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"[Jesus] said to them, 'But who do you say I am?' And Simon Peter answered,
'You are the Christ, the Son
of the Living God.'" Matthew 16:15-16
Have you ever thought about the implications of being the "Son of the
living God"? Jesus was the only, literal, Son of God. As humans, we have the blood of our mother and our father running through
us. In the same sense, Jesus had deity dwelling within him. Mary, a mortal woman, was "found to be with child by the Holy
Spirit." (Matt. 1:18) For this to be true, you must believe that the Holy Spirit is divine. It all fits together so beautifully!!
If one has deity dwelling within, as Jesus did, then He must be deity, as well. But, wait a minute... The Bible says that
there is only one, true God. Anyone who makes himself out to be a god, is a false god. The Bible says so. And if we make someone
out to be a god, who is not, then we are guilty of idolotry, or idol worship. The Lord knew what He was doing when He established
commandments #1, #2 and #3! (see Exodus, chap 20)
At this point we might go back to the original sin... The serpent
told Eve that if she were to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, she would be "like God". Satan was expelled from heaven
because he tried to be "like God". The people who tried to build a tower to heaven were scattered because they were trying
to be "like God". The funny thing is that there are religions, today, that say that you can be "like God". Some even say that,
when you die, you will actually "become" a god. It's the same, old lie. And it's a lie that gets us into trouble! Did you
know that even when we deny God, we are essentially saying, "I am my own god"?
Think about this... The Bible says
that those who believe in Christ are being conformed to His image. Isn't that the "same, old lie"? No. This is a completely
different concept. One that is focused on God and others, not on ourselves. We will not be "like God", in that there will
be many mini-gods. Instead, our image will be like His. An image is what others see, what is reflected. We reflect God's image
when we exhibit His characteristics in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 says that the "fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." There are many other wonderful Christ-like qualities
displayed throughout the Bible. These are the godly characteristics that will begin to mark your reflection as you follow
and walk with the Lord. It's a path that resembles the "Footprints" poem. And as my aunt reminded me, there is a dance that
occurs when you are walking in step with the Master. Sometimes, though, we break stride, and others can't tell that we are
a child of the King. But He is always faithful to see our journey through to the very end.
The next time someone knocks
at your door ask, "Who do you say Jesus is?"
...He is the Christ, the Son of the living God...this answer has eternal
implications.
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