One day, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” They had just been considering what other people said about Him – was He a teacher, a prophet, maybe even John the Baptist raised from the dead? He now challenged His disciples – those who had closely witnessed His public ministry, listened to His teaching, watched His life – as to who they really thought He was. Peter, the most outspoken of the group, boldly declared that Jesus was indeed God’s promised Saviour.
John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, emphasised the importance of understanding exactly who Jesus was. His account of Jesus’ life begins by presenting Him as the one who was with God the Father in eternity past, and who was Himself God, Creator of the universe. John finishes the Gospel by telling us that his reason for writing is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
From the inception of the church, following Jesus’ death and resurrection, the message preached was consistent: Jesus was the Messiah, the promised Saviour, and those who called on His name would be saved. The letters to the early churches, outlining the doctrines of the Christian faith, emphasise faith in Jesus as God’s Son as the basis of our forgiveness and acceptance by God. There can be no relationship with God the Father without acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:23).
Our perspective on who Jesus Christ is will therefore be the most important issue we ever consider. The Scriptures leave no room for viewing Him simply as a good man, a moral teacher, a prophet, or a healer. He is unequivocally presented in the Bible as Lord, as the Son of God, the only way for us to be reconciled with God. The very essence of being a Christian is accepting that Jesus is God’s Son.
You cannot escape the question Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” What is your perspective? Like Peter and countless other Christians, can you confess that “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”?
