CHRISTIANITY IS CHRIST

There is no other way to say it. Christianity is Christ.

Christianity is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. If the focus is on something else it is not Christianity. That great truth is declared throughout the New Testament. In fact, everything in the Old Testament leads to this great truth regarding His person and work.

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The apostle Peter was one of the first individuals to accept this great fact. Jesus asked the question, Who does the people say that I am? (Matthew 16:13) The disciples had been with the people and told Jesus what they had heard. Some said that he was John the Baptist resurrected from the dead, others that He was the prophet Elijah, some said that He was the prophet Jeremiah.

Then Jesus asked the real question. "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15). Peter spoke to the whole group, saying: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

That is what makes Jesus Christ so unique. He is not only a prophet, or a good moral teacher, but he is "the Christ, the Son of the living God".

Jesus is the Messiah. He is the one who will reign forever on the throne of His great ancestor King David (2 Sam 7:13, 16, Luke 1:33, Rev 22:16, Rom 1: 3, John 7:42; Mat 1: 1). The eternal King is the Messiah. Jesus is the Anointed One of God who was sent to do the specific will of God. He is the promise in the Old Testament.

Jesus is divine. He is "the Son of the living God." This is an exalted view of Jesus. Pedro could not have given him a higher place. He declared in his confession that Jesus is God Himself who came to save His people from their sins.

In the original language the statement is even stronger than in English. "You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living one." This is the most comprehensive statement of the essential being of our Lord.

This truth is so important for us to understand that Jesus responds to Peter by saying: "Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). . It is important that we keep in mind that Peter did not gain this understanding by human intelligence or a deep spiritual vision. God revealed this truth to Peter, he was received by divine revelation.

We must also understand and accept this important truth in order to be saved. Jesus Christ is "true God of a true God."

One of Jesus' disciples, Thomas, saw Jesus alive after the resurrection and declared: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).

Everything Jesus did in death as a sacrifice for sin depends on what He is. If Jesus was not God, His death would be like his and mine, He would only die for His own sins. If He was not God His death could not atone for anyone's sins. However, because he is "true God of a true God." His death on the cross has infinite value to remove our sins as the chosen Lamb of God.

If you believe this great spiritual truth, it is because God has revealed it to you by the Holy Spirit. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given to men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He is the Son of the living God. He is the Savior of the sinner. In fact, He is the only possible savior of sinners. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Trusting someone else is spending eternity in hell. There is no other way, not because I say it, but because God said it. The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, because with the heart one believes for justice, but with the mouth one confesses for the salvation "(Romans 10: 9-10).