Who Do You Say That I Am?

The foundational rock of the Christian faith is based upon Peter’s response to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”  Jesus said that Peter answered correctly when he stated, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

In Matthew 16, Jesus began this dialogue by first asking, “Who do people say that I am?”  To this day, as they did then, responses vary.  Some say Jesus was a good man, a prophet, a teacher, and the list goes on.  However, each person must answer the question that Jesus asked. “Who do you say that I am?” 

For those who think Jesus was just another prophet, such as Muhammad; the fact is that no prophet ever made the claims that Jesus did.  So, who did Jesus say that He was?

• The Christ – He is the Messiah, the Savior  (Matt. 16:13-18; Matt:14:33)
• The Son of God – He was unlike any other man (Matt. 3:17; Matt. 8:29; Matt. 16:16; Matt. 17:5; Matt. 26:63-65: John 3:16)
• He is God (John 1:17-18; John 10:30-33; John 20:28)
• He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – no man comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6)
• He would be crucified and rise on the third day (Matt. 16:21; Matt. 20:17-19)
• He would come again in power, glory, and in judgment (Matt. 26:63-65)

To those of you who believe Jesus to be someone lesser than who He claimed to be, I pose the following. Whoever you believe Jesus to be, was He good? If you believe He was good, I suggest you consider this.  If Jesus was a good man, then He was not a liar.  If He was not a liar, then He must be who He claimed to be.  In fact, Jesus said He was the Truth and said that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies. 

If you accept that Jesus was not a liar, was who He claimed to be, and not the perpetrator of a cruel hoax upon all of humanity, it is reasonable to assume that you would seriously consider His instructions.  Jesus said that you must be born again. You must pass from death to eternal life by repenting of your sins, confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believing that God raised Him from the dead.  In doing so, your sins will be forgiven, and you will enter into salvation and eternal life that can only come through Jesus Christ.  In fact, you will have responded to the most important question you will ever answer.

Note:  The scripture references above are not exhaustive.