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Answer
We refer to Him as “Jesus” and sometimes as “Jesus Christ.” Some have mistakenly assumed that Jesus is the Lord’s first name and that Christ is His last name.
In reality, Christ is a title, not a name. The word Christ is transliterated from a Greek term meaning “Anointed One” or “Chosen One.” The Hebrew equivalent is the origin of the term Messiah. When the Bible mentions “Jesus Christ,” it signifies that Jesus is God’s Chosen One. It is another way of expressing that Jesus is the Messiah. Refer to 2 Peter 1:1, Ephesians 1:1, Jude 1:1, and Revelation 1:1 for more information.
In Acts 18:5, a clear differentiation between the name Jesus and the title the Christ is evident: “Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus” (ESV). In essence, Paul’s preaching at that time focused on demonstrating that the Messiah (the Christ) was indeed Jesus. The individual known as “Jesus” fulfilled the role of the Christ, as foretold in the Law and the Prophets.
Christ is not Jesus’ surname or last name. During that era, individuals did not have surnames. Instead, they were distinguished in other ways, particularly if they had a common name (and Jesus was a common name). Many individuals were identified by their fathers, such as Levi the son of Alphaeus “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.”, (Mark 2:14), James the son of Zebedee “and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:”, (Mark 3:17), James the son of Alphaeus (verse 18), and Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples a…”.
And a significant number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. », (Mark 10:46) are examples.
Other individuals were recognized by their place of origin. Jesus was frequently identified in this manner. “Jesus of Nazareth” was a typical way of mentioning Him (Mark 10:47;Luke 24:19;John 18:5). Others who were associated with their places of origin or homelands in their names include Lucius of Cyrene «Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; such as Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. », (Acts 13:1), Mary Magdalene «among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children. », (Matthew 27:56), and Judas Iscariot «Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. », (Matthew 10:4).
Furthermore, some were set apart from others with the same name through the use of nicknames. For instance, two of Jesus’ disciples were named “Simon”; Jesus bestowed one with the nickname Peter «And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. », (John 1:42), and the Bible distinguishes the other as “Simon the Zealot” «Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. », (Matthew 10:4).<
Jesus’ last name was not Christ, but referring to Him as “Jesus Christ” is one way to identify His mission in the world. He has many titles. The angel told Mary that He would “be called the Son of God” «And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. », (Luke 1:35). Isaiah said He would be called “Immanuel” «Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. », (Isaiah 7:14). Others called Him “Son of David” «And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. », (Matthew 15:22). Whatever title we use, we know that “there is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” «Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. », (Acts 4:12, NLT). Jesus has been given “the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11;BSB).
