The second article of the Creed turns to the second person of the Trinity and addresses the Lord Jesus Christ. This title holds great significance in the Christian faith and is laden with theological meaning that encapsulates the heart and core of Christianity. To fully appreciate the depth of this title, it is essential to explore its individual components.

Lord – In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), the ineffable Hebrew name YHWH, by which God revealed himself to Moses (Exodus 3:14), is rendered as Kyrios, meaning ‘Lord’, and it became the usual way to refer to God. The incredible thing is that the New Testament applies this term to Jesus. In his encounter with the risen Jesus, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), when Jesus was recognised on the shore after the resurrection the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7), and in what is considered to be an early Christian hymn the affirmation is made ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Philippians 2:11). Attributing the title ‘Lord’ to Jesus not only subverted the cultural view that ‘Caesar is Lord’ but also acknowledged Jesus’s divinity. So, “By beginning the second article of belief with ‘one Lord Jesus Christ’ the Nicene fathers related him directly to ‘one God the Father Almighty’ in the first article, thereby indicating that in Jesus Christ and God the Father they were referring to one and the same being.” ¹

Jesus – This is the personal name given to the man from Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, and is the Greek form of the Hebrew word yeshua, meaning ‘he saves’.  As the angel told Joseph,  “…she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). ‘Jesus’ is a name which expresses both his identity and his mission. Since God alone can forgive sins (Luke 5:21), the name identifies that Jesus is God, whose mission is to save people from their sins (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 John 3:5).

Christ – “The word ‘Christ’ comes from the Greek (Christos) [a] translation of the Hebrew messiah, which means ‘anointed [one]’. It is not Jesus’ last name but his title.” ²  Jesus praised Peter for recognising that he was indeed the Christ (Matthew 16:16-17), and Peter proclaimed this in his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:36). Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. The expectation of a Messiah was rooted in the hopes of Israel for a deliverer, a king in the line of David, who would restore the fortunes of the people and bring about God’s justice. Christians believe Jesus fulfilled these messianic prophecies, though not in the way that first-century expectations might have predicted. Instead of a political conqueror, Jesus was a suffering servant. His anointing was demonstrated through his healing, teaching, and ultimately his sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension.

The shepherds were the first to hear this threefold description of the Word become flesh that the Creed affirms: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior [Jesus], who is Christ [messiah] the Lord [Kyrios]” (Luke 2:11). Together, the ‘Lord Jesus Christ’ becomes far more than a name: it is a confession, a proclamation of belief about the person at the centre of Christianity. It encapsulates the Christian understanding of Jesus as divine, as Saviour, and as the promised Messiah. He is the one who is worthy of our adoration and worship (Revelation 4:11; 5:12).

¹ Torrance, T.F., The Trinitarian Faith, p 117.
²   Ray, Stephen, and Walters, Dennis, The Faith For Beginners: Understanding the Creeds, p 43.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead 
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA

Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm

Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:  
wordoflife@gracecom.church