which is a transliteration of the Hebrew word יֵשׁוּעַ (pronounced yah-shoo-ah), which means “the LORD saves” or “salvation is from the LORD.” God gave his incarnate Son this name to emphasize the work he was sent to accomplish, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 41 Why was our Mediator called Jesus? A. Our Mediator was called Jesus, because he saves his people from their sins. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
The word Christ is the English transliteration of the Greek word Χριστός (pronounced kris-tahs), which comes from the root χριο (pronounced kri-ah). Χριο means “anointed,” as by oil. Χριστός means “anointed one.” The Hebrew word with the same meaning is מָשִׁ֫יחַ (pronounced ma-she-ahk), which is transliterated into English as messiah. The word Christ is not a surname. It is a title. In OT times the prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with the Holy Spirit, which was oftentimes signified by olive oil, at the time of their installation. The authority and ability to execute their office depended upon this special anointing (cf. Num. 11; Ps. 51:11). Jesus is the eschatological prophet, priest, and king. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit above measure (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Acts 2:33; 1 Cor. 15:45). He was therefore authorized and enabled to accomplish the work he was sent to do. He has brought forth the first fruits of a new creation by defeating death and giving his people eternal life by the Spirit. The life we have in him is by virtue of his own anointing with the same life. We, the body, have life through our union with him, the head. As Ps. 133:2 says, “It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” He has become to us, as the Apostle says, “life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45), so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 42. Why was our Mediator called Christ? A. Our Mediator was called Christ, because he was anointed with the Holy Ghost above measure; and so set apart, and fully furnished with all authority and ability, to execute the offices of prophet, priest, and king of his church, in the estate both of his humiliation and exaltation.
After fixing our attention upon the historical Jesus Christ, the Creed looks back into eternity. Jesus is different from every other person in redemptive history. He is the only begotten Son of the Father. Some translations of the Creed read “only” instead of “only begotten.” Why the difference? The original Greek word is μονογενες (pronounced mah-nah-geh-nes). This is the word the Apostle John uses in John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18. The earliest English translations render it as “only begotten,” which carries the sense of uniqueness through origin. More recently, however, Greek scholars have questioned this translation, contending that it has nothing to do with origin but simply means “only.” I believe the original rendering is correct (cf. Ps. 2:7; Prov. 8:25; Mic. 5:2; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:2-3, 5). Jesus is the only Son from (i.e. origin) the Father. This from-ness is his begotten-ness or generation. He is the only eternally begotten or generated Son from the Father. As The Nicene Creed says, he is “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.” Before becoming Jesus Christ in the incarnation, the Son was eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons in one true and living God. So we confess in WCF 2.3: “In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost: the Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.” The Son’s begotten-ness is what defines him as Son. It is the personal property that distinguishes him from the Father and Spirit, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 10. What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead? A. It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son from all eternity. Jesus’ deity was absolutely necessary for our salvation. Again we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 38. Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be God? A. It was requisite that the Mediator should be God, that he might sustain and keep the human nature from sinking under the infinite wrath of God, and the power of death; give worth and efficacy to his sufferings, obedience, and intercession; and to satisfy God's justice, procure his favor, purchase a peculiar people, give his Spirit to them, conquer all their enemies, and bring them to everlasting salvation.
Jesus is also described by the title “our Lord.” This title refers to one with authority. He is the one Head over his church. It is to him that we owe our total allegiance and obedience. And it is to him that we have entrusted our lives. The Apostle Peter thus concludes his Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:34-36, saying, “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” This Lordship is equivalent to Jesus’ mediatorial office as king, so we confess in Larger Catechism Q. 45. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executes the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them officers, laws, and censures, by which he visibly governs them; in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory, and their good; and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel. The Apostle Paul also teaches in Romans 10:9-13, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” The simple confession of Jesus’ lordship was one of the earliest Christian creeds. For Jews who were already trained in the Scriptures it was enough to profess that Jesus was the promised Messiah whom God had made Lord over his people to be admitted into communing membership in his church.
Review Questions
- What does the name Jesus mean?
- What does the title Christ mean?
- How are Jesus’ mediatorial offices of prophet, priest, and king significant in our salvation? What specific needs do each office meet concerning our salvation?
- Of what is Jesus’ begotten-ness a property?
- What is the significance of Jesus’ lordship? How does it affect our assurance of salvation?
