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“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:16 [NIV]).

With this one confession, Jesus’ oldest and boldest of all his disciples started a movement that would eventually grow into the world’s most popular religion. But his statement would also pave the way for the first and only faith that is defined not by rules, but rather the relationship that is offered by the One in whom our trust is placed. When you think about it, Peter already had a friendship with Jesus at that point. They walked together, ate together, fished together, laughed together, followed the same Jewish customs, had the same group of mutual friends, and stayed in the same places as they traveled. Before his confession, there was already a significant relationship in place.

To understand just how bold Peter’s statement was, you have to think about his default worldview. He was a devout Jew, which means he viewed God with reverence and respect. He viewed his relationship with God as one defined by rules which, when broken, made him subject to God’s wrath. The very thought that a sinful man could be in relationship with a holy God would have been initially considered blasphemy in Peter’s mind. When he declared that Jesus, his friend and teacher, was in fact “the Christ”, he made a choice to do away with the worldview that otherwise would have held him captive. He chose to believe by faith in the revelation that came from God rather than the wisdom of man. Jesus’ reaction in the verses that follow show us just how big of a deal this was. He declares that the revelation came from his “Father in heaven” (v. 17), and that Peter is blessed to be the "rock" on which the church of this "Christ" would be built (v. 18). To my knowledge, this is the first place in the New Testament that the Greek word for "church" is used. It literally means "assembly". So, Jesus' words clearly show us that Peter's confession would eventually lead to many more, and that the worldwide group of those confessed would be ONE assembly under ONE name!

While many of you are probably reading this and wondering why I am stating the obvious, I think it is something we all must consider. The name "Christ" not only gives an appropriate title to the One who came to save us, but it also unites a worldwide group of people that otherwise have nothing in common except sin. We come from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, life experiences, family dynamics, and biological makeups. But we are united as one group by the name "Christian". It is quite a phenomenon. The problem is that so many Christians have lost their perspective on this. Rather, we've been divided into Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, and a whole slew of other names. We focus on our differences and even become judgmental on matters that have nothing to do with salvation rather than operating under the unity of the Spirit. We must not become complacent in the faith we have taken for granted, but must always remember just how important it is to make the statement that the "Christ" has arrived and fulfilled His mission on this earth, and that his human identity is Jesus of Nazareth.

Peter gave his confession from the heart. There is no way he could have known the worldwide impact it would have before he made it. I mean seriously, he most likely spoke an Aramaic word [or possibly Hebrew], which was then translated into the Greek Christos, which when translated into English forms the base for the international faith. And all Peter did was confess what he believed by faith in his own heart!! The rest was up to God. Just imagine what He might be waiting to accomplish through our bold confessions of truth, which we are so often hesitant to give.