Not A One-time Question

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” (Mt 16:15 AV)

 

The question Jesus posed to Peter concerning salvation.  It was a direct question as to the person of Christ and His ability to save the soul.  That would be the direct application.  However, I think there might also be an ongoing application.  Our relationship with Christ does not start and end with salvation.  For many, it does.  But it shouldn’t.  Jesus Christ is a person.  He is the second person of the Holy Trinity.  He is no less a person than the Father.  There is as much revelation of Jesus Christ in the Word as there is the Father. But how little of Him we truly know.  The question above could be asked regularly.  As we grow in the nurture and admonition of the LORD being transformed into Christlikeness, we can ask that question afresh.  What do we say of Christ?  Many years ago, we could say with confidence that He is our savior.  But what more?  What is He now?  The more we can say of Him, the deeper our relationship is with Him.  So, what do you say that He is?

The example is rather obvious.  I have been married to my best friend for almost 35 years.  It will be 35 years this October.  The evolution of a marriage relationship is beautiful to behold.  What I thought I knew about her has changed.  In fact, we have both changed.  So, what we once knew about one another may not be true any longer.  What I find interesting are the things we thought about one another as major influences or concerns didn’t really amount to as much as we were making of them.  In our earlier years, my wife would call me by my father’s first name if I went into a very long explanation to a question that needed a short answer.  I think that is a guy thing.  There were many misconceptions I had.  When we were engaged, my future father-in-law was building a log cabin in the woods.  It would eventually be their home.  When Lisa took me up the hill to see the house, it was barely framed out.  The exterior of the house was up.  There was no roof.  Some of the walls were up.  There was snow inside.  I could not visualize the finished product and imagined an Abraham Lincoln era log home that was barely suitable for cattle, much less, humans.  I remember thinking, “what am I marrying into?”  Over the next several years, the house came together and today, it is a beautiful home with much warmth and countless great memories.  What I thought at the beginning did not happen to be what we true.  It took time and further revelation to see that God had blessed me beyond what I deserve with the wonderful wife and extended family to which I joined.

The same is true with any relationship.  Even our relationship with the LORD.  What we could say of Jesus at the point of salvation is not the same as that which could be said today.  What we can say of our LORD is an indication of our depth of relationship with Him.  The more that can be said, the deeper the knowledge.  However, there is more to Jesus than our theology books tell us.  We can be factually sophisticated yet emotionally or socially immature.  What do you say of Jesus?  What do you say that He is?  The more we read and study, the more we pray, and the more we learn to trust, the more can be said of our dear LORD.  What do you say of Jesus?  This question is limited to rookies.  The newbies are not the only ones to answer this probing question.  This question of for all who would claim Jesus as their Savior.  This question should be asked on a regular basis.  And, if the answer doesn’t get longer, then there is a problem.