THE CONFESSION OF WHO CHRIST IS
[p. 253] THE CONFESSION OF WHO CHRIST IS
It is imperative that we should have a right apprehension of Christ if we are to have part in the assembly and to become developed in it. The object of the enemy on every hand is to discredit Christ, by inference, if not by direct attack. The denial of His deity or of the reality of His humanity is a discredit to Him in a most subtle way. Men who profess to be His ministers are doing this, and it is well therefore for Christians to say what is true and right about the Lord Jesus, to confess that He is divine and also verily Man; for all kinds of other things are being said in the world. The Lord raises this question with His disciples, “Who do men say that I the Son of man am?” Men varied in their thought of Him then as they do today; some said that He was John the baptist, some Elias, others Jeremias or one of the prophets. It does not tell us how each one arrived at his conclusion, but no doubt they did so in a very careless and haphazard way.
You will observe that the Lord does not here enquire as to what is believed, but as to what is said. Some of us may say very little about the Lord, we may speak about Him amongst the brethren, and so far so good; but to be content with this is very poor, and not worthy of Him, for He looks for us to confess Him before men, and here it is a question of what we confess. “Who do ye say that I am?” Peter answers immediately and says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Earlier, when they were in the boat. Peter and the others had said of Jesus that He was the Son of God, indicating that they had acquired their knowledge of Him and their faith in Him by what they saw; but in this incident the Lord does not refer to that, but to revelation, for He says, “flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens”. This [p. 254] light as to Him was the outcome of revelation. If we are able to say something about Him, it must be based on this spiritual transaction in our souls with the Father. No man of theological training is ever equal to the knowledge of Christ as presented in this passage; they are not able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, and there can be no right understanding of the Person of Christ apart from revelation.
It is important to understand this matter of confession. You not only believe, but you say. The Lord says, “flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens. And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly”, that is, by my confession as to Christ, I stand out as material for the structure. The assembly was not intended to be always a hidden vessel, but also to show its worth as militant; and as such it is based upon the confessions of those who are not ashamed to bear testimony to Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. There is surely no need to fear, for God has by Him a Man by whom He can bring in a world for His pleasure, and also by whom He will effect all things, the “Son of the living God”. What He establishes has the divine stamp upon it, it is living.