Who Do You Say That I AM?

June 27

"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'." Matthew 16:15, 16

BONO AND JESUS

The mega-star frontman of the great rock band, U2, was asked wasn't it far-fetched to believe Jesus Christ is God. Here's how he replied:

"No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says:

No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate."

And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you.

And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah.

...So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was--the Messiah--or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. ... I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched... " From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas (Riverhead Books)



Who do YOU say that I AM?

We’ve all taken tests with tough questions. Oh, sure, we studied (or maybe not) but we thought we could pull off a passing grade even if we didn’t hit the books too hard.

But life’s biggest test has just one question—WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM? The answer we give to that one defining question will determine whether we ‘pass’ or ‘fail.’ It will determine whether we enter Heaven to live with Jesus forever at the moment of our demise or be relegated to hell—eternally.

Some of us have lived like hooligans and thugs. Some of us have been blasphemers. Some of us have inflicted cruelty upon others. Some of us have stolen. Some of us have done murder. ALL of us have fallen short of perfect adherence to God’s immutable law.

Because NO SIN CAN DWELL IN HEAVEN, we are all worthy of hell.

The Beloved Apostle expounds upon the necessity for us to abstain from sin upon our conversion to Christ in 1 John 3:4-10:

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

So if we claim Jesus as Savior and Lord, we will love. We will abstain from sin because we are His. Those who commit themselves to the One who is Love and Truth and Righteousness are the ones who will abide in Heaven.