Bible Verse of the Day Saturday June 17th ,2023

Matthew 16:15-17 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

No other name outside of heaven can bring us the gift of eternal life and save our immortal souls (Acts 4:12). A survey of who Jesus was is immaterial; a human outlook is insufficient to comprehend who Jesus is. If Jesus were simply another prophet, it would devalue His Messiahship; Christ Jesus is the Son of God, our Lord, and Savior. We do not have to be fully vested in these words' theological significance and magnitude; The Apostle Peter was not when he openly confessed to the world Jesus as Christ, the promised Messiah. We can commit to placing our faith and trust in him until we know more about him. All Jesus asks of us is to surrender our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to His Lordship and take the first steps on a lifelong journey, gaining fuller knowledge as we grow spiritually. We can commit to placing our faith and trust in him until we know more about him.

Peter unconditionally responded to the question Jesus asked differently than the worldly people around him. The word "Christ" means Messiah, and speaking on behalf of the disciples, Peter confessed that Jesus carried the credentials of the Messiah, The Son of the living God. This expression means more than simply that Jesus was the promised Messiah; it proclaims that He is God in the flesh. Jesus is the "living" God, as opposed to the dead idols of Palestine. Peter did not conclude who Jesus was on his own; he could have only known this through a divine revelation, which is more significant than miracles in ratifying or endorsing Jesus as the Messiah. All people that confess Jesus as the true promised Messiah receive unnumbered blessings from Him. As we grow spiritually and come to know Jesus better, fellowshipping with Him through the Word of God, He will reveal more and more of His power and truth as time passes. Those who confess Christ will receive untold and unnumbered blessings from Him. As we know the Savior better, grow closer to Him, and fellowship with Him through the Word, the Holy Spirit will open our minds to more of His power and truth (Romans 10:17).

When Jesus received the proper (divinely inspired) response from Peter it became a turning point in His teaching the Apostles. From that day forth Jesus began to give them additional information, as shocking as it was for them to process (Matthew 16:21). Sadly, Jesus’ closest followers had a difficult time processing the information that Jesus was giving them as we see in Peter’s reaction (Matthew 16:22-23). Even with the faith in Jesus displayed by His closest followers they were hard-pressed to comprehend His impending death and resurrection (Mark 9:32). All of us, as children of God, are called on each day to grow in our faith. As long as we are in this life there will always be more we can learn about Jesus (Hebrews 6:1).