The Nicene Creed Part 7 - One Lord Jesus Christ

Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Phil 2:9-11
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the Creed we also profess that we believe "in one Lord Jesus Christ". In previous posts, I have posted thoughts and comments on the meaning of the name "Jesus" and what it means to call Him Lord and Christ. I will put links to those at the bottom of this post. When we say that we "believe in" Jesus Christ, we mean much more than to simply acknowledge His existence, but that we place our faith in Him as our Savior, King, and Great High Priest. We are told in Matthew's gospel that He is called "Jesus" "for he shall save his people from their sins". Peter confessed Jesus to be the Christ when asked Who a disciple believes Jesus to be, and proclaimed "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." in his preaching in the Temple.

St Patrick wrote that the Father "gave him all power over every name in Heaven and on Earth and in Hell, so that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe" and C.N. Calinicos wrote in The Greek Orthodox Catechism that "He is the one and only Lord, before Whom every knee is bent; He is Jesus, that is to say, the Saviour, Who saved His people from their sins; He is Christ, anointed not simply with oil, but the Holy Ghost, to be the Highest Prophet, Priest and King". We find in the Confession of Dositheus that "We believe our Lord Jesus Christ to be the only mediator, and that in giving Himself a ransom for all He hath through His own Blood made a reconciliation between God and man, and that Himself having a care for His own is advocate and propitiation for our sins.". St John Chrysostom said in his Commenary on Acts...

Neither is there salvation in any other, (v. 12.) Peter says. What wounds, think you, must these words inflict on them! “For there is none other name,” he continues, “under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Here he utters also lofty words. For when the object is, not to carry some point successfully, but only to show boldness he does not spare; for he was not afraid of striking too deep. Nor does he say simply, “By another;” but, “Neither is there salvation in any other:” that is, He is able to save us. In this way he subdued their threatening.

St Jerome wrote in his Commentary on the Apostles Creed...

“Christ” is so called from “Chrism,” i.e. unction. For we read in the Books of Moses, that Auses, the son of Nave, when he was chosen to lead the people, had his name changed from “Auses” to “Jesus,” to shew that this was a name proper for princes and generals, for those, namely, who should “save” the people who followed them. Therefore, both were called “Jesus,” both the one who conducted the people, who had been brought forth out of the land of Egypt, and freed from the wanderings of the wilderness, into the land of promise, and the other, who conducted the people, who had been brought forth from the darkness of ignorance, and recalled from the errors of the world, into the kingdom of heaven.

“Christ” is a name proper either to High Priests or Kings. For formerly both high priests and kings were consecrated with the ointment of chrism: but these, as mortal and corruptible, with material and corruptible ointment. Jesus is made Christ, being anointed with the Holy Spirit, as the Scripture saith of Him “Whom the Father hath anointed with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.” And Isaiah had prefigured the same, saying in the person of the Son, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me, He hath sent Me to preach good tidings to the poor.”

We find this in The Catechism of St Philaret...

130.  What means the name Jesus?

Saviour. 

131.  By whom was the name Jesus first given? 

By the Angel Gabriel. 

132.  Why was this name given to the Son of God at his conception and birth on earth? 

Because he was conceived and born to save men. 

133.  What means the name Christ? 

Anointed. 

134.  Whence came the name Anointed? 

From the anointing with holy ointment, through which are bestowed the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

135.  Is it only Jesus, the Son of God, who is called Anointed? 

No. Anointed was in old time a title of kings, high-priests, and prophets. 

136.  Why, then, is Jesus, the Son of God, called The Anointed? 

Because to his manhood were imparted without measure all the gifts of the Holy Ghost; and so he possesses in the highest degree the knowledge of a prophet, the holiness of a high-priest, and the power of a king. 

137.  In what sense is Jesus Christ called Lord? 

In this sense: that he is very God; for the name Lord is one of the names of God.

And we find this in Peter Mohila's Orthodox Confession of Faith...

Q. 34. What do these two names "Jesus Christ" signify, as found in this article?

R. "Jesus" signifies Savior, just as the Archangel was explaining to Joseph: "She will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." Yet, this name can be given to no one in the world, and rightly so, except to the Lord our Savior, who freed the entire human race from the eternal captivity of the devils. And "Christ" signifies anointed, because in the Old Law anointed people are referred to as "Christi", namely, the priests, kings and prophets. Christ is anointed into these three offices in a special way, above all other anointed people, as the Psalmist says of him: "You have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." But, this anointing should be understood as coming from the Holy Spirit, as the Prophet says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to preach to the meek." Christ applies these words to himself when he says: "This day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears." Christ, however, surpasses his companions according to three very great distinctions. His first distinction is the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, about which the Apostle says: "Called by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." The same author elsewhere calls Christ a priest, because he sacrificed himself to God the Father, as he says: "Christ, who by the eternal Spirit offered himself unspotted to God." And later: "Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many." The second distinction is his kingdom, which the Archangel Gabriel, while he was fulfilling his mission to the most pure Virgin, demonstrated by saying: "The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever; of his kingdom there shall be no end." The Magi also gave witness to him by offering gifts at the time of his birth, as they said: "Where is he that is born king of the Jews?" The title of his crime at the time of his very death proves the same thing? "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Moses prophesized from God, however, concerning the third distinction, when he said: "The Lord your God will raise up to you a prophet from your brothers similar to me." This distinction was shown through his holy teaching where he adequately taught about his divinity and other things pertaining to eternal salvation, as he says of himself: "I have made known your name to them." And earlier: "The words which you gave me I gave to them; and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I came from you, and they have believed that you had sent me." This prophecy, the third distinction, should be understood as the foretelling of future events not by a certain revelation, but from his knowledge as true God and true man.

I believe O Lord and I confess that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God Who came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.

http://openthoumylips.blogspot.com/2011/08/jesus-prayer-part-4-lord.html
http://openthoumylips.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-prayer-part-5-jesus.html
http://openthoumylips.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-prayer-part-6-christ-as-great.html
http://openthoumylips.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-prayer-part-7-christ-king.html
http://openthoumylips.blogspot.com/2011/09/jesus-prayer-part-8-christ-and-king.html