Lord's Day 12

31  Q.  Why is he called "Christ,"
        meaning "anointed"?

    A.  Because he has been ordained by God the Father
        and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit^1
          to be
          our chief prophet and teacher^2
            who perfectly reveals to us
            the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance;^3
          our only high priest^4
            who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body,^5
            and who continually pleads our cause with the Father;^6
          and our eternal king^7
            who governs us by his Word and Spirit,
            and who guards us and keeps us
            in the freedom he has won for us.^8

    ^1  Luke 3:21-22; 4:14-19 (Isa. 61:1); Heb. 1:9 (Ps. 45:7)
    ^2  Acts 3:22 (Deut. 18:15)
    ^3  John 1:18; 15:15
    ^4  Heb. 7:17 (Ps. 110:4)
    ^5  Heb. 9:12; 10:11-14
    ^6  Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24
    ^7  Matt. 21:5 (Zech. 9:9)
    ^8  Matt. 28:18-20; John 10:28; Rev. 12:10-11


32  Q.  But why are you called a Christian?

    A.  Because by faith I am a member of Christ^1
        and so I share in his anointing.^2
          I am anointed
          to confess his name,^3
          to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks,^4
          to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil
            in this life,^5
          and afterward to reign with Christ
            over all creation
            for all eternity.^6

    ^1  1 Cor. 12:12-27
    ^2  Acts 2:17 (Joel 2:28); 1 John 2:27
    ^3  Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10; Heb. 13:15
    ^4  Rom. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9
    ^5  Gal. 5:16-17; Eph. 6:11; 1 Tim. 1:18-19
    ^6  Matt. 25:34; 2 Tim. 2:12