Martha Olawale

I have participated in so many Christian conversations that always end with us talking about how people viewed Jesus. Regardless of what the topic is, it is always convenient to shift the focus from ourselves to the inadequacies of others. We embrace the comfort of merely knowing Christ as a good God and disregard the need for us to constantly focus on our personal walk with Him.

Oftentimes, Christians are more concerned about what people are saying about Jesus and how they view His teachings than how we are representing Heaven. We easily step away from our joint mission with Christ to call people to repentance and reduce the purpose of our salvation to a platform for condemnation. In place of seeking grace, we daily put ourselves on a pedestal so high that we forget that the Heaven-standard life is way above our human league and that we are simply products of grace, through the sufferings of Christ.

In Matthew 16:13-20, the disciples were eager to tell Jesus what others think of Him when He asked them in verse 13, “Who do people say I am?” They told Him that some say He was John the Baptist; some say He was Elijah, and others thought He was just one of the prophets. Although they were all His disciples, at that moment, only Peter had the right understanding of who Christ was, when He asked them, “Who do you say I am?” While they have spent many days living with and listening to Him, the view of others clouded their view of Him. Amidst the misconceptions, only Peter had the understanding that Jesus is the Messiah for whom they have waited.

To remain grounded, we need to constantly remember we are saved by the grace of God. As believers, we are part of a privileged group of people who are called to live like Christ, loving the world He died for but hating the sin in it. Our constant response to anyone walking outside the confines of the Bible should be genuine compassion and not smirk. In place of squabbling about how far the world is walking away from God, we can develop the habit of living out the faith we so jealously guard. Our salvation cost God the death of His dear son but we have a responsibility to work it out daily in trembling and fear (Philippians 2:12).