“27 Jesus went out with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’

28 They answered Him, ‘John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.’

29 ‘But you,’ He asked them again, ‘who do you say that I am?’

Peter answered Him, ‘You are the Messiah!’

30 And He strictly warned them to tell no one about Him.”

Mark 8:27-30

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Our answer to this question determines our eternal destination and the course of our moment-by-moment life. It redirects our heart, and establishes a standard of morality, a code of ethics and an expectation for behavior. Claiming Jesus as our Savior is to claim His Lordship and to submit ourselves to His reign. 

It is the death we die to self, not simply an intellectual acknowledgement. 

To speak the words that Peter spoke, we must resign our sin-stained desires to the righteous will of God. We cannot pursue Christ and worldly goals, listening to pride. The flesh pushes us to pursue comfort and more than we need. There is an expectation within this world to accumulate for self rather than invest in eternity, and the rewards are just as temporary as time. Claiming Christ, walking with Him, baptized into Him, we find our eternal expectations fulfilled and our eyes and hearts set on what truly matters. Peter’s claim wasn’t just a momentary acknowledgement, but a God-given revelation that changed the course of his life and ours. 

It cannot be taken lightly, and our life stands as evidence of our answer to His question as we GoLove others or choose to love and worship self instead.