“[You are] the Christ of God.” Luke 9:20
Confessing Jesus as the Christ means I embrace Jesus as my teacher, my savior, and my master.
Embracing Jesus as my teacher means I freely give up my right to disagree with Him. His teaching becomes my creed. This is a step of faith because I don’t fully understand everything He says. It means I say to Him: “You’re the Truth. You won’t lead me astray. I will follow your teaching—when it’s difficult, goes against the grain, or it’s different from what I think.”
Embracing Jesus as my savior means I give up any other hope of salvation, and I say to Him, “My life falls short of the holiness Almighty God requires of me. So, I rest my hope of everlasting life not in my works, but in your sacrifice for me. I receive your forgiveness with open hands, not because I deserve it, but because you offer it freely in love.”
Embracing Jesus as my master means I give up the right to rule my own life. It means I say to Him, “I hand over my life to you. My agenda is no longer to please myself, but to please you. You’re the king who calls me into service. I place myself at your disposal. I claim no rights, but freely offer all that I am and have to you, knowing that in giving up my life to you, I will find it.”
Confessing Jesus as the Christ doesn’t mean you do all these things perfectly. No one is a perfect Christian. It does mean these are the commitments of your life, and they’re not negotiable.
Which of the three (teacher, savior, master) commitments would someone watching you (co-worker, son or daughter, neighbor) find most difficult to identify in your life? Why?
