Christ For Me

The Lord Jesus Christ is brought before us in the Scriptures under many titles and in many and varied ways. These are all of unspeakable value to us as believers upon Him. Even though we may not be able to understand the meaning of His different names and titles, yet every one of them speaks forth some special glory of His person and work.

Let us think a little of a few of them, linking each with one of the letters which form the word Christ. As is well known, that word signifies Anointed, just as Messiah does also. Messiah is from a Hebrew word, and Christ from a Greek one.

Aaron was anointed to be a priest; David was anointed to be a king; Elisha was anointed to be a prophet. They were all set apart as God’s servants for different offices, and they all pictured and pointed on to Christ. He is the One Whom God had always before Him, and He would have Him before us.

The first title I would speak of is

CAPTAIN.

Christ is the Captain of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He is the Great Leader chosen by God to bring us all home to glory. Where is He? He is in glory at God’s right hand. He has passed through all the sufferings of the cross, and is seated in heaven. We see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour. Yes! the One Who by the grace of God tasted death for us is now exalted on high. We can look back and think of Him in all the untold agonies of the tree of Calvary, bearing our sins and purging them away for ever; but we can look up now and behold Him in all the untold glories of the throne of God in perfect rest. And He is the One Who will safely bring to glory all who put their trust in Him. He is “the same yesterday and today and for ever.” His love will never alter; His power will never fail. He is able to bring His loved ones on their way, and He will see them to the end of their journey.

Then He is the

HEALER.

It was written of Him in Psalm 103, “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases” (v. 3). In all His blessed ministry here we see Him going about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. There was no sickness or disease that He could not cure. The blind received their sight and the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed and the deaf heard, and the dead were raised up. None were too helpless or hopeless for Him to relieve. One who was suffering from a disease of twelve years’ standing and who had spent all she had possessed upon doctors without gaining relief, came to Jesus, and touching Him was immediately made whole. A little girl twelve years of age who was ill, and whose father had gone to ask Jesus to come to heal her, died before the Lord reached the house; but He raised her to life again. All these kind deeds attract our hearts to Him.

And we were all diseased in soul and needed healing too. But to heal our souls Christ must suffer and die. So we read in that lovely verse of Isaiah 53, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”

He is the

REDEEMER.

It is written of Him, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood.” We were in slavery to sin; we were under Satan’s power just as the children of Israel were in slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. They were redeemed by blood and redeemed by power; the blood of the passover lamb sheltered them from the judgment they deserved, and the power of Jehovah brought them out from the place of bondage. Christ is our passover (1 Cor. 5:7). His precious blood has sheltered us from the judgment we deserved, and we are now “in Him” free from all that which once held us bound, “redeemed to God” by His blood. We no longer belong to the world; we no longer are under the power of Satan; Christ hath set us free. Soon He will return for us and redeem our bodies too, making them like His own glorious body. For this we wait; but already we can say we know we are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

He is the

INTERCESSOR.

Though in heaven, Christ never forgets His own. We are in a world of trial and temptation and trouble. Moreover, we have no strength of our own. If left to ourselves, we should fall completely. We need Christ for the present just as we needed Him for the past. We could not do without His death for us. We cannot do without His life for us. He died for us on the cross; He lives for us on the throne. Five things are spoken of Him in Romans 8:34-35. Let us read the words. “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Here are the five things—

Christ has died.

Christ is risen again.

Christ is at God’s right hand.

Christ makes intercession for His own.

Christ loves them with a love that is unchanging.

Are these not blessed subjects for our meditation? Yes! He Who died and rose again, He Who lives on high and loves us eternally, now prays for us unceasingly. His interest never flags; His intercession never wearies. Thus we have power given in answer to His constant prayer, and can prevail over the foes that beset us in our path.

He is the

SHEPHERD

of our souls. It has often been pointed out that He is called the good Shepherd (John 10:11), the great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20), and the chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). If you examine these verses, you will find that “the good Shepherd” is connected with His death, “the great Shepherd” with His resurrection, “the chief Shepherd” with His coming again. Thus the past, present, and future are provided for in Him, the Shepherd. As the Shepherd He cares for His own, He is concerned about the sheep, He keeps them, watches over them, provides for them, and protects them in all their goings. Abel kept the sheep, Moses led the sheep, David fought for the sheep. And these are all figures of Christ and of the way He shepherds the sheep of His flock. How well it is for us to be thus guided and guarded by Christ. Once we were “as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop” of our souls (1 Pet. 2:25).

Lastly, He is the

TEACHER.

He instructs His people in the mind of God. And how much there is to be learned from Him. But He delights in teaching us. You will remember that Mary of Bethany sat at His feet and heard His word. She listened while Christ unfolded to her the blessed thoughts of His heart. Martha, her sister, wished her to come away and help prepare a meal for Christ; but the Lord would not have Mary disturbed. He rejoiced to instruct one who was willing to learn of Him, and said, “Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42). We may choose that good part today. In the quiet of our own rooms we may sit at His feet. As we ponder over His blessed words and consider what is set before us in the Holy Scriptures, we may count on Him to give us understanding in all things and to lead us on from one lesson to another.

May He be more and more to every one of us until we see Him.

Surely every heart that knows Him must delight to say—

“My heart is fixed, eternal God,

Fixed on Thee;

And my immortal choice is made;

Christ for me.

He is the Prophet, Priest, and King,

Who did for me salvation bring;

And while I live, I still would sing,

Christ for me.”

I.Fleming

Scattered Seed 1908, p. 107