Which One Do You Choose?

Wouldn’t it be something if the most important question life can throw at you was showing up in your face and in your thoughts right now?

And wouldn’t it be something if you Stopped being busy, bored, or burdened long enough to at least ask yourself the question?

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Here’s how Matthew recorded it:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'”

Matthew 16:13-16

And I believe the disciples of Jesus are confronted with that same question today: Who do YOU say Jesus is? Is He the Christ, the Son of the living God, or is he not? Which do you choose?

What’s Your Answer?

If there are still people on the planet who have yet to hear about Jesus, rest assured there’s a missionary out there looking for them. The mandate from Scripture is that Jesus’ followers should “go and make disciples of all nations,” and it may be that believers have now accomplished that mission.

Jesus promised to return … to put an end to poverty and crime and sickness and hate … forever. Do you believe that? Do you agree with Simon Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? You could be required to answer that question at any moment — whether from a heart attack or the return of Christ.

But … I’m not sure it’s possible to respond to that question entirely on our own. Here’s what Scripture says:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

That verse seems to say that even the faith to believe is a gift of God — that there is nothing I can do to get it for myself. I’m not pronouncing a foundational principle here, but I am saying that sure is an interesting concept. And, if it is so, nothing I or anybody else can say will convince you to either become a believer or start living more like a believer. That’s entirely between you and God.

Romans 10:9 says “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Note these two verbs in that verse: confess and believe. Let’s do both in our prayer time. Let’s do both with our lives.