Paul's Teachings on Jesus as the Messiah in the New Testament
Paul consistently presents Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, throughout his epistles. The term "Messiah" (Hebrew: mashiah) means "anointed" and refers to individuals consecrated for specific offices, such as priests, prophets, and kings [7]. The Greek equivalent, "Christos," is used over five hundred times in the New Testament to refer to Jesus [8]. Paul's understanding of Jesus as the Christ is foundational to his theology and his apostolic calling [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Paul emphasizes that Jesus' messianic identity is rooted in the Old Testament. one tradition argues that Jesus fulfills the hopes for the Kingdom of God and the promises made to Israel [12, 13]. For instance, the suffering servant passages in Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 52:13–53:12, are understood to prophesy Christ's redemptive work [9, 10]. This passage describes the servant's exaltation, humiliation, and ultimate exaltation, with his suffering bringing reconciliation between God and humanity [10]. John Calvin, in his commentary on Isaiah, also connects these prophecies to Christ [11]. Paul's preaching often involved explaining how Jesus fulfilled these Old Testament expectations [12, 13].
Paul's perspective on Jesus as Messiah evolved from a human, perhaps politically-oriented, view to a profound understanding of Jesus as the redeemer from sin and Lord of the universe [14]. He saw Jesus not merely as a political liberator but as the one who inaugurated a "new creation" through his resurrection [14]. This understanding of Jesus as the Christ encompasses his roles as Prophet, Priest, and King, fulfilling the anointing for these offices [8]. The excellency and glory of Christ, as described in various biblical texts, include his divine nature, his sonship, his unity with the Father, and his roles as Creator, Mediator, and Judge [6]. Paul's letters consistently affirm Jesus' unique status and redemptive work as the promised Messiah.
Sources
- Romans “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Good News of God, -- Romans 1:1”
- 1 Timothy “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope; -- 1 Timothy 1:1”
- 2 Timothy “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, -- 2 Timothy 1:1”
- Titus “Titus 1:1 (Geneva1599) — Paul a seruaunt of God, and an Apostle of Iesus Christ, according to the faith of Gods elect, and the acknowledging of the trueth, which is according vnto godlines,”
- II Timothy “II Timothy 1:1 (LITV) — Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Excellency and Glory of Christ, The — As God -- Joh 1:1-5; Php 2:6,9,10. As the Son of God -- Mt 3:17; Heb 1:6,8. As one with the Father -- Joh 10:30,38. As the First-born -- Col 1:15,18. As the First-begotten -- Heb 1:6. As Lord of lords, &c -- Re 17:14. As the image of God -- Col 1:15; Heb 1:3. As creator -- Joh 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2. As the Blessed of God -- Ps 45:2. As Mediator -- 1Ti 2:5; Heb 8:6. As Prophet -- De 18:15,16; Ac 3:22. As Priest -- Ps 110:4; Heb 4:15. As King -- Isa 6:1-5; Joh 12:41. As Judge -- Mt 16:27; 25:31,33. As Shepherd -- Isa 40:10,11; Joh”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Messiah — (Heb. mashiah), in all the thirty-nine instances of its occurring in the Old Testament, is rendered by the LXX. "Christos." It means anointed. Thus priests (Ex. 28:41; 40:15; Num. 3:3), prophets (1 Kings 19:16), and kings (1 Sam. 9:16; 16:3; 2 Sam. 12:7) were anointed with oil, and so consecrated to their respective offices. The great Messiah is anointed "above his fellows" (Ps. 45:7); i.e., he embraces in himself all the three offices. The Greek form "Messias" is only twice used in the New Testament, in John 1:41 and 4:25 (R.V., "Messiah"), and in the Old ”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Christ — Anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered "Messiah" (q.v.), the official title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ (Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matt. 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah (61:1), and by Daniel (9:24-26), who styles him "Messiah the Prince." The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen. 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Ge”
- Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 8:32: 8:32-33 The passage of Scripture was Isa 53:7-8, one of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, a passage that speaks of the suffering servant of the Lord.”
- Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 52:13: 52:13–53:12 This is the fourth of four passages that speak about the promised servant (see study note on 42:1-4). The Hebrew poem is carefully constructed in five three-line stanzas. It begins with the servant’s exaltation (52:13), proceeds to his humiliation (52:14–53:9), and ends with his exaltation (53:10-12). The faithful servant’s suffering would bring reconciliation between God and humans. The Lord Jesus perfectly fulfilled this prophecy (see ch 40; Matt 8:17; Acts 8:30-35; Rom 10:15-17; 15:21; 1 Pet 2:24-25). 52:13 prosper . . . be highly exalted: The serv”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Isaiah, Vol. 2, section 53.2: 64:7 66:24 Jeremiah 4:31 5:8 5:28 7:4 7:4 9:1 10:23 10:24 10:24 11:21 17:1 17:5 18:16 19:6 19:8 22:24 22:28 25:9 25:13 25:18 28:10 28:11 30:11 31:15 43:2 48:2 50:11 Lamentations 1:7 2:5 2:8 3:29 Ezekiel 15:3 16:26 20:11 20:24 20:25 26:2 26:14 37:1 43:15 43:15 47:11 Daniel 5:28 5:30 5:31 7:10 7:17 8:20 Hosea 1:7 6:4 8:14 9:6 13:3 Joel 1:13 2:13 2:23 2:28 Amos 1:3 3:6 4:1 4:1 5:10 5:19 8:11 Micah 1:3 1:11 2:11 7:9 7:16 Nahum 3:8 Habakkuk 2:1 2:1 2:1 2:2 3:2 3:2 3:13 Zechariah 9:14 13:4 14:3 Malachi 1:4 1:11 4:2 Matthew 2:14 3:12 3:12 3:12 3:12 ”
- Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 28:23: 28:23 Paul explained how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament hopes for the Kingdom of God, the master theme of Jesus’ own preaching (Mark 1:14-15; see Matt 4:12-17; Luke 4:14-21, 43). Referring to the Scriptures, Paul presented the case for Jesus as the promised Messiah.”
- Acts (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Acts 26:22: 26:22-23 Paul stressed God’s protection as he carried out his witness (cp. 3:18; 10:43; Luke 24:25-27, 44-47). Paul then called on his hearers to believe his message, that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills the promises of the Old Testament (see Luke 24:27, 44).”
- 2 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Corinthians 5:16: 5:16-17 merely from a human point of view: Paul might be reflecting on his belief at one time as a Pharisee that the Messiah would come to set the Jews free from political oppression. • How differently we know him now! Christ rose from the dead, ushered in the new creation (5:17), and was established as the redeemer from sin and Lord of the universe (Rom 1:3-4; Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20).”