Answer: The word Christ – from the Greek Christos, which is derived from the verb chrio, I anoint – means anointed. The word Messiah – from the Hebrew Meshiach, which is derived from the verb mashach, he anoints – has the same meaning. That with which one is anointed is the Holy Spirit (Acts 10: 38). Thus we see that Jesus was anointed, christed, by receiving the Holy Spirit. However, the Bible speaks not only of one individual (Jesus), but also of a company (the Church) as being anointed – christed (2 Corinthians 1: 21) (1 John 2: 20, 27). Hence all who received the Holy Spirit as prospective members of the Body of Christ were thereby anointed. For this reason Jesus and the faithful Church make up God’s Anointed, the larger Christ – the Christ Body, or Company.

We may sum up the matter thus: the great Deliverer, the Kingdom class, through whom God promised to rescue the human family from the Adamic curse, and bless it with an opportunity of gaining everlasting life, is composed of a number of persons, and therefore is a multitudinous Savior, consisting of Jesus and the true Church. This fact, that the Messiah, the Anointed, would be a company, and not simply one individual, is the Mystery – the secret – hidden from the ages and generations before the Gospel Age, but now, during the Gospel Age, is made manifest (Colossians 1: 26, 27). During the Gospel Age this Christ class appeared on the stage of human affairs to suffer for truth and righteousness on behalf of the human race; and in the Millennium they will appear in glory to bless and uplift the race from the curse (Romans 8: 17-23) (2 Timothy 2: 10-12).  

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