“But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
Eternal God, You have revealed Yourself to us in Your Son, whom You "accredited" as Lord and Messiah throughout His earthly ministry (Acts 2:22, 36). You have given us Scripture to show us Your love for humanity, to show us humanity's need for a Savior, and to show us Your loving provision of a Savior.
You have given us "many convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3) of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ; clearly and carefully distinguishing Him from angels, or messengers, or prophets of the past. Hebrews 1: 6-13 gives conclusive evidence gathered from Scripture—conclusive evidence of Christ as the Son of God:
And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” In speaking of the angels He says, “He makes His angels spirits, and His servants flames of fire.” But about the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of Your kingdom…
Speaking of the Son, [God] also says, “In the beginning, Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain...You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”
The author of Hebrews continues to illustrate Jesus' distinction from angels by writing, “To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”?
The Lord Jesus Himself showed His disciples—and through the record of His time with them showed us also—that He was indeed Emmanuel, God with us. And then He challenged them with the question that all humanity must answer, "Who do you say I am?"
Lord, embedded in that question is the choice You have given humans—the choice to accept Your Savior—or not. The choice to escape the spiritual death and destruction caused by sin—or not.
The apostle John, who spent three years in close companionship with our Lord, tells us that the careful records he has given us "are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).
Later he reiterates in a letter, "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world...And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 4:14; 5:11-12).
Father, You have given us an amazing gift of love—an incredible redemptive plan under which [Jesus] made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8)!
And Scripture justly challenges us with the hard question, "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3)?
Lord, You have shown us the end of the story. We know that every knee will eventually bow to the Lordship of Christ:
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
O Lord, help us now, in this day of salvation, while Your grace is still available, to bow our knees willingly, in acknowledgement, declaring, like Peter, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16)—and by believing...have life in His name (John 20:31).
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