Who Do You Say I Am?

Who Do You Say I

Am ?

Reflections from OUR DAILY BREAD to help you answer life’s most important question

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

JOHN 3:16

Who Do You Say I Am ?

Reflections from OUR DAILY BREAD to help you answer life's most important question

EDITORIAL TEAM: Anne Cetas, Becky Knapp, Dave Branon, Tim Gustafson, Alyson Kieda, David Sper, Chris Wale.

Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica UK trademark number 1448790. ©️ 2024 Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Who Do You Say Jesus is?

Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked.

“Who do you say I am?” MATTHEW 16:13-15

Jesus healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind and taught people about God with total authority. He said He had come to give His life for the world. And three days after He was publicly executed upon a cross, His tomb was found empty. His friends and disciples claimed to have seen and talked to their resurrected Saviour; and their lives were forever changed.

So, what is your answer to Jesus’ question? He didn’t ask for your partner’s, friends’, parents’ or colleagues’ opinions. He wants you to answer personally; who do you say He is? A good man, a teacher, a revolutionary, a man ahead of His time, a fraud, a myth . . . or God Himself, as He claimed to be? Your answer will define your life. Because if Jesus is who He claims to be—and if He truly died and rose again—then knowing Him is the most extraordinary privilege we could ever experience.

One of Jesus’ closest disciples, called Peter, answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (V. 16). Our prayer is that the readings, reflections and verses in this booklet will help you draw near enough to Jesus to be able to see Him just as clearly, and give a confident answer to His question, “Who do you say I am?”

In Him,

Your friends at Our Daily Bread Ministries

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What’s Wrong With The World?

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. [ 1 TIMOTHY 1:15 ]

There is an often heard story that The London Times posed a question to readers at the turn of the twentieth century. What’s wrong with the world?

That’s quite the question, isn’t it? Someone might quickly respond, “Well, how much time do you have for me to tell you?” And that would be fair, as there seems to be so much that’s wrong with our world. As the story goes, The Times received a number of responses, but one in particular has endured in its brief brilliance. The English writer, poet and philosopher G. K. Chesterton is thought to have written this four word response, a refreshing surprise to the usual passing-of-the-buck: “Dear Sirs, I am.”

Whether the story is factual or not is up for debate. But that response? It’s nothing but true. Long before Chesterton came along, there was a man named Paul who God used to write several books of the Bible. Far from a lifelong model citizen, Paul confessed his past shortcomings: “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (1 TIMOTHY 1:13). After naming who Jesus came to save (“sinners”), he goes on to make a very Chesterton-like qualification: “of whom I am the worst” (V. 15). Paul knew exactly what was and is wrong with the world. And he further knew the only hope of making things right—“the grace of our Lord” (V. 14). What an amazing reality! This enduring truth lifts our eyes to the light of Christ’s saving love. JOHN BLASE

REFLECT: What is wrong with the world? Can you own the answer Paul and Chesterton gave? What is one way you can accept that without sliding into self-hatred?

PRAY: God, thank You for Your immense patience with me, a sinner. To You be honour and glory forever and ever.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

5 Verses to Explain What Sin Is

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. Isaiah 53:6

2 There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Romans 3:10-12

3 You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world. Ephesians 2:1-2

4 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

5 Everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:16-17

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished 26—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the ‘law’ that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

What We Deserve

All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. [ ROMANS 3:24 ]

AWelsh evangelist, David Shepherd, could be very direct. One day when at the village’s grocery shop he heard the woman behind the till say to the customer in front of him, “What terrible weather we’re having—we deserve better than this.” To which he responded, “Mrs Harries, if the good Lord gives you what you deserve, I’ll be burying you on Tuesday.”

Perhaps he wasn’t the most sensitive in his response, but the evangelist’s statement must have made the people in the shop stop and think. After all, as the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “All have sinned and fall[en] short of the glory of God” (ROMANS 3:23). But because Christ shed His blood for us as a sacrifice of atonement (V. 25), “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (V. 24). Those who believe receive the gift of what Paul calls righteousness—being brought into a right relationship with God—through “faith in Jesus Christ” (V. 21).

Acknowledging our sin before God can feel humbling. But when we weigh up what we actually deserve, confessing where we let God down with the glorious promises of life in the kingdom of God, we will shine with gratitude, joy, and hope. And we might even be able to extend grace to those who share with us their unexpectedly direct sentiments.

AMY BOUCHER PYE

REFLECT: How does knowing that Christ died because of your sins and wrongdoing make you feel? How can you show your love to God today?

PRAY: Loving Lord, thank You for your grace and mercy, and for not giving me what I deserve. I receive Your gift of love and life.

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ

Hebrews 10:10

Can I be good enough to get to heaven?

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (ROMANS 3:23). The Bible is clear that no matter how good or nice we may be, we have all fallen short. None of us love God perfectly or treat His creation and people with the love and respect they were made for. Heaven, God’s dwelling place, is for those who are perfect as He is perfect. The best bits of our lives look like dirty rags in His glorious and holy presence. So how can we be made right with God and escape His judgement for our sin?

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (JOHN 14:6). God sent His Son, Jesus, to bear our sin upon the cross in our place. When He died, He took the judgement we deserve. Now there is nothing left for us to pay for and no judgement to face. Jesus exchanges the sin in our lives with His perfect righteousness. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17). Now it is up to each one of us to put our trust—our faith—in Jesus to save us, restore us and make us brand new. The work is done, but we must receive it for ourselves by giving our lives to Him. When we do, Jesus holds us secure through the ups and downs and mistakes of life, calling us “new creations” who have the right to live in God’s presence and enjoy His love for all eternity.

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ 25 Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.’

He Won’t Let Us Go

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. [ JOHN 10:28 ]

Julio was biking across a busy bridge—when he encountered a life-or-death situation. A man was standing on a ledge over the river preparing to jump. Knowing that the police wouldn’t arrive in time, Julio acted quickly. He recalls getting off his bike and spreading out his arms, saying something like: “Don’t do it. We love you.” Then, like a shepherd with a crook, he grabbed the distraught man, and with the help of another passer-by, brought him to safety. According to reports, Julio wouldn’t let go of the man, even after he was safe.

Two millennia earlier, in a life-or-death situation, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said He would lay down His life to save and never let go of those who believed in Him. He summarised how He would bless His sheep: they would know Him personally, have the gift of eternal life, would never perish and would be secure in His care. This security didn’t depend on the ability of the frail and feeble sheep, but on the sufficiency of the Shepherd who’ll never let one be snatched “out of [His] hand” (JOHN 10:28–29).

When we were distraught and feeling hopeless, Jesus rescued us; now we can feel safe and secure in our relationship with Him. He loves us, pursues us, finds us, saves us and promises to never let us go.

MARVIN WILLIAMS

REFLECT: What makes you feel insecure in your relationship with Jesus? How do you feel knowing that your security in Him depends on His sufficiency and not your weakness?

PRAY: Jesus, when I let go of You because of my sin, You never let go of me because of Your grace.

JOHN 10:28

Who Is Jesus?

THE WORD: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (JOHN 1:1).

THE LAMB: Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (JOHN 1:29).

THE SON: Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel (JOHN 1:49).

THE MESSIAH: “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he” (JOHN 4:25-26).

THE BREAD: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty (JOHN 6:35).

THE LIGHT: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (JOHN 8:12).

THE GATE: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved (JOHN 10:9).

THE SHEPHERD: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (JOHN 10:11).

THE RESURRECTION: I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die (JOHN 11:25).

THE WAY: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (JOHN 14:6).

THE VINE: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit (JOHN 15:5).

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Fresh Start Effect

[Put] on the new self, which is being renewed. in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

[ COLOSSIANS 3:10 ]

When Bryony turned thirty, she was sad to still be in a sales job she’d never liked. She decided it was time to stop procrastinating and find a new career. For David, New Year’s Eve had him looking in the mirror vowing this would be the year he lost weight. And for James, it was watching another month pass without a decrease in his angry outbursts. Next month, he promised himself, he would try harder.

If you’ve ever vowed to change at the start of a new month, new year or a major birthday, you’re not alone. Researchers even have a name for it: the fresh start effect. They suggest that at calendar points like these we’re more prone to assess our lives and try putting our failures behind us to start over. Wanting to be better people, we long for a fresh start.

Faith in Jesus speaks powerfully to this longing, offering a vision of what our best selves can be (COLOSSIANS 3:12–14), and calling us to leave our past selves behind (VV. 5–9). It offers this change not by decisions and vows alone, but by divine power. When we believe in Jesus, we become new people, and God’s Spirit works in us to make us whole (V. 10; TITUS 3:5).

Receiving salvation in Jesus is the ultimate fresh start. And it doesn’t need to wait for a special calendar date. Your new life can start right now.

SHERIDAN VOYSEY

REFLECT: How have you seen the fresh start effect at work in your life? What’s stopping you from receiving God’s gift of a new life now?

PRAY: Jesus, I give up my own plans to follow Yours. Please give me a fresh start!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation

come: the old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

What did Jesus’ death and resurrection achieve?

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 1 Peter 1:3-4

15 ‘If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me any more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.’

Jesus With Us

On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.[ JOHN 14:20 ]

When 14-year-old Jack from south London felt depressed and sad, he turned to his youth club leader. “Everyone has moments of feeling down,” explained Nick. “But there’s always someone there for you . . . Jesus. . . . You’re not alone.” As Jack continued attending youth club, he placed his belief in Jesus. He concluded, “Jesus died for us, and he’s changed me for the good.” Jack attributes this change to the presence of Jesus: “I always knew he was there, but now Jesus is inside of me; he is part of me.”

Jack speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, which Jesus promised to His friends as He prepared them for life after His death. Jesus said He would ask the Father to send them “the Spirit of truth”, whom they would know because “he lives with you and will be in you” (JOHN 14:16–17). Even as Jesus dwells with the Father, so too will His friends dwell with Him: “On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (V. 20). This is a mystery, but Jack expresses it well when he says that Jesus is inside of him.

We too can look to Jesus for peace, calm and forgiveness. With Him living inside us, we know that He can and will change us for the good. Even as He has changed Jack. AMY BOUCHER PYE

REFLECT: What difference does it make to your daily life to know Jesus wants to bind your life to His? How can you look to God for change and transformation?

PRAY: Dear God, thank You for wanting to make Your home in me. Help me to accept Your loving presence in my life.

Jesus replied, “Anyone

who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

John 14:23

8 Truths about the New Identity Jesus Gives Us (from Ephesians

1 We are blessed with every spiritual blessing (V. 3).

2 We were chosen before God even made the world (V. 4).

3 We are adopted as His children (V. 5).

4 We bring Him pleasure (V. 5).

1:3-9)

5 We bring praise to Him (V. 6).

6 We are fully redeemed and forgiven by Jesus’ sacrifice (V. 7).

7 We know the mystery of His will for us (V. 8).

8 We are part of Christ’s united kingdom (V. 9).

Where next?

Starting Strong

Saved by Grace

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. [ 1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 ]

Gareth, a staunch atheist, was adamant: “There is no God.” But then he attended church and his belief system was “rocked”. He shared how, being Welsh, he “enjoys a good sing-song”. And although he wouldn’t normally consider the meaning of the words, this time he cried as he sang, “the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives”. Imagine! He who hadn’t shed tears after the death of his father or his son stood in the chapel and wept.

Then the congregation sang the hymn “Amazing Grace”. “I knew I was toast,” Gareth admitted. He suddenly realised that the “catastrophic” things he had done—including ongoing drug and alcohol use—hadn’t resulted for him in death, illness or prison. Rather, that grace had operated in his life. In that moment, “I realised that I knew Jesus, and I had to accept him.”

In his conversion experience, Gareth followed the apostle Paul, who considered himself “the least of the apostles” because he had previously persecuted the church (1 CORINTHIANS 15:9). Yet Paul recognised God’s grace changing him: “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (V. 10), and he became a “new creation”, as he wrote to this church elsewhere (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17)

When we accept God’s grace, we too receive a full pardon. God releases us from our sin and welcomes us into a relationship with Him. What amazing grace! AMY BOUCHER PYE

REFLECT: How can you trace God’s grace working in your life? How has God changed you, making you more like Jesus?

PRAY: Saving God, thank You for sending Your Son to live and die for me. Help me to share the gospel of grace with those I meet today.

aul wrote in the Bible: “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” It may sound extreme, but he’s describing the incredible privilege of knowing Jesus personally. A relationship with Jesus is more valuable than anything else we might gain in this life. This collection of encouragements and insights from Our Daily Bread will help you take your first steps into a real relationship with Jesus, allowing Him to transform each area of your life. As you get to know Him better, you’ll discover how good it is to be His. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,” He invites us, “and I will give you rest” (MATTHEW 11:28). Read and order your copy at odb.org/resources

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Over 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus travelled throughout ancient Israel calling Himself the Son of God. He healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind and taught people about God with total authority. He said He had come to give His life for the world. And three days after He was publicly executed upon a cross, His tomb was found empty. His friends and disciples claimed to have seen and talked to their resurrected Saviour; and their lives were forever changed. He once asked them the question we all must answer: “Who do you say I am?” What’s your answer? Because if Jesus is everything He claimed to be, then knowing Him is the most extraordinary privilege we could ever experience.

Our prayer is that the readings, reflections and verses in this booklet will help you draw near enough to Jesus to be able to confidently answer His question for yourself.

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