To Believe And Know

But Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

John 6:68-69 

Peter had a clear grasp of truth regarding Christ. In answer to Christ’s question, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Peter answered with the words of our text. His initial response was the question, ‘Lord to whom shall we go?’ He followed with, ‘You have the words of eternal life.’ Building upon the truth of Christ’s message Peter went on to confess greater truth by saying, ‘Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’  He was declaring both faith and knowledge in Christ as the manifestation of God in human form. Peter understood the meaning of the term Christ, as the Anointed and the term Son of God, as God in the flesh. Thus Peter got down to the root of the whole matter. Regarding eternal life, it is Christ’s Person, work and message that matter. Christ said as much in His High Priestly Prayer when He affirmed, ‘And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’ The Apostles reiterated it when they preached Christ by saying, ‘Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ We are not communicating a different message than they were. Christ has the words of eternal life and is the resurrection and the life. Like the disciples, this we believe and know.  

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You are our Savior, 
and have revealed salvation to us. 
We praise You that You have given us the opportunity 
to proclaim You. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning