Who Do You Say I Am?

The Setting For This Discourse

Mark 8:27-30

Mark 8:27–30 NKJV

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

In Matthew’s account they responded with Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

One of John Newton’s lesser known hymns is titled, What Think Ye of Christ. For your benefit I won’t sing but I will read the words from the first stanza.

"What think ye of Christ?" is the test To try both your state and your scheme; You cannot be right in the rest Unless you think rightly of Him. As Jesus appears in your view— As He is beloved or not— So God is disposed to you, And mercy or wrath is your lot.

Who do people say I am?

We could paraphrase this in King James English and ask the question, Who is Christ to you? Newton goes on and gives a number of views men held in his day and we will get to those in this message.

Have you wondered why Jesus ask this question? Who do people say that I am? Didn’t Jesus know all things? Didn’t Jesus know what people were saying?

While Jesus already knew what was being said about Him, His questions (Mark 8:27, 29) prepare for his teaching.

Mark 8:27 NKJV

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

Mark 8:29 NKJV

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

In Matthews account he also says, Matthew 16:17

Matthew 16:17 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus goes on to teach that, He, the Messiah of God is to be humbled (Mark 8:31; Mark 10:45) and exalted (Mark 8:38) for the sake of his people.

Mark 8:31 NKJV

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mark 10:45 NKJV

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Mark 8:38 NKJV

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The response of Peter goes against popular explanations in that day; for this Peter must be commended. He was absolutely sure that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter absolutely failed immediately after this and he is rebuked by the Lord. Later he fails the Lord again but there was nothing wrong with his statement here.

Some said John the Baptist - so you know, John wasn’t the first Baptist so I usually call him John the Baptizer. I find this ironic:

What happened to John the Baptizer His head was cut off; how could Jesus be him?

Mark 6:14 shows what people believed regarding Jesus and John

Mark 6:14 NKJV

Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

Luke 9:7

Luke 9:7 NKJV

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,

Others said Elijah - this came about from the promise the Elijah must come but they failed to recognize that John the Baptizer was that Elijah in his role and ministry.

Malachi 3:1 NKJV

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4:5 NKJV

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Matthew 11:7–10 NKJV

As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

The speculation around Jesus’ identity suggests that some considered Him a prophet—that is, an agent of God’s power—but not the Messiah.

Still, some said one of the prophets, what people were saying, Jesus is someone other than the promised Messiah.

Newton, in his hymn penned,

Some take Him a creature to be— A man, or an angel at most; But they have not feelings like me, Nor know themselves wretched and lost; So guilty, so helpless am I, I durst not confide in His blood Nor on His protection rely, Unless I were sure He is God.

But Who Do You Say I Am?

But who do you say that I am?

Jesus dismisses what people say (v. 27) but acknowledges and retains as divinely revealed truth the confession of the Twelve.

What makes Christ different? The answer is clear enough; He is different because he is God incarnate.

This question must be asked by each person today, Who is the Christ to you? Is He a moral example or a divine person or is He God incarnate, the exact expression of the Father?

I received this information from a friend who recently defended this topic. Back in 2016, a LifeWay Research poll found that 16 percent of self-professed evangelicals believed that Jesus was created. Another 11 percent were unsure whether Jesus is eternal. And another 22 percent believed that God the Father is more “God” than Jesus. Moreover, while 96 percent of those polled affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity, 51 percent denied that the Holy Spirit is a person.

The Significance of this Discourse

He is the Christ

Peter’s statement is far more full of meaning than we capture in our day and language.

Peter utters that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the prophecies and all the promises in the Old Testament affirming the coming Messiah.

The Meaning of Christos

The Hebrew word meaning the same thing is Mashiach, or as we know it—Messiah.

Christ/Messiah means “anointed one” or “chosen one.”

The Old Testament predicted that God would send a chosen one—the Messiah—to save the world from sin.

It started in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15) and the promise of the Seed.

It continues with Noah (Gen. 6-8) where God preserves the seed in the ark, we later see that the Seed will come from Shem’s line.

In the Abrahamic covenant we see that from Abraham will come One through whom all the nations of the Earth would be blessed. Gal. 3:16 identifies that this Seed is Christ.

Galatians 3:16 NKJV

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

Finally we have the fact that the Seed will come from David’s line, that king who would sit on the throne forever.

Depending on your eschatology either Israel knew the Messiah was coming but they believed it to be an Earthly kingdom versus His own words that His kingdom was not of this world, or you may hold that there is an Earthly kingdom that has not yet occured, even though He is reigning now.

The Eternality of the Son

The significance in all of this can be summed up in the eternality of the Son.

This topic is a battle ground: Jehovah’s Witnesses and others would say that Jesus was created by the Father; therefore, He has not always existed nor is He equal.

This is very personal for me because my mother has converted to Jehovahs Witnesses faith, she has even been baptized into their church. So if you wonder why my passion I cannot bear the thought of you following this heretical error and if you do it will be against all of God’s Word and against all effort I can make to show you the error.

The New Testament approaches Christology by calling significance to the incarnation: the incarnation was not the beginning of Jesus but it was where He took upon Himself human flesh.

Within New Testament Christology is the clear understanding that He existed prior - John’s Gospel has the clearest statements to this affect.

Please turn to John 1. In John 1 we have the clear statement of the pre-existence of the Son:

John 1:1–2 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

Later in John 17:5 we have another, equally, clear statement

John 17:5 NKJV

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

In John 1 the use of ‘in the beginning’ by John is intentional, he wanted your mind to go back to Genesis 1:1; this passage tells us how the Son of God was sent into the world to become the Jesus of history, so that the glory and grace of God might be uniquely and perfectly disclosed.

From statements of the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 16:7-14) with Hagar to Psalm 110:1-4

Psalm 110:1–4 NKJV

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Or in Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58 where Jesus says that He is I Am.

Exodus 3:14 NKJV

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

John 8:58 NKJV

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Realize that the Jews fully understood what Jesus was saying and they thought Him blasphemous. Today there are those who discount who Jesus is and they are the blasphemous ones!

Calvin says about John 8:58,

By these words he excludes himself from the ordinary rank of human beings and claims for himself a power more than human, a power heavenly and divine, the perception of which reached from the beginning of the world through all ages.

The Equality & Deity of the Son

In Jehovah’s Witnesses own writings they do not believe the Father and Son to be equal:

However, we take Jesus at his word when he said: “The Father is greater than I am.” (John 14:28) So we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.

The Context & Understanding of John 14:28

This passage is used by those who follow in the error of Arius

In D.A Carson’s commentary on John he makes the following statement:

The problem is how to put together that strand of Johannine (and New Testament) witness that places Jesus on a level with God , with that strand that emphatically insists upon Jesus’ obedience to his Father and on his dependence upon his Father, not to mention John’s description of the origin and purpose of the Son’s mediation in creation, revelation and redemption as being in the Father’s will . It cannot be right to depreciate the truth of one strand by appeal to the other. Arians deploy the latter strand to deny the former: Jesus is less than fully God. Gnostics deploy the former to depreciate the latter: Jesus may in some sense be divine, but he is not fully human. In each passage the immediate context resolves most of the difficulties

What is Carson saying, we cannot exchange the simplicity of error for the complexity of truth.

My own mother has succumbed to this tragedy but believing that Jesus came into existence at the incarnation; one primary reason is she cannot understand how He who was eternally existing was able to be born.

Is that a challenging concept? Yes! But to deny His eternality or His incarnation, and/or to deny His true deity and His true humanity puts us into theological error and against Scripture.

Do not trade your soul for simplicity!

You may ask, why would I say that? We will come to this a bit later.

Carson goes on to explain this passage:

In the clause before us, the Father is greater than I cannot be taken to mean that Jesus is not God, or that he is a lesser God: the historical context of Jewish monotheism forbids the latter, and the immediate literary context renders the former irrelevant.

The context of this passage is Jesus is going to return to the Father by means of death and the cross. Connecting the statement, for the Father is greater than I with this thought says:

If Jesus’ disciples truly loved him, they would be glad that he is returning to his Father, for he is returning to the sphere where he belongs, to the glory he had with the Father before the world began (17:5), to the place where the Father is undiminished in glory, unquestionably greater than the Son in his incarnate state.

John Calvin says,

When Jesus says that the Father is greater, he “does not here make a comparison between the Divinity of the Father and of his own, nor between his own human nature and the Divine essence of the Father, but rather between his present state and the heavenly glory, to which he would soon afterwards be received.”

The view of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians rejects the equally clear truth of John 10:30

John 10:30 NKJV

I and My Father are one.”

This passage is a clear testament to His equality with the Father.

The context of John 14:28 is that the Disciples hearts are uneasy because of Jesus’ impending departure; Jesus is speaking of the superior place of being in Heaven, where He is heading.

Paul says, To be absent from the body is greater than life here.

Passages Stating Jesus’ Equality With the Father

John 5:17–19 NKJV

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Philippians 2:5–7 NKJV

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

John 1:1–2 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

John 5:17–18 NKJV

But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 5:22–23 NKJV

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 14:8–11 NKJV

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

John 17:5 NKJV

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

John 10:30–33 NKJV

I and My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

John 14:1 NKJV

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Colossians 2:9 NKJV

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

The Gospel of John has, perhaps, the most complete of these statements

It speaks of the eternality of the Son prior to the incarnation in John 1:1-3

John 1:1–3 NKJV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

It speaks of the Incarnation in John 1:14

John 1:14 NKJV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

We looked at John 8:58 earlier

John 8:58 NKJV

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Robertson correctly notes that using the words, I am, Jesus claims eternal existence with the absolute phrase used of God.

Overall, we have seen multiple verses in the Gospel of John testifying to the truth of Christ’s divinity and eternality.

The Nicene Creed

In the early church they battled for this truth and, as a result, there were creeds written. The Apostles Creed was first and it is a simplified statement of truth but due to error in the early church there came a need for a clearer statement of the Trinity. The Nicene Creed starts with the words, “We believe” and it makes the following statements of what the early church believed about Christ,

We believe in one God,       the Father almighty,       maker of heaven and earth,       of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,       the only Son of God,       begotten from the Father before all ages,            God from God,            Light from Light,            true God from true God,       begotten, not made;       of the same essence as the Father.       Through him all things were made.       For us and for our salvation            he came down from heaven;            he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,            and was made human.            He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;            he suffered and was buried.            The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.            He ascended to heaven            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.            He will come again with glory            to judge the living and the dead.            His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,       the Lord, the giver of life.       He proceeds from the Father and the Son,       and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.       He spoke through the prophets.       We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.       We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.       We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,       and to life in the world to come. Amen.

Notice how much language is given to the section on the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, and even the third section, on the Third Person of the Trinity we have more data given than of the First Person, the Father.

The Athanasian Creed

Error continued and there came a need for a greater, clearer statement of the Trinity. This was called the Athanasian Creed.

It was often called the Athanasian Creed because for centuries people attributed its authorship to Athanasius, the great champion of Trinitarian orthodoxy during the crisis of the heresy of Arianism that erupted in the fourth century (that’s the 300’s AD for non-historians).

That theological crisis focused on the nature of Christ and culminated in the Nicene Creed in 325.

Within these two creeds the church declared that the second person of the Trinity has the same substance or essence as the Father, thereby affirming that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equal in being and eternality.

Though Athanasius did not write the Athanasian Creed, he was its chief champion against the heretics who followed after Arius, who argued that Christ was an exalted creature but that He was less than God.

The Athanasian Creed begins with the words “whoever wishes” or “whosoever wishes,” inasmuch as this phrase introduces the first assertion of the Athanasian Creed. That assertion is this: “Whosoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the catholic faith.” The word catholic here is a small ‘c’ and it means universal…the universally accepted faith.

The Athanasian Creed seeks to set forth in summary version those essential doctrines for salvation affirmed by the church with specific reference to the Trinity.

The content of the Athanasian Creed stresses the affirmation of the Trinity in which all members of the Godhead are considered uncreated and co-eternal and of the same substance.

The Salvific Nature of this Discourse

Why Does This Matter?

These truths are of significant and salvific important. I have questions for you today.

Can a person be saved who does not recognize the equal deity and eternality of Christ?

We must be careful here; what is the content of saving faith?

Do you believe Christ died for your sins?

Do you believe Jesus has the power to save you from your sins?

Do you publicly identify with Christ as your Redeemer?

We cannot demand that people are full in their content of theology to be saved!

What about a person who denies the equal deity and eternality of Christ?

Here I have less charity, for this is a conscious thought.

Though my heart is heavy to say these words, I cannot affirm to any they are truly a believer if they deny the equality of Christ to the Father.

This is one of my fears around the Economic Trinity but it does not cause me to affirm that not all Persons of the Trinity are the same. The Persons of the Trinity are equal but there are not homogenous, they are not the same.

We pray to the Father, through the mediatorial work of the Son, and with the ever-present aid of the Spirit.

The Father thought the redemption of all who will be saved, the Son bought the redemption of all who will be saved, and the Spirit wrought the redemption of all who will be saved.

To deny the equality of Christ is what Jesus condemns in John 8:21-27

This was the sin of the Pharisees who denied Jesus’ divinity and His equality with the Father.

Jesus says in v. 21, you will die in your sin and in v. 24

John 8.24

John 8:24 NKJV

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

The word “He” is added by most translations for clarity but I believe it alters the best understanding of the Greek text. The words are ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, that I AM.

The ἐγώ εἰμι of the Greek text is a present active indicative, this is an ongoing action with no beginning or ending.

The word εἰμι speaks to existence.

Put this together, unless you believe that I have eternally existed you will die in your sins.

Jesus will use this same phrase to describe Himself in John 8:58

John 8:58 NKJV

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

A Solemn Call To Christ

Newton goes on and gives two additional types of people in his hymn

Some call Him a Saviour in word, But mix their own works with His plan; And hope He His help will afford When they have done all that they can: If doings prove rather too light (Admitting their efforts may fail), They purpose to make up full weight By casting His name in the scale. Some call Him "the pearl of great price" And say He's the fountain of joys; Yet feed upon folly and vice, And cleave to the world and its toys; Like Judas the Saviour they kiss, And while they salute Him, betray; O what will profession like this Avail in His terrible day?

There are four types of people who have heard this message:

The person who affirms these truths and confesses Jesus is fully God and fully man to the glory of the Godhead. This person shows the witness of the Spirit as they have been lead into truth by Him.

The person who has never considered this topic before and now they are convinced of the importance. This person shows the witness of the Spirit as they are being led into truth by Him.

The person who has been mislead by either false teachers or lack of teaching; but now they see the error and repent of that error. This person shows the witness of the Spirit as they are being led into truth by Him.

The last is the person, who in spite of the clear testimony of Scripture, and Jesus own words, will continue to deny His true Person and Equality with the Father and Spirit; this person will die in their sins unless they repent and believe in the true Jesus.

Newton’s last stanza reads.

If asked what of Jesus I think, Tho' still my best thoughts are but poor, I'll say He's my meat and my drink, My life, and my strength, and my store! My husband, my trust and my friend, My Saviour from sin and death's gall, My hope from beginning to end, My portion, my Lord, and my all.

May God add His own blessing to the preaching of His Word.