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Who Is He?

Matthew 16: 15-16 "But what about you?" [Jesus] asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

And what about you? Who is Jesus to you? I think about his own disciples as I write that. In the verses just preceeding these, they didn't step out with a profound answer based on their personal knowledge of him. They simply regurgitated what the culture said he was. They stated what the world's view of Jesus was.

Is he just a good man? Someone who lived an exemplary life, but wasn't really God. Is he a prophet? One sent from God to share his word, but, again, not God himself. A great teacher? Or even as one cult that is prominent in the news right now would have us believe, he was just our brother, born no differently than we are and he has made his way to becoming a god among many gods, which is what we are all destined for (all men, anyway).

Who IS he?

Peter gave the answer. The Christ - he is the Messiah. The Son of the living God - he was born fully God and fully human and his Father is the living God of the Universe! So if He is the Son of  THE one living true God and he is the Messiah sent to save me - if I truly believe this - then what is he to me?

For some, I think he is only the ticket out of hell. We give him lip service, ask him to forgive our sins and then sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because we are safe. We go on about our life as if he isn't even there. Some come to church and even participate in Bible study now and then, but don't really live like we believe any of it once we step outside the church walls. We are good people - but there is a time and place for everything and Jesus belongs at church...

If I really sit and meditate on who he is...that he IS the Christ...that he IS the Messiah...the Son of the Most High God. If I really take that all in, and realize that when he had this conversation with Peter, he was on his way to the cross for ME. How can I go on living as if he doesn't matter? How can I take the cultural view of the day and apply it to the Jesus who died for ME? I can't. I have to give him all of me. I can't just go through the motions on Sunday and forget it the rest of the week. I have to acknowledge my faith as a total way of life, not just a means to an end. I have to give him first place.

He is the Christ...THE Christ....the CHRIST. Who is he to you?

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