Jesus. Christ. Or Jesus Christ. These are the three main ways we speak of the second person of the Trinity, and we often use these names interchangeably. Do you know the meanings of these names?

When we say “Jesus Christ,” we might be thinking these are our Savior’s first and last names. But that’s not the way these words were intended to be used. Though Christ and Jesus refer to the same divine person, the words themselves carry unique connotations. Jesus (which is the same as “Joshua” in Hebrew) means “God saves.” Jesus is our Savior. Christ, or Christos, is the Greek word for the Hebrew Mashiach, which refers to the promised One, the Messiah, who would come to deliver God’s people. Side by side, we can see that this divine title makes up a grand picture of our Savior and promised King—His name tells us what He came to do.

The reality is, when we say these words, we acknowledge the divine title of the Son of God: Jesus, the Christ. He is Jesus, the promised One of Israel. Praise Him, for He is Jesus, our Deliverer and King.