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Who Do You Say I Am?
“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will” (Ephesians 1:11 (NIV).
The first part of this blog series began by focusing on the first question posed by Jesus in Matthew 16:13-17 (below). If you missed it, please click HERE.
“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.” And Jesus said to Him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
The second question in this Scripture is critical – “Who do you say I am?” How we answer this question will profoundly shape our Christian walk, inform our sense of self, and ultimately determines if we pass by the Father with the goats on His left or the sheep on His right.
Jesus disciples witnessed His many miracles but yet after He calmed the seas in Luke 8, they still struggled to understand the true identify of our Lord. In fear and amazement, they asked each other, “Who is this?” We have the benefit of having the Old and New Testament so we all should be able to answer this question.
Pop psychology is wrong when it tells you to look inside yourself to find your value.
Scripture teaches that you are good simply because God made you in His image as stated in Romans 8:29. “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”
You were made so He could love you. 1 John 4:19 reads, “We love before He first loved us.” 1 John 4:9-10 reads goes a little bit deeper by reading, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” The sacrifice allows us to be presented pure and without blame to the Father. Moreover, the blood of Jesus ensures that nothing can come between us and God (Romans 8:39). The love of the Father and the sacrifice of the Son is fundamental in understanding ourselves and God. Note that the sacrifice “allows us to be presented pure and without blame,” but this applies to those that “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it (Matthew 7:13). Sheep find the narrow gate.
Once we begin to realize how much God loves us, then we are better equipped to “consider it all joy” (James 1:2), “be content in any and every circumstance” (Philippians 4:12), and “be content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
So, once we understand who God is, then it helps us to understand who we are and gives us a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment in life in all circumstances. True satisfaction happens when you engage in your role as an image bearer of God. Such was the view of King David. “As for me,” he wrote, “I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Psalm 17:15). David was on a journey to have more of Christ in him. He knew that God was working in him to burn away the impurities just as a refiner of silver as described in Malachi 3:3. The refinement is done when the Refiner can see His face in the silver. The Holy Spirit resides in you, but can a stranger look at you and see God?
God wants us to learn to think, act, and treasure the things that Jesus did. We all need to be more Christ-like and less flesh-like. Jesus was perfect and we grow in Christian perfection as we grow toward Him. An outward manifestation of this growth is we begin to show more of His traits known as the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Once we begin to seek the same things that Jesus sought, then at the perfect time and manner we will receive whatever we ask of God, often even better than our wildest dreams. The Psalmist put it like this – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Ephesians Chapter 1 is our basis for understanding who we are and our relationship with God. We (1) were chosen, (2) are holy and blameless, (3) have been adopted, (4) have redemption, (5) were granted forgiveness, and (6) were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
I pray that your answer to the question, “Who do you same I am” is that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Also, do not let yourself be defined by society or unhappy people on social media but instead commit yourself to living and knowing you are a child of God that was made in His image so He could love you. Let’s commit ourselves to the pursuit of righteous living with very frequent stops to invite the Spirit to search us of the sin (and unrighteousness) that clings so tightly. Then, we can repent from the sin, turn to God, and return on our journey.
There is joy and freedom when we understand why God loves us so much. The Bible speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” I have freedom in my heart because I daily invite the Spirit into my heart to search and reveal to me the many, many areas where I have missed and continue to miss the mark.
When I encounter bitter and unhappy people, I realize that they do not know the truth about God nor themselves. That is the sad result of a poor choice. You are free to choose bitterness and hate, but as for me and my house, we choose faith, hope, and love. The choice is yours. Choose wisely. Choose very wisely.
Prayer: Dear God, There is so much hatred and bitterness in this fallen world. Forgive me for my role when I have added to the hatred and bitterness, and for the times I have failed to subtract from the hatred and bitterness. Help me to live out your Teaching: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” Forgive us for failing to forgive and love others as You have loved us and free us for joyful obedience to You. Help us to make wise choices, to live in covenant with You, and when finally Healed from this fallen world to pass with the sheep on Your right side. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Certified Lay Minister and Men’s Ministry Specialist through Francis Asbury Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a Board Member for Gulf South Men, an Action Team member for The Kingdom Group, and a Board Member for the Lagniappe Country Walk to Emmaus. Todd is a contributor to Project XII and Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. He is a Past President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and remains active in this and many other local, regional, and international ministries. Additionally, he’s the author of the inspiring book “Fathering A Special Needs Child.” Todd also enjoys filling the pulpit to share the Good News of our Lord and Savior. Todd is the proud father of Emma and Kyle and resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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