13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
— Matthew 16:13-20, ESV

The Banias Waterfall is a double waterfall that drops two separate streams some thirty feet into the Jordan River.  It is located in Caesarea Philippi, the city where the Lord Jesus Christ chose to close with His disciples near the end of His ministry.  There He gave them two great streams of revelation.  

From one stream of revelation came the great confession, Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (vs. 16).  From the other, the great transfiguration, a glimpse of the Lord in all of His glory (ref. Matthew 17:1-8).  Gospel and glory flowed from one river into two streams.

Everybody I’ve ever know wants to go to Heaven and see God in all of His glory.  Even unbelievers want to believe there is a Heaven.  Believe me, there is!  

But heavenly glory is only for true believers who make a credible confession of faith while on earth.  Unless you drink from the stream that pours out in a great confession, you will never taste the other that can transfigure your body and soul into eternal life.  Accepting the gospel is a prerequisite to experiencing glory.

Simon Peter made this great confession.  He was not just speaking for Himself, for he spoke for others on that day.  And, as in all great and group confessions, it is made possible by the grace of God, grace that grants faith, faith that saves when you commit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Simon Peter’s Great Confession

“Son of Man” is an obvious reference to Messiah, the long expected Lord and Savior over all of God’s people.  Jesus acknowledges the title for Himself, then questions the disciples concerning their opinion.  It is a crucial question with only one correct answer.  Simon Peter, who often found his foot in his mouth, finally finds the right words.  “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

What this the first time Simon Peter made such a serious confession?  He might have made it in his heart as a young Israelite devoted to God as God revealed Himself in the Old Covenant.  There is gospel in the law, and law in the gospel.  Peter surely confessed Christ with his feet on the day he left his fishing boat and began following Jesus, all the way from Capernaum to Calvary.  His confession came with an exclamation point in Caesarea Philippi.

When you make a confession of faith is not as important as that you make a confession of faith, and that it is genuine faith you confess.  As many like to say, God is not a concerned about where you’ve been, but where you are now, and where you are going.  A genuine, great confession of faith is putting your total trust and pledging your absolute obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord (God), Savior (Messiah), and King (of heaven and earth).  

A great confession of faith chooses Jesus above self.  Selfishness and sin are not mentioned explicitly in this text.  But human beings are present, and where humans exist, selfishness and sin abound.  Simon Peter cast off selfishness when he cast his nets back into the sea and left them to follow Jesus.  He did not put his job and money ahead of God.  As far as I can read, he did not put his family, friends, or other people ahead of the Lord.  He did not consider anything or anyone as more important than Christ and His kingdom, and this is a great confession of faith.

A great confession of faith chooses Jesus above popularity.  Most people covet public opinion and are swayed into action by the media and the masses, since they would rather be popular than true.  If Facebook had been available then, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and other prophets would have had more likes than Jesus of Nazareth.  It appears that Jesus had only eleven followers.  Simon Peter was one of them, and he said so, in spite of other religious or political opinions to the contrary.  Choosing to trust Christ when it is not the most popular path in your school, workplace, and world is a great confession of faith.  

A great confession of faith makes you a great person, in God’s sight.  God even gave Simon a great nickname, Peter, which means “rock.”  His dad’s name was John, so this makes Simon the “Rock Johnson” of the New Testament, which is very impressive.  

God pronounced Peter “blessed,” which is even more impressive.  And God has a new name for you (ref. Revelation 2:17) and will one day pronounce you blessed beyond measure.  Your life will be more valuable than a professional athlete or actress, more influential than a president or politician, and ultimately more wealthy than a businessman or billionaire, when you make a great confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.  

Simon Peter’s Group Confession

Simon Peter was not merely speaking for himself.  He was speaking on behalf of ten of the other eleven guys.  And, he was speaking for millions and millions more who would be added to the Lord’s “church.”

The question first posed by the Lord to “you” is plural.  Who do “you” twelve men say that I am?  Simon, never one to hold his thoughts, spoke out for the group.  Then, Jesus makes the magnanimous pronouncement that the present and future “church,” those called out to profess and practice Christianity, would be built on the “rock” of such a confession of faith.  The point here is not that the church needs a Pope, but that Christianity needs responsible church members who adjoin themselves to the church’s confession of faith.  

Always remember, Christianity is not merely a personal relationship with the perfect Jesus Christ.  It is a corporate commitment the imperfect group called the “church.”  The church cannot save you, but Augustine was correct, there is no salvation outside the church.  Christ gave His body for the body of Christ, the church (ref. Acts 20:28).  

Plus, there is this promise.  All governments and kingdoms of this earth will one day close.  All television networks will go off the air, all sports leagues will become defunct, all rock groups will break up, and all charitable organizations will dry up.  But the church, the corporation of God consisting of those who have made a great, group confession of faith in Jesus Christ, will never, never die.  

“The gates of Hell” cannot consume Christ’s church, God’s people, but they will devour everyone and everything else.  And, all children and friends and neighbors and strangers to whom we give the “keys,” our confession of faith that leads to their confession of faith, will be “bound” together to live forever with us and with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

Simon Peter’s Grace Confession

So confess your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Compel others to do so as well.  But, as you grow in the Lord, know that it is the Lord who is behind every sincere, saving confession of faith made in Christ and in Christ’s church.

Simon Peter’s confession was great.  Christ commended him and made him an example for the group to follow.  But who is to receive the real credit for Peter’s confession of faith?  Who makes the blessing of faith possible?  Was it Simon Peter himself?  Simon Peter’s parents?  Simon Peter’s peers?  “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven.”

Peter did not choose Christ because he was clever, courageous, or due to anything in his own character.  Peter, like all men, was spiritually depraved and dead, uninterested and incapable of even looking for God, and would have never chosen to put God in his life if God had not chosen to put Peter in His life (ref. John 6:44, 65, 15:16; Romans 3:10-12, 9:10-18; Ephesians 1:4ff, 2:1-10; etc.).  God grants repentance and faith that lead to confession of faith and eternal life (ref. John 3:3,5; Acts 11:18; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 3:5; etc.).  When God’s sovereign and saving grace appears, it speaks through the mouth of a person who makes a genuine, great, group, grace confession of faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

Ponder with me for a moment the mystery and majesty of grace.  Where would we be without it?  Dead, spiritually and separated from God (ref. Ephesians 2:1ff).  Doomed, physically, at our deaths or at armageddon.  Depraved, still, hurting ourselves and hurting others, rather than knowing and loving God, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  

With grace, God’s grace, we can be great in His sight.  With grace, we can belong to the only group on this planet that will exist forever when this planet and universe is turned upside down and made brand new.  With grace, we can make the great confession of faith that washes away our sin, and gives us abundant and eternal life.

Drink from the stream of grace and you will one day find yourself awash in the stream of glory.  Jesus brought His disciples to Caesarea Philippi to point this out.  Confess your faith in Him today, totally.  And unlike the first disciples confessing Christ before the cross, you won’t have to keep it a secret.  

Christ is risen and Christ will return.  Confess this to the world.  Then watch the grace of God do His work.