Is Jesus the Messiah and Lord?

The Apostles Creed was written 1800 years ago when the early church was wracked with controversy over the nature of Jesus. Was he fully man? Was he the son of God? Was he the awaited messiah? Did he truly die and come back from the dead? Is he the Lord his followers proclaimed?

That may have been why, the creed says very little about his life, his teaching and his miracles. None of that was in question. Rather, the focus was on creating a statement of belief about Jesus, the son of God, our Messiah and Lord.

The focus was on Jesus’s death and resurrection which inaugurated the kingdom of God. It was the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture about the Messiah who would come to save God’s people:

I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
    a scepter will rise out of Israel.

A ruler will come out of Jacob… Numbers 24:17,19

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel… Micah 5:2

Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet. Psalm 22:16

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:9-10

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations . . . He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth…” Isaiah 42:1,4

In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture that proclaimed a Messiah to come.

The word Messiah appears 529 times in the New Testament, which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word mashiach that means “Anointed One”.  Jesus of Nazareth was this Messiah. His role as a savior-king, appointed by God, is linked to the Jewish tradition of kingship. Matthew 1:16

The New Testament contains many references to Jesus as the Messiah, including:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Mark 8:29

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15–16

This Son of God is the Messiah and also Lord. In his book, What Christians Ought to Believe, Michael Bird explains this most clearly on page 90:

When Paul says that Jesus is the “one Lord” through whom all things come (1 Corinthians 8: 6) and “every tongue [will] acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2: 11) he was using YHWH language to describe Jesus as the “Lord.” The purpose of this blend of scriptural illusion and devotion to Jesus is to underscore the unequaled status given to Jesus by God the Father.

Knowing, intellectually, that Jesus is Lord, is not the same as yielding one’s life to this Lord. By saying “I believe” one is saying that I have surrendered my life to Jesus and look to him as the one who grants me salvation from my sins, an eternity spent with him free of this world’s pain, suffering shame and death.

If you would like to better understand what it means to be a Christian who knows Jesus as Lord, take a few minutes and read our post, How Can I Become A Christian?

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.