Originally posted: 04/15/2019
The disciples are still lacking faith and understanding in so many areas, but one thing has become blatantly apparent to them now; Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” (16:15-16).
And Jesus did not refute Peter for this declaration of faith; rather He confirmed it as truth revealed by His Heavenly Father.
And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven,” (16:17).
Consider Him, the Christ, the Son of the Living God
Jesus is the Christ, the Promised Messiah, the Eternal Son of the Everlasting Father…
- …the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who defined authentic faith:
- “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah,” (16:4).
- …the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who warned against false teaching:
- “But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees, (16:12).
- …the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who promised His conquering power:
- “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it,” (16:18).
- …the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who explained the cost:
- Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me,” (16:24).
How do we respond to Him, the Christ, the Son of the Living God?
If we know Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, it is because His Father Who is in heaven has revealed Him; such an indescribable gift and privilege… and call.
Today, as we consider Him, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, let us also consider our authenticity in answering His call.
- Is our faith authentic; are we trusting solely in His sinless sacrifice and resurrection from the dead for our salvation?
- “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).
- …and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain… 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins, (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17).
- Are we heeding His warning to be diligent in our study of Scripture and thereby enabled to detect the leaven of false teaching?
- But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, (1 Timothy 4:1).
- Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth, (2 Timothy 2:15).
- Are we faithfully taking hold of His promise as the Rock and conquering power against the evil one?
- If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31).
- But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 8:37-39).
- Are we willing to pay the cost to follow Him, convinced nothing else in life can compare?
- “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (16:25-26).
- But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead, (Philippians 3:8-11).
Oh, that we would be authentic before Him as we daily live in unwavering faith, obedient worship, and unceasing thanks! For what else can compare with knowing Him, the Christ, the Son of the Living God?
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15).