Who You With?

Originally posted on The Underground Railroad

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 16:13-19

If you ask a person on the street, "Who is Jesus?" you will hear any number of answers - "A good man," "a prophet," "a teacher," "an angel." People have misunderstood the person and work of Jesus Christ since His incarnation. Joseph initially thought that He was some other man's baby. Herod the Great thought that He was born to overthrow him. Herod Antipas thought that He was a sideshow entertainer to amuse him. Some people thought that He was their free lunch, while others thought He was one of the prophets reborn. People, left to themselves without revelation from God, have always been wrong about Jesus. So when Simon Peter answered Jesus' inquiry correctly Jesus declared that it was by God's revelation alone that Peter correctly spoke. Peter accepted the revelation that was given Him as evidenced by his proclamation, "You are the Christ." Peter did not say, "You could be the Christ" or ask "Are you the Christ?" Peter boldly confessed, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." This faith, this bold assurance is the rock upon which Jesus builds His Church.

The church that makes a difference has to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God - God incarnate. Yes, He was a great teacher. Yes, He is our example of how to live a Godly life. Yes, He will return and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. However, none of these was the primary purpose of His advent. The reason Jesus came to Earth was to save us from our sins. If there was no sin problem then there was no need for a savior. Indeed, if we were not lost then we had no need of being saved. Mankind's problem is not that he is primarily weak and has momentary lapses in judgment. Man's problem is that he is totally depraved and intentionally rebels against the will and character of God. Sin is man shaking his fist at God saying, "I'll do what I want! I'll do it my way!"

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned and fall short of God's glory and that our sin separates us from God. Our sin merits death but God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners He gave us the gift of Jesus dying for us - Jesus took our place. He paid our penalty, the righteous One died for us, the unrighteous, to bring us into relationship with God, so if we confess Jesus as Lord and put our faith in Him we shall be saved. The Bible teaches that each of us who receives Jesus and believes in Him has been given the right to become children of God. In order for any of us to make a difference for God's Kingdom we must begin by submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Of course, if God's Kingdom is not what you're looking for then you can go about your business - move along, move along.

May the LORD bless you and keep you;
May the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
And may the LORD,
Who wants you to become His child,
May He turn His face toward you and give you peace.

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