In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asked His disciples the most important question man will ever answer. He asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered correctly in the following verse when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Peter’s response was celebrated by Jesus and identified as the “rock” on which Jesus would build His church (Matthew 16:17-18). Why was so much emphasis placed on Peter’s confession of Jesus’ identity? Because it matters who we say Jesus is.
It matters because “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It matters because you must “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead” in order to receive salvation (Romans 10:9). It matters because Jesus said, “everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). It matters because “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God” (1 John 4:2-3).
So, it matters who you say Jesus is, but do you really know who Jesus is? Scripture presents a plethora of titles, names, and descriptions associated with Jesus, and, when you bring all of these identifiers of Jesus together, you may gain a greater appreciation for who Jesus is.
Jesus is the “King of Israel” (John 1:49), the “King of Glory” (Psalm 24:7-10), the “King of the Nations” (Revelation 15:3), the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2), and the “King of Kings” (Revelation 17:14).
Jesus is the “Lord of All” (Acts 10:36), the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28), the “Lord of Glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8), the “Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16), and the “Lord of the Living and the Dead” (Romans 14:9).
Jesus is the “Author of Life” (Acts 3:15), the “Author of Salvation” (Hebrews 2:10), and the “Author and Perfecter of Our Faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus is called “Anointed One” (Daniel 9:25), “Christ” (Matthew 1:16), “Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6), “Holy One” (Psalm 16:10), “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23), “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6), and “Wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Jesus is our “Commander” (Isaiah 55:4), “Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6), “Deliverer” (Romans 11:26), “Leader” (Isaiah 55:4), “Mediator” (1 Timothy 2:5), “Redeemer” (Isaiah 59:20), “Ruler” (Micah 5:2), “Savior” (Titus 1:4), and “Teacher” (John 13:13).
Jesus is an “Advocate” (1 John 2:1), “Bridegroom” (Matthew 9:15), “High Priest” (Hebrews 2:17), “Judge” (Acts 10:42), “Physician” (Luke 4:23), “Prince” (Daniel 9:25), “Prophet” (Acts 3:22), “Rabbi” (John 1:38), and “Shepherd” (John 10:11).
Jesus is our “Passover Lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), “Propitiation” (1 John 2:2), Protection (2 Thessalonians 3:3), and “Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Jesus is called “the Messiah” (John 1:41), “the True Vine” (John 15:1), “the Rock” (1 Corinthians 10:4), “the Cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20), “the Faithful Witness” (Revelation 1:5), “the Firstborn of the Dead” (Revelation 1:5), and “the Bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).
Jesus is “the One and Only” (John 1:14), “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25), “the Way, and the truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), “the Shepherd and Overseer of [our] Souls” (1 Peter 2:25), the One “who is and who was and who is to come” (Revelation 1:4), the “Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11), and “the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and End” (Revelation 22:13).
Jesus is the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9), “Bread of Life” (John 6:35), “Door of the Sheep” (John 10:7), Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22), “Hope of Glory” (Colossians 1:27), “Horn of Salvation” (Luke 1:69), “Light of the World” (John 8:12), “Lilly of the Valleys” (Song of Solomon 2:1), “Man of Sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3), “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), and “Rose of Sharon” (Song of Solomon 2:1).
Jesus is the “Glory of Israel (Luke 2:32), “Lamb of God” (John 1:29), “Lion of Judah” (Revelation 5:5), “Root of David” (Revelation 5:5), “Ruler of Kings” (Revelation 1:5), “Son of God” (John 1:49), “Son of Man” (Matthew 8:20), Star of Jacob (Numbers 24:17), and “Word of God” (Revelation 19:13).
So, the ultimate question is, have you allowed Jesus to fulfill all of these titles in your life, or is He just another name that carelessly crosses your lips? One day your knee will bow and your tongue will confess His identity whether you like it or not (Romans 14:10-12; Philippians 2:9-11). Don’t wait to make that good confession until it’s too late.