Is Jesus His First Name and Christ His Last Name? [What is the Gospel?]

Thanks for stopping by! This is an in-depth of my other blog here. I wanted to take the time to really dig deep to explain things that I wish I would have realized a long time ago. Get your tea or coffee ready, it's going to be a long one!

For many years I did not know the significance of the name, Jesus Christ. All names have meanings, if you Google your name you can see what your name means. So what is the meaning of Jesus Christ?

Jesus means “savior” and Christ means “the anointed one.” Jesus is His name but Christ is His title, not His last name. Typically back in the old times of the Bible, people didn't really go by last names, it was more so that they were identified from their family line (e.g. - son of "x"), tribe, or region they were from (e.g. - Jesus of Nazareth). So to understand the name Jesus Christ, we can tie it to the first president of the United States. For example, George Washington was his name, and President of the United States was his title. Jesus is His name ("savior"), Christ is His title ("the anointed one").

What does it mean to be anointed? In the Old Testament only prophets, priests, and kings were anointed. The office of the prophet was that they were messengers from God, giving the message from God to the people. The high priest, in reference to the Old Testament/Day of Atonement, would perform rituals once a year, sacrificing the blood of animals to atone the sins of the people for that year. The symbolic significance of the Old Testament ritual is a foreshadowing of the Messiah that would come to atone the sins of mankind forever. It symbolized the the need for mankind to be cleansed of sin, where the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The office of the king was that the king had authority and power. So how is this tied to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is the Gospel?

The Gospel means "the good news." In order for us to understand the good news, let us look into the big picture and review what the "bad news" was first. We can think of the Bible as a letter from God to us, His people. If there was one central message of the Bible, if you had to summarize the point of the Bible on one page, it would be the Gospel. Once I really understood the Gospel, it completely opened my eyes and turned on the lights to the deception I had fallen into for so many years. Studying, memorizing, and really imprinting this message into my own life, I began to see so many different stages of my life within this message and it was the most significant piece that saved me. In my opinion, knowing and studying the Gospel first is most important when becoming a believer because it puts the Bible into context as you continue to develop in your walk.

In Genesis 1:27-28, people were created in the image of God where the Spirit of God was only with people. So you and I were not created on the same level as animals, you are not a dog, you are not a monkey, etc. Only humans were created in God's image with the Spirit of God. In Genesis 1:28, God blessed us and gave us the authority to rule and have dominion over the earth. In Genesis 2:16, we also see He gave us free will. God created people out of love and love is the freedom to choose, not a dictatorship. If He designed us all to think one way, without free will, we would be puppets or robots - we were not designed to be this way. In Genesis 3:1-6, Satan in the form of a serpent deceived mankind into sinning for the first time. Mankind wanted to be like God and see like God and because mankind did not know the truth of what God spoke with certainty, they fell into this deception. Because of original sin, people no longer ruled over the earth, but 'things' of the earth now rule over people - everything flipped.

Just as a tree is rooted in the ground, or a fish in the ocean, we were rooted in God in our original design, and because of sin, the Spirit of God had no other choice but to leave. God is Holy and the word Holy means "set apart." God cannot be in the presence of sin, just as light and darkness cannot coexist, or oil and water cannot mix; so, what happens when a tree is uprooted or a fish is taken out of water? It dies, and in the same way people died, spiritually then eventually physically. Genesis 2:16-17 says, "And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly [meaning 100%] die." Satan deceived mankind, taking some truth, then twisting the truth and because they did not know the truth of what God spoke with certainty, they sinned for the first time.

If you think about it, this is the way cults lead so many to destruction. They take some truth from the Bible, then twist the truth and because people do not know the truth of what God spoke, they fall into deception. Genesis 3:4-6 says, “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." We see how Satan planted a seed of doubt stating, "...you will not 'certainly' die." Kind of like, "Maybe you will, maybe you won't, that's not what was said?" Then because Eve was uncertain, she fell into this deception.

Reading these verses we also see Eve became fixated on the fruit, it was pleasing to the eye, desirable. I know in my life I became fixated on material things, things that were pleasing to the eye and my thoughts were not focused on God; I became distracted pursuing the things of this world where I became the master of my own life wanting to do what solely made me happy. I pursued but never found that happiness I was looking for, and along the way things that I said I would never do, soon became the norm. After a span of 15 years, there was no more shock factor, everything became okay, little by little, year by year. I then hit a rock bottom and found myself so far away from where I began that I thought, "Wow, how did I even get here?" It was at that moment of failure, I finally submitted myself to Christ; that rock bottom is the biggest blessing of my life, and that is where I found purpose and a true peace that I have never experienced. Everything finally clicked, all God was wanting was my submission, my heart. I had made something so simple, so much more complex, and in doing so, missed the message of Christ. I remembered the words of what spoke out loud when I was a teenager, "I can't live up to your expectations and I don't want to be a hypocrite. I need to figure out my life, and I will come back later when I clean my life up..." In the same way Eve was deceived, I was deceived, because I did not know the true significance of Jesus Christ - I did not know this message.

Does it make sense to try and take a sponge bath, to try and clean yourself off, before taking a shower? Or do you take a shower to become cleansed? I ran from God, when He was what I needed the most - His power, love, and grace. Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The good news is, you and I will never be perfect, and God knew that, He loved us so much, and that's why He sent His son Jesus to pay the price we ultimately deserved; so stop dwelling in a place of guilt and instead submit it, move past it, and spend the majority of your focus on Christ and knowing Him more through hearing, reading, memorizing, meditating, and applying the word of God to your life. That is where you will find strength and peace because He already forgave you, we just have a hard time forgiving ourselves. When we fail, we need to seek to know God deeper, and the Holy Spirit will reveal things in our lives and give us the strength to change, but we need to be fed spiritually and continuously. Just as we eat physical food, we need to be actively seeking God in His word for spiritual strength. 2 Corinthians 12:19 says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

To recap, mankind faced the problem of separation, when the Spirit of God left in Genesis 3:1-6, the problem of sin (Romans 3:23 - "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."), as well as spiritual oppression by Satan (John 8:44); these three points are what's known as original sin, or the fundamental problem of mankind. In Ephesians 2:1-3, it says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath." People in this state face the below:

1. Spiritual oppression; born spiritually dead/separated from God; deception of Satan (John 10:10, Ephesians 2:1-2). When I was younger, you did not have to teach me to do wrong, I knew by instinct (e.g. - not wanting to share my toys, taking money from my dad's wallet, telling a lie, etc.) My parents had to correct me - this was my original nature, everyone is born with sin. Many times we see that although people have fame, great looks, money, talent, intellect, they are driven to take their own lives. Just scroll through your newsfeed and you can see the state of the world today, spiritually in chains. The forces of darkness attack when you are alone with your thoughts, so don't fall into this deception. There was a study done in 2015, of the top three things people Google late at night - pornography was number one, then the word "lonely," and finally "suicide." Interesting that there are over 170,000 words in the English language, yet those are the top three search terms. Satan is not a little red cartoon character, he is active and as the Bible says is, 'the ruler of the kingdom of the air,' driving so many to destruction in this world.
2. While in the state of being separated from God, people had no other choice but to turn to idolatry to try and fill that gap/emptiness in their life (Exodus 20:4-5). Idols can be literal statues, rituals, altars, false gods, etc., but can also be money, power, drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, pursuit of fame, basically anything you put in place before God. Some people jump from relationship to relationship, partner to partner, for fear of being alone. You may momentarily be happy if you get a sum of money, but that will fade and it will leave you desiring something more. All idols lead to destruction then these curses are passed down your family line to generations that follow.
3. Spiritual inheritance (Exodus 20:4-5). Curses passed down from generation to generation. How many times have we seen alcoholism in the mother or father, then passed down to the daughter or son? Or the father goes to prison, and the son goes to prison, abuse happening in a family, then the impact of that in their children's lives, etc.
4. Mental afflictions - feelings of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, nightmares, hallucinations, and even demon possession (Ephesians 2:3). For many suffering from depression and anxiety, it can feel as if you are held captive in your own mind. I know this because I suffered from this as well. The Gospel 'turned on the lights' in my life to identify that feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness, confusion, worry, shame, guilt, are not traits that are coming from God. When you truly understand who God is, the significance of what happened on Mount Calvary, the power of Christ in you, the chains of spiritual slavery break - the deception of the enemy is revealed. Satan wants to keep people in chains because imagine the power that comes when that person realizes their true identity as God's child? That they were created on purpose, for a purpose, masterfully designed in the image of God, unique, loved, adored, and irreplaceable. What would take place if that person knew they had direct access to the power of the same God that spoke this universe into existence, and used their gifts and talents for His kingdom? What would happen if they realized, the best form of 'revenge' (referencing the show "13 Reasons Why") does not involve acts of violence/suicide. The best 'revenge' you could ever have, is by stepping into your purpose and living a meaningful and joyful life. By being happy and healthy, your enemies lose all power - they don't want to see you succeed. So, what if those loops of negative thoughts were replaced with the word of God that is living and active for those that are his children (Hebrews 4:12)? This is why the enemy wants to keep people bound, distracted, and ultimately silenced. Matthew 16:17-20 says, "...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Upon the divine revelation that Jesus is the Christ and this profession of faith, great blessings pour on your life; you ultimately move from a state of spiritual death to life. You are born again.
5. Physical Suffering - physical ailments, war, suicide, poverty, famine, crime (Acts 8:4-8). This verse shows how Philip went to Samaria, and he used the name of Jesus Christ to cast out demons that had caused the people to become paralyzed; "Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city." There are diseases even doctors are not able to diagnose. In one case, I had a conversation with a prominent figure, where they shared that their son went to a psychic to try and pinpoint what part of their DNA their sickness was rooted, because doctors could not diagnose them. The root of these problems are spiritual and Christ is the only solution. By going to a psychic, you open the door to dark entities (1 Corinthians 10:20). 
6. A person that chooses to be separated from God in this life will remain in this state into the next, for eternity. Eternal separation is in a place called hell. Hell was not created for people but instead for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41); so if you go to hell, that is your personal choice, this is not the plan and design God has for your life. Satan is not in hell right now, he is the 'ruler of the kingdom of the air' active in this world but will be cast into the lake of fire after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Hell is a literal place of darkness and torment (Luke 16:19-31). Whomever you choose to be the master of your life, you will remain with for eternity.

So what is the solution to all of this? Is it religion, is it by peoples' efforts that they can "be a good person" and work their way to a perfect and Holy God - that the good somehow outweighs the bad? Religion is peoples' efforts to get to God, but the Gospel is the opposite, it is God's method coming to mankind (Genesis 3:15). There is only one way of salvation and that is only through Jesus Christ, the anointed one, by way of what He did on the cross. It is only by grace we have been saved; our good works are the fruit of our salvation, not the reason for our salvation (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). We love God, and because we love Him, we want to love our neighbor as our own, we want to do good for others and follow the teachings of Christ.

In John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is the prophet that made the way to God, building that bridge, and by believing in Him, we can now have a personal relationship with God. In Romans 8:2, "Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death." Jesus is the priest, that atoned our sins for eternity, He was that eternal sacrifice; so no longer are we under the laws of the Old Testament, we have been set free from our past, present, and future sins where Jesus's last words in John 19:30 were, "It is finished." Jesus is the King of kings, He is the Son of God that came to destroy the devil's work (1 John 3:8); the devil's work is to attempt to keep mankind separated from God for eternity, but Jesus destroyed this on Mount Calvary.

Salvation is not based on anything we have done, it is based solely on what He did. Jesus resolved the fundamental problem of mankind: separation (Genesis 3:1-6), sin (Romans 3:23), and Satan (John 8:44) as our savior, the anointed one - True Prophet (John 14:6), True Priest (Romans 8:2), and True King (1 John 3:8).

John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

Ask yourself this question, if tomorrow never came, do you have full confidence of where you will spend eternity? The good news is, that in Romans 5:8, "God demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." You and I will never be perfect, and we are not expected to be. It's as if there was a cure for a terminal illness and all we had to do was take the pill, but we got so tied up in reading the ingredients - well this ingredient has this side effect, where did this ingredient originate, why is this ingredient listed, etc. We can really 'why' things to death and miss the healing offered by simply receiving the cure. How do you know the plans God has for your life, if you have no connection to Him, and you are in that state of separation/sin/spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1)? We can only know the things of God through the Holy Spirit that indwells in those that have received Christ in their lives. If you are seeking and you approach God with an open heart, He will reveal Himself to you and you will find Him (Matthew 7:7).

Your creator desperately wants a relationship with you, and wants to restore your life back to the beginning, to enjoy a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32)." You don't have to live this life alone and carry the worry and the world on your shoulders - all it takes is submission. If you would like to have that rest, that peace, and to know with certainty that you will be with God in this life and for eternity, repeat this prayer out loud wherever you are at.

Acceptance Prayer: "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that you are the savior. Today, I repent of my sins and change the direction of my life from myself, to you. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and my savior. Thank you for calling me as your child, loving me unconditionally, and forgiving me of my past, present, and future sins. Please lead me to know what your will and your plan is in my life, I submit myself to you now. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."

God bless you in this life changing moment! So where is God? Always remember God is now in your heart and your life forever; your body is a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19) and He has made His home in your life where the Holy Spirit will lead you, guide you, and be with you always. As a new believer, or if you are rededicating your life, it's important to ask, seek, knock (Matthew 7:7) and really understand and study the Gospel message, memorize the verses. As you do this, the message becomes clearer and you begin to see your life in this message; it becomes imprinted in you. Share it with others because that is ultimately God's desire - to save lives!

As a child of God, memorize and speak these blessings everyday:

1. I am a child of God (John 1:12).
2. My citizenship is in heaven and I have the promise of eternal life (Philippians 3:20; John 5:24).
3. I have the indwelling and guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27; John 14:16-17; 1Corinthians 3:16).
4. God gives answers to my prayers; fills me with the Holy Spirit (John 16:24, John 15:7-8; Jeremiah 33:3). 
5. I have authority and victory to break the forces of darkness as a believer in Jesus Christ (Luke 10:19-20; Mark 3:15).
6. I receive help from angels (Hebrews 1:14). 
7. As I fulfill God's Great Commission of world evangelization, I will receive power and blessings, where God is always with me as I share the Gospel with others and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).