“He saith unto them,
But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God.” - Matthew 16: 15-16
“Whom say ye that I
am?” This is the question
that has and will echo through the ages. Who do you say that Jesus
is? Would you call him a teacher?
A prophet? A historical figure? Or would you say he is Lord, Savior, the Son of
God. “Whom say ye that I am?”
This question comes to everyone of us.
We must each answer for ourselves.
Jesus Christ is
polarizing. Either he is who he says he is, or he’s a lunatic. Nothing
is lukewarm about Him (does it not follow that Christians should be the same?). Jesus came from a little town in Israel
claiming that he was the Savior of the world. That he was the Son of God,
and all that would be in heaven with God must follow Him. Jesus told us I am the bread; I am the door;
I am the branch. He did many miracles: he healed the sick, cleansed the
leper, and raised the dead. He taught a
way of peace, love, and servitude. He
preached a gospel that judged sin, and exalted righteousness. He foretold
that one day he would be slain at the hands of wicked men, lay in a grave for
three days and raise again. That through
His life we could have life. In his day
there were some that accepted Him, many rejected Him, but nobody could ignore
Him. He brought a dividing line that stands the same then as it does now. It is summed up in one simple question. “Whom say ye that I am?” What is your testimony concerning Jesus? Do you believe he is who he says he is? Do you believe he is the Son of God? The Savior of the world? The only path
to eternal life? Do you believe he rose
from the grave? Do you believe he is Jesus
Christ: who rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and gifted the blessed
Holy Ghost to sanctify us holy? You can doubt Him, mock Him, try to ignore
Him, but eventually you will face Him. If
you believe in Jesus Christ, he will save you from sin. If you don't believe, he can do nothing for
you. If you believe in Jesus you will
keep His commandments, if you don't believe you will keep your own
commandments. Jesus Christ will either
be all or nothing. There is no middle
ground. As people, it is our natural state
to want proof. If we just had evidence of the thing, we could be
convinced of it. Faith is the evidence we have. If you have faith, then you have your
evidence. All it takes is faith enough to take that first step to
repentance. Once you repent Jesus will
forgive, and when you surrender Jesus will sanctify. He will sanctify by the Holy Ghost. This Holy Ghost is a witness unto us.
This is the proof, the assurance, the confirmation; abiding within.
Simon Peter testified
that He was Christ, the Son of the living God.
He testified to a truth that was revealed unto him. As Christians, we testify to the truth that is
revealed unto us. A revelation of the
Spirit confirming in us that because He lives, we live; because we live, he
lived. Our resurrection is a testimony that
is inescapably linked to His. When you have been raised from the dead works
of sin, you have an answer to the question: “Whom say ye that I am?”
