"Who do you say that I am?"

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29, NIV).

“Who do you say that I am?” This pivotal question is one that every individual consciously or unconsciously asks and answers within his or her lifetime. This question is the essence of Christianity. As believers, we know that believing in Jesus and in His redemptive work on the cross and accepting the free gift of salvation is the message of Christianity. Christ is the central focus of the Bible from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation, and this is the topic that Machen delves into in chapter five.

The specific topic which I will be discussing is the main difference between the way that Christianity views Christ vs the way liberalism vies Christ. Machen states that to the modern liberal, Jesus is a moral person and is an example of good faith and practice. The primary difference in the view of Christians is that Jesus was not just an example of good faith and practice, but he was the very object and center of what is good and moral and perfect. So much so, that the person of Christ is the essence and the foundation of Christianity. When we view Christ as a good moral person who is just an example as we figure out the world, we have lost the sacredness and the foundation on which our Christianity rests.

In Mark 8:29, Jesus asked Peter the questions of who Peter really believes that Jesus is. Peter was faced with the reality of what Jesus was asking. Peter could have responded like many of the people in the time of Christ did, and that response would have been that Jesus was either a liar or lunatic. Rather, Peter answered that he believes that Jesus is Christ, the son of God. Machen states this: “It was what Jesus did for them, and not primarily the example of His own life, which made them Christians” (77). Jesus indeed is a perfect example, however, what sets Christianity apart is the fact that Jesus was the perfect lamb of God. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God and in so doing, made a way for sinful humanity to be justified and redeemed. If Jesus was just a good example, God’s plan of redeeming humanity to himself could never have been accomplished.

How then should we live? During another conversation with Peter, Jesus asked if Peter loves him. Peter responded with an emphatic yes! Of course, he loves Jesus. But Jesus went on two more times to ask Peter if he loves him. Each time Peter answers yes. Finally, Jesus responds and gently encourages and commands Peter that if he truly loves him, he will feed, care for, and nurture his sheep (John 21:15-17). If we truly believe as Peter did that Jesus is the Son of God, and if we love him with are whole hearts, the natural outflowing of that belief and that love will be to serve, care, and nurture the sphere of influence wherever God places us.