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The Bible reveals that the Lord is both the Son of God and the Christ. Since the Bible uses both titles when it addresses Him, there must be a distinction between these two titles. Today we want to see the meanings of these two titles.
Concerning the Lord as the Son of God, we have the angel in Luke 1:35 who spoke this title to Mary. Peter received revelation from the Father and knew the Lord as the Son of God in Matthew 16:16. According to Romans 1:4, the Lord was designated the Son of God out of resurrection. According to John 20:31, a man is saved and receives God’s life when he believes in the Son of God.
Concerning the Lord as the Christ, we have the angels in Luke 2:11 who declared that He is the Christ to the shepherds. Peter received revelation from the Father and knew Him as the Christ in Matthew 16:16. According to Acts 2:36, the Lord was made Christ after His resurrection. According to John 20:31, a man is saved through believing that Jesus is the Christ.
We can clarify this by the following chart:
The Lord is the Son of God as well as the Christ of God. The Son and Christ each signify different things. The Lord being the Son of God speaks of His divinity; it indicates that He is God. His title as the Son also denotes that He is equal with God and shares the same glory as God. Furthermore, the Son of God is God from eternity to eternity. The Lord being the Christ speaks of Him being the Executor of God’s plan. When the Son took up God’s plan, He became the Anointed One — Christ. He did not become Christ until He was anointed. When He took up God’s plan, He became the Christ. We can clarify the meaning of the Son and Christ by another chart:
Ephesians 1:11 says, “In whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” The word “counsel” can also be translated as “plan.” In God’s plan we have become portions of “Christ.” Hence, all of us together become the Christ. We become the Christ by being in Christ. First Corinthians 12:12 says, “For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” This Christ is the corporate Christ, who is composed of the Head and the Body. Hence, we are the Christ in the big corporate Christ, and we have all become a part of Christ. Since God’s plan is in Christ, we have become a part of God’s plan as well.
God accomplishes His plan in two steps. First, we become subject to Christ and are headed up by Him (Eph. 4:15). Then all things become subject to Him and are headed up under Him (1:10). God’s plan has to do with the whole universe. He heads up all things under the headship of Christ. But God does not carry out this work directly; He does it first in the church. He brings the church, which is Christ’s Body, under the authority of Christ’s headship. Then He brings the whole universe under the headship of Christ.
