Greek word - (christos G5547)
Quiz - Choose the answer that is closest to what you think CHRIST is.
A - an anointed king
B - a charismatic leader
C - Jesus
D - an expected deliverer
Problem - Transliteration, Misused
KJV Example - "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
Explanation
Most people think that Christ is another name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, but it is not. It is often used like that, but it is wrong.
Before we get into a discussion of this word, I need to explain two words that you will often see in these lessons: transliteration and translation. A transliteration is when the letters of a word from a foreign language are transposed into English letters and an English word is formed. A translation is when the meaning of the foreign word is given. So a transliteration is the foreign word in English sounds and letters and a translation is what that foreign word means.
Christ is actually a transliteration of the Greek term which means an anointed person (christos G5547). Messiah (G3323) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word, Maw-shee'-akh (H4899), that means an anointed person. So Christ is from Greek, and Messiah is from Hebrew. They are the same thing. In English, the transliteration of the Greek word, christos, is christ and the translation is an anointed person or anointed king.
That is in English. Now transport yourself to Jerusalem in the Bible times. You speak Greek. In Greek, christos is the translation (not the transliteration) of the Hebrew term for Messiah. Greeks knew christos as the noun form of their verb, chrio, to anoint. When Greeks saw the word, christos, it meant anointed person to them.
A few times the transliteration from Hebrew (messias) is used in the New Testament (John 1:41; 4:25), but usually the translation for them (christos) is used.
That was in Greek.
This is not how it happens in English. In English the transliteration (christ) is always used. Because of this, few really know what christ means or what it is. I propose that we should follow the practice of the New Testament Christians and use the English translation (anointed king) and not the English transliteration (christ).
Christ is not the second name of Jesus, it is one of His titles. Just as He is the Lamb, the Son of God, the Good Shepherd, the Apostle, the Elder, and the Bishop, He is the Anointed King, the Christ. We must treat Him as God's Anointed King for us. He should be the King of our life.
In the Bible, Christ is Anointed King.
Modern Synonym - anointed king
Bible Version Tally (how other versions translate this word) - Anointed One (1 of 50), Messiah (12 of 50), Christ (31 of 50)
Breakthrough Version - "You are the Anointed King, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).