Is there a difference in meaning between Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus?

Substantially indeed, both terms mean the same thing; just as the two words "Jesus," "Christ" signify the same person under different aspects. That blessed name, "Jesus," expresses the person and character of our adorable Saviour and Redeemer; whilst the word "Christ" expresses His position, be it in an earthly aspect as Israel's Messiah, or in a christian sense as the glorified Head of the Church.

Notice that it is already the risen Christ who is before us, as the order of the names distinctly indicates. Jesus was, as we know, the name given to Him at His birth, and is therefore His personal name as man; while Christ is His name of office upon which, His work of atonement being accomplished, He has now fully entered. Thus the precedence of either shows which is the predominant thought, whether Person or office. We are never said to be in Jesus, or in Jesus Christ; always in Christ, or in Christ Jesus. Here redemption is found for us in the Christ, who is Jesus, — in Him who has accomplished His work, and is in possession of the fruits of it.

So we find believers were baptized in the name of “Jesus Christ”; in the name of “Jesus Christ” the lame man at the Gate Beautiful received healing; the apostles were the apostles of Jesus Christ, as witness the superscriptions of the epistles, whether written by the Apostle Paul or the Apostle Peter. Never is it in this connection “Christ Jesus.”

When we come to the titles, “Christ Jesus,” in that order, the thought begins with Christ in glory, but that the blessed One there is “Jesus.” This expression connects itself with the unfolding of the truths of Christianity in a remarkable way. “Redemption … is in Christ Jesus”; “the love of God… is in Christ Jesus”; we are “sanctified in Christ Jesus”; “our liberty… we have in Christ Jesus”; the believer is in “heavenly places in Christ Jesus”; “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works”; God’s “eternal purpose” is “in Christ Jesus”; “the high calling of God” is “in Christ Jesus”; the believer’s “riches of glory” are “in Christ Jesus.” And so the list might be extended with profit.

We come now to the titles, “Jesus Christ,” and “Christ Jesus.” Of course the word, “Jesus,” is not a title, but His personal name. All others are titles. This we shall refer to later.

The expression, “Jesus Christ,” varies in its significance in the Gospels and the Epistles. In the Gospels it sets forth “Jesus” as the Christ, the Anointed of God. The emphasis is laid on His name, “Jesus,” but explaining that He is the promised “Christ.” This expression only occurs four times in the Gospels.

Notice the way the name of our Lord is used in this opening verse of the Epistle: "Servants of Christ Jesus" (not Jesus Christ as in the authorized version) and "saints in Christ Jesus." Christ is His name as the Risen One, as Peter declared on the day of Pentecost, "God has made Him both Lord and Christ." The attention is directed at once to Him as the Risen, Glorified One by putting His title "Christ" first.

This combination occurs about 100 times. Scripture does not use words loosely or at random, or in their relation to other words in a casual fashion, but with the utmost precision of meaning. If the student of Scripture will keep this in mind, and apply it to all places where the combination, JESUS CHRIST, is found, he will gather the idea of a Divine Person coming into this world, becoming Man, never ceasing to be what He was from all eternity, the Son of the Father, living a blameless life, going about doing good, dying a sacrificial death on the cross for God’s glory, establishing Divine righteousness, rising the third day according to the Scriptures and ascending to glory. In other words in thinking of Jesus Christ, you begin with our Lord as on earth, and end in the glory. Take a couple of illustrations of this. We read,

It is significant that the Gospels never use these titles in this order. Only once in Acts is it used, and even there it is a question whether the Divine name should not be “Jesus” without any addition (Acts 19:4).

Sometimes we find true Christians speaking little of our Lord under the titles of “Christ Jesus,” or “the Lord Jesus Christ,” and much of “Jesus” and “Jesus Christ.” In such cases it often means a defective knowledge of the truth concerning this subject as presented in the Scriptures.

The somewhat strangely sounding expression used by us, "The Christ," instead of "Christ," has been purposely chosen, in order to mark the distinction between the office and the name of the Lord. "Christ" has become in the parlance of the present day a simple name; in earlier days this was not the case. "Christ" (Greek), or "Messiah" (Hebrew), means "the Anointed," who, according to the promise of God, was expected. This word therefore expresses more than merely the name of a person, although this use of it had already appeared at the time the scriptures of the New Testament were written; and since, in our opinion, the designation of the office and the name should not be confounded, in order to retain the force of the word, we have written "Christ" when it is used as a proper name, and "the Christ" when it designates the office of the Messiah, the Anointed. In the Greek, the article ὁ marks the distinction.

Throughout the four Gospels it is "Jesus," and when He is called "Christ," it is in His character as the Messiah of the Jews, as in Matt. 16, John 1, and in other places.