Monday, July 28, 2008

If It Be Thou


“And Peter answered him [Jesus] and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. - Matthew 14:28


      Jesus was continually being pressed to prove himself to friend and enemy alike. Beginning with the devil (“If Thou be the Son of God…”), until finally, as He was languishing on the Cross (“If thou be the King of Israel…), over and over, He faced doubt concerning His true identity. The only Man in all of history who knew completely who He was (Jno.13:3), and who was exactly who He claimed to be, was subjected to relentless skepticism. It would have been maddening for you or me, since most of us are never completely sure who we are half the time, and the other half pretending to be who we are not.


     When it comes to Jesus Christ, however, there is no “if.”


     Plato said, “Know thyself,” which sounds good theoretically and philosophically, but people can spend a lifetime going in circles trying to find out who they are. The truth is, although our core values should remain constant, we may find ourselves working them out in many different roles throughout our lives. Same head, different hats.


      In the end, it isn’t nearly as important for me to know who I am as it is for me to know who He is. He is who He is, no matter who I am. All I need to know is this: Being a Christian means that Christ lives within me (Gal.2:20), and “in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col.2:9); therefore I am able to say of myself, I am “complete in him” (Col.2:10). No “if’s” here, either!


 



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