Jesus tells you exactly what you'll be doing for all eternity, and you can start today! Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 58 Q. How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you? A. Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God eternally. Summary John 17 is known as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, which He prays right before being arrested and crucified. In it Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and also the believers that would trust in Him throughout the ages. What a massive statement that Jesus begins with: "the hour has come." All of history, from the very moment God spoke light into being, hinges on Jesus successfully enduring the hell He will face in the coming days. His prayer here at this apex moment is that He will be glorified by the Father in such a way that His glory reflects right back upon the Father. So it's not too much to extrapolate from this simple passage that all of history, and even the eternity that follows, must be focused on glorifying the triune God. Jesus, "who being in very nature God... made Himself nothing by taking on the nature of a servant and the likeness of man, humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross (paraphrase of Phil. 2:6-8)." He's brought His Father glory by completing this work, and His prayer is that the Father will accept His righteous work on our behalf, and restore Him to the glory He had with the Father before the world began. Dig Deeper This week we've read that heaven won't last forever, and that instead we will reign on earth with Christ for all eternity. That's a long time, and while the first millenia or two might be filled with all sorts of fun and interesting, it does seem like we might get a bit bored. Perhaps the verse that's been added to the famous hymn Amazing Grace should be modified a bit: When we've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun; what will we do to fill the time that we have not yet done? The answer comes here, at the beginning of Jesus' prayer. Jesus tells us exactly what eternal life entails in v3: Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. This is exactly what you, as an image bearer of God, were created to do in the first place: know the only true God! One of the very first things God assigned Adam to do was to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20). Adam was to study each creature, admire their details, notice their unique characteristics, see what made one slightly different than some and completely the opposite of others, and then give each one an appropriate name. The Bible doesn't tell us how long this took, but I don't think he got all of that done in a day or two. What a massive task Adam was given: to come to know God by learning about His creation! Adam got the initial task done of assigning names, but learning all of the other details from the "only true God," all while working and taking care of all that God has made (Gen 2:15) will certainly take an eternity! This is exactly what we'll be doing! We've been following the Heidelberg Catechism this year, learning about our only comfort in life and in death. Another historic Reformed catechism also begins with a famous question & answer: Q: What is the chief end of man? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Shorter Catechism) The best way for you to fulfil the purpose you were created for is to come to know God. The more you get to know Him, the more you will glorify Him, and the more you will enjoy Him and His creation for all eternity. Remember, eternity has already begun for Christians. Make your goal in life right here and now to know God more and more. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father is the only true God. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your top goal in life would be to grasp eternal life: knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 14

Be sure you match the description of those who will inhabit the new earth. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 58 Q. How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you? A. Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God eternally. Summary The other day we focused on the fact that Heaven's not forever, which seems shocking and disappointing, especially since one of the Bible's primary messages is that those who are in Christ will live eternally. Today's reading confirms that not only will we not be there forever, but heaven itself, just like earth, will "pass away." But the fact that Heaven has a limited life span is actually good news, because both heaven and earth will be made new. While there will still be a delineation between the two (spiritual / physical), there will no longer be a distinction, in that the sin that's corrupted the earth will no longer be present. John describes that here when he writes, "there was no longer any sea." The sea to ancient people represented chaos and disorder. It's not the beauty of the ocean that will be gone, but the chaotic and disordered effects of sin that will no longer plague the world. Earth will be so much like heaven that John writes of heaven - the dwelling place of God - being on earth. Things will finally be the way they're supposed to be: God in perfect fellowship and communion with His image bearers, bringing with Him true comfort and blessing. What a picture John communicates as he describes the almighty creator of the universe tenderly wiping away the tears of His people! The promise that God makes throughout scripture will finally come to pass: He will be our God, and we will be His children. With sin being gone, and God's omnipresence clear to all, the concepts of death, mourning, crying and pain will simply cease to exist. There will be no need for those tools of despair, since the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Dig Deeper It's clear that not all people will get to experience the joys of the new heavens and earth. We were just reminded what kind of people won't be there. John describes those who will be there using two broad strokes: The thirsty (v6): Those who long for the living water that Jesus offers. Does this describe you? Do you long to be quenched with God's Word every day the same way you may crave a cup of coffee (or maybe in some case a Red Bull)? Are you left feeling parched on those weeks that something kept you from being able to assemble with God's people on the Lord's Day to hear His Word? Since you can quench your spiritual thirst now in the same way it will be quenched in the new earth - without cost from the spring of the water of life - you can already begin to experience heaven on earth. Be a thirsty person! The victorious (v7): This certainly doesn't mean that only the 'winners' in life will go on to the new earth, rather it means those who are in Christ, who has overcome the world. John uses the same word here in Revelation 21:7 to describe God's people that he used to recount Jesus words in John 16:33 ("take heart, because I have overcome the world.") AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father is our God, and we are His people. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the Holy Spirit will cause you to thirst more and more to drink in Christ's victory over the world. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 13

You don't need to wait until heaven to experience authentic joy & peace, you can have that right now. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 58 Q. How does the article concerning “life everlasting” comfort you? A. Even as I already now experience in my heart the beginning of eternal joy, so after this life I will have perfect blessedness such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart has ever imagined: a blessedness in which to praise God eternally. Summary We don't often focus on just one verse at a time, but today's passage packs the punch of an entire chapter into one sentence. This verse is often used as a benediction, which is a blessing given to God's people upon the completion of their gathered worship. This benediction is actually a prayer, and like so many prayers in the Bible, it is short and it follows the Triple-A prayer pattern: 1) It begins by Acknowledging who God is: The God of hope: Keep in mind here that the Bible uses the word 'hope' differently than what we're used to using it. We say that we hope the Twins do well or that we hope the weather will be nice next week, but in saying those things we understand that there's a big chance that what we hope for won't actually transpire. Biblical hope is much more than just a wish, it's a certainty that God will fulfill all that He has promised. 2) It Asks God for what we need: Granted, we often make this our third 'A', not our second, but it doesn't always need to be that way. This prayer asks that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be filled with so much joy and peace, that it causes you to overflow with hope. Can you think of anything better to ask God for? 3) It Aligns you with God's will: You will be filled with this joy and peace only as you trust in Him - the God of hope. This ought to be obvious, that the more we trust the world to fill us, the less joy, peace and hope we'll actually have. Trusting in the God of hope is the heart of what it means to live in a way that's aligned with God's will. Dig Deeper It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you will not fully experience true joy and peace until the moment God calls you home, and you instantly step into the paradise that Jesus promised to the thief on the cross. While it's certainly true that you'll never be fully freed from the effects of sin until that day, be reminded that you can experience authentic joy and peace here and now. The way to do this, as this benediction demonstrates, is to put all of your trust into the God of hope, and the way that you trust in God is to do even more of what you're doing right now: immersing yourself in God's Word. As we've seen before, this is a very logical concept: God fills you with joy and peace so that you overflow with hope as you trust in Him; Your trust in Him increases by filling yourself with His Word; Therefore, the more you fill yourself with God's Word the more joy, peace and hope you will have. So take advantage of every opportunity you have: continue reading the Bible each week day, as you look forward to meeting with God's people every morning and evening on the Lord's Day. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The God of hope; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will increase your trust in Him as you fill yourself with His Word; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Ask that you will experience true joy and peace that results in overflowing hope as you trust in Him Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 12

When you die with faith in Christ, you will immediately be with Him in heaven. But not forever. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 57 Q. How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you? A. Not only my soul will be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body. Summary Yesterday we were reminded of the tremendous faith of the criminal who hung on the cross beside Jesus, and the tremendous assurance that Jesus responded with, saying "Today, you will be with me in paradise." This is a beautiful comfort that we cling to in the loss of a loved one, that immediately upon taking their last breath they've gone to heaven to be with Jesus. But passages like today's help us understand that our stay in heaven will only be temporary, because there's something much better in store. When Christ returns, He will not return alone, rather "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (v14)." As the Lord himself comes down from heaven, He will command His archangel to sound the trumpet of God, and those who "have fallen asleep," which is a New Testament euphemism for having died in Christ, will "rise first." That is, their souls, which have been in heaven with Jesus, will be rejoined to their newly resurrected bodies. After that, Christians who are still living at the time, having witnessed this awesome second coming of Christ, will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (v17)." It's at this point that the final judgment will take place, and the new heavens and new earth will be inaugurated. Dig Deeper This Biblical teaching is surprising to most Christians. While the Bible tells us everything we need to know about how to attain salvation by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone, it tells us very little about what eternal life with Him will be like. We do know that it will be eternal, however, so it's quite easy for us to assume that when we die and go immediately to heaven as Jesus promised that we will be there with Him forever and ever. But that's not at all what you've been designed for. You were planned for and created with two distinct aspects: both a soul and a body. This is one of the things that makes you unique and different from any other embodied creature. So many other religions have looked at this dichotomy and concluded that true peace is not possible until a person has completely freed his soul from the physical prison of this world. Thus anything that's physical is bad, and anything that's spiritual is good. But since God created you with both a spiritual and physical aspect, it only makes sense that true perfection can not be fully attained until both parts are once again joined. Certainly heaven will be wonderful, and we can find true peace knowing that our loved ones who trusted in Christ are enjoying it, having been freed from sin, sickness and suffering. But they, like you, are waiting for something even better. This is confusing and hard to understand for sure, but as it says in v18, these words are given to you for encouragement. Christ is coming to make all things new again: both your body and a new earth for you to live on with Him forever. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who will bring Jesus back, along with all who have fallen asleep in Him. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask that God will encourage you with these words so that you can live optimistically in a very pessimistic world. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 11

The final promise Jesus made before dying is the most comforting of all. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 57 Q. How does “the resurrection of the body” comfort you? A. Not only my soul will be taken immediately after this life to Christ its head, but even my very flesh, raised by the power of Christ, will be reunited with my soul and made like Christ’s glorious body. Summary This is a story of two criminals, one hanging on either side of Jesus, but both looking at their present situation from vastly different perspectives. To call them 'criminals,' or even 'thieves' as the older translations put it, is an understatement. In modern parlance, these guys would be classified as terrorists or insurrectionists guilty of murdering multiple people and fomenting violence wherever they went. Regardless of how they're referred to, they represent two different types of people in this world. The one insults and belittles the Son of God hanging next to him, since God is not giving him exactly what he wants. The other better understands the reality of the situation: God is giving the both of them exactly what they deserve. It's this ability to look past the lies that come from within - an ability given by the Holy Spirit - that results in the proper attitude as he approaches his maker: This second, humbled criminal fears God. But notice this properly grounded fear of God doesn't result in terror and dread, rather it brings about one simple request to the Savior innocently suffering the same punishment as him: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus' reply, likely coming between gasps for air as he hung, forms the foundation for one of the most comforting doctrines in the Bible. He says to this sinner turned saint, "Today you shall be with me in paradise." Dig Deeper Although this criminal's theology was spot on in his dying moments, it certainly wasn't well developed or comprehensively applied to life. He'd likely never read the Bible, and the only thing he knew about God's law was how to break it. But he obviously wasn't saved because of his lifetime of faithful service or good deeds, nor because of what he knew about the man hanging in the middle. Rather, his salvation came because of what Christ remembered of him, that he was a child of the God he ultimately came to fear, chosen before the creation of the universe to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Today we're focusing on the immediacy of the criminal's salvation. Because of this short conversation between two dying men, you can have absolute certainty that those you've known who placed their faith in Jesus Christ instantly were welcomed into paradise upon drawing their final breath. In addition, you can live the life of gratitude that this criminal would have most certainly lived had he been given the chance, knowing that you're last day in this life will instantly give way to your first day in eternity. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who judges justly and calls all sinners to account. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will live with the assurance of and gratitude for your sure salvation. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 10

If you're wondering why life is so hard, it's because there's a war that's being waged inside of you. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 56 Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”? A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s atonement, will never hold against me any of my sins nor my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, in his grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment. Summary Once you recognize the point of this passage, you will begin to recognize it's literary beauty as well, but it can be really confusing at first. Let's strip away some of the literary beauty and figure out what Paul means here: v13 - The law helps you recognize sin in your life v14 - The law is godly, but you are sinful. The result is like oil and water. v15 - You love God for sure, but yet you still sin against Him, so you often feel awful. v16 - Even though the law makes you feel guilty, you understand that's a good thing. v17-18 - You're a new creation in Christ, which causes you to want to do good things, but at the same time, your sinful nature will haunt you and try to keep you from doing what you truly want to do. v19 - You want to do good but don't, you don't want to sin but do. v20-23 - Your old sinful nature does everything it can to sabotage you. You have a war constantly being fought inside of you trying to take you a prisoner of sin. v24 - This war will crush you until you finally are reminded that your salvation does not depend upon your strength, but upon Christ Jesus your Lord. Dig Deeper The difficult thing about the Christian life is that the victory has already been won by Christ, but the battle is not yet over. You have a war that's being fought within you each day, between Sarx (the personification of evil that's always whispering temptations in your ear), and your desire to do what is right that comes from having a regenerated heart that loves God. While this battle is brutal and unceasing, Romans 7 gives you peace for two reasons. First, know that you're not the only Christian fighting this battle, and even being occasionally knocked down by it. Even Paul succumbed to Sarx on a daily basis, and so does every other Christian in the world. Secondly, and most importantly, be reminded that even when you lose the daily battle, the war has already been won by your Savior, who is Jesus Christ our Lord (v25). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father God, who gave us His law as a picture of what His holiness; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God for continuing strength to win the ongoing battle within you so that you might bear fruit for Him (v5, 23). ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 9

God's forgiveness of sins isn't just a New Testament innovation. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 56 Q. What do you believe concerning “the forgiveness of sins”? A. I believe that God, because of Christ’s atonement, will never hold against me any of my sins nor my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, in his grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment. Summary So many people force the Bible into a false dichotomy in which the Old Testament tells the story of an angry Creator determined to unload His wrath upon His wayward, sinful children. According to this understanding, there's no good news in the Bible until the Son of this bitter old man shows up in the New Testament with love and compassion for all. Psalm 103 is an excellent reminder that such a bifurcated approach to the Bible is totally inaccurate. Notice the endearing language that David uses to describe the LORD: He forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies and loves; He is faithful, compassionate and gracious, He does not repay us with what we deserve. Notice that in describing the LORD's grace, David does not do so by minimizing or ignoring His holiness: The LORD works righteousness and justice; He has made His law known. Too many people, building on the misconception of a vengeful Father who is ultimately pacified by His Son who loves all people unconditionally, have the false idea that somehow it's God who changes, not us; that it's God who somehow realizes His standards are impossible so He drops them. The truth is that you're the one who's been changed: God, in His patience, did not treat you as your sins deserved; Rather, He removed your sins and put them as far away as the east is from the west. Dig Deeper Sadly, there are some (many?) reading this today who can't identify with the description David uses for God, that He is like "a father who has compassion for His children (v13)." For them the idea of an angry Father who is ready to instantly crush any sort of disobedience is much more familiar. Our catechism, in echoing and summarizing the entire Bible, beautifully removes the wedge we so often want to place in between the Father and the Son. Notice who is extending grace and mercy - God (the Father): will never hold against me my sins... in His grace frees me forever from judgment. Of course this is only possible because of the changes you've experienced in Christ; it's because of His atonement (payment) and because you been given His righteousness. Remember, you're the one who's been changed, not God. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has compassion on His children; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will praise the LORD with all of your inmost being. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 8

You can discover your Spiritual gifts today and immediately use them tomorrow. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”? A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. Summary Throughout his letters, Paul often uses the image of the body as an analogy for the Church. It's amazing just how many systems within your body need to be working well and in harmony with other internal systems in order for you to be healthy. So it is, Paul writes, with the Church. As Americans, we're a fiercely independent bunch, which in many realms of society is a good thing. We know that society as a whole does better when each individual looks out for his own interests rather than depending on more socialistic systems. But this passage commands us to shelve that individualistic attitude when it comes to the Church. In the Church, "each member belongs to all the others." This means that the particular gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you do not belong just to you. As we noted yesterday, these gifts you've been given come with strings attached. Not only are you obligated to utilize them to build up the church, but you must use them to benefit your fellow church members. The final two verses of today's passage form a comprehensive but not exhaustive catalog of gifts, as well as a repeated command to utilize what you've been given. Notice how the final few commands include an adverb to add emphasis that your gift sharing efforts must be more than mediocre. Give generously. Lead diligently. Show mercy cheerfully. Dig Deeper When we cleaned our truck repair shop out years ago before selling it, we found all sorts of things in the warehouse that we forgot we had. What made that especially painful was the realization that we had bought that same part several times over at tremendous cost when we had a dozen of them in storage. What a waste! As we've mentioned before, you can't use what you don't know you have. You've been given a gift that Christ not only expects you to use, but in a sense depends on you to use it to build His Church. Your fellow members are being shortchanged if you're not sharing your gift with them. And you can't do any of this if you don't know what your gifts are! What a waste! We have two resources available to help you identify your gifts and become the productive body part that God created you to be. One is a large catalog of different gifts, many of which you probably didn't even know were Spiritual gifts. That same page has a link to an assessment you can take online which will point out what kinds of gifts you likely have. Both resources can be found at wgtncrc.org/gifts. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is in heaven. His name is holy. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the gifts He's given you, and pray that you'll know what they are, how to use them and that you'll use them cheerfully! ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 7

God's depending on you to change the world by using your gift to build Christ's Church. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 55 Q. What do you understand by “the communion of saints”? A. First, that believers one and all, as members of this community, share in Christ and in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that each member should consider it a duty to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. Summary We just read the first half of chapter 12 two weeks ago as we were reminded that as Jesus rules all things as head of His Church, He does so by pouring out gifts on us His members through the Holy Spirit. Although these are truly gifts in that we've not earned them and they come with absolutely no cost, the Spiritual Gifts you've been given do come with strings attached. Because you've been gifted, you're now obligated. The gift you've been given as an individual is not meant to be used alone. In fact, Paul here reminds you that your overall purpose in life isn't just taking care of yourself and meeting your own needs, or even your family's needs. Rather, your primary purpose is building up the body of Christ. Follow the logic that the catechism is reflecting these last few weeks: God rules all things through Christ; Christ is the head of His Church; Therefore, God rules all things through the Church (this does not mean that the Church is called to have authority over every sphere of life, but rather that the Church must point everyone and all things to the truth revealed in God's Word). And... The Church is the body of Christ and is made up of a diverse membership; The Church depends on you using the gift you've been given to function properly (v14, 18, 27); Therefore, Christ depends on you using your gift to build the Church through which God rules all things. Dig Deeper You likely have a whole list of things you wish that were different in this world, and you've likely wondered why God doesn't just change this or that. Certainly God does have the power to miraculously change circumstances, and He does do that from time to time, but ordinarily God brings true blessing and shalom to the world by equipping His saints (that's you) to build His Church. So if you want things to get better, know and use your gifts. The Apostles' Creed refers to the Church as a communion. You can see the similarity there with the word community. As our passage points out today, every saint plays a different role, but each part of the body is critically important. There's a tension in today's text. On one hand, be content with the gifts you've been given and do not be jealous of what appears to you to be a more glamorous gift. But on the other hand, "eagerly desire the greater gifts (v31)" - literally seek them out. Work just as hard in your own life and especially the lives of our kids to develop their gifts as what we do to develop their academic and athletic gifts. One of the biggest needs we have moving forward as we bring reformation to our Reformed denominations is for solid men to step up into the roles of elder and minister. How is God calling you to either support of fulfill this need in Christ's Church? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be (v18) ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for the gifts He's given you, and pray that you'll know what they are, how to use them and that you'll be content with your gift even as you eagerly desire greater gifts. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 6

Why do Protestants confess to believing in a holy catholic church? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 54 Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”? A. I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member. Summary Put yourself in the place of the disciples. Everything you've heard Jesus teach on has been mind blowing and has shattered nearly every preconceived notion that they had prior to meeting Him. So every time Jesus asked a question, they probably sweat bullets hoping that Jesus wouldn't pick them to answer, because chances are they'd get it wrong. But here Jesus asks a question that's easy to answer: "who do others say that I am?" It's always easy to report what others say, so the disciples are quick to give an answer to this first question. It's the second question that gets them. "Who do you say that I am?" You can imagine the awkward silence that followed the question. Finally the boldest of the group spoke up, and I don't think it was with a wavering voice. Peter finally gets it. "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus rewards Peter's bravery and correct answer with a new name: Petros - the Rock. What comes next has been the subject of oceans of ink: "on this rock - petra - I will build my church." You can see the slight difference in the Greek words. Does this mean that Simon Peter is the rock that the church is built on, or is 'this rock' that Jesus refers to a different rock - perhaps Himself? But focusing on the slight variation in wording misses the point of this passage. Don't miss Jesus' huge promise here: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Peter plays an important role for sure in church history, but clearly the foundation, architect, builder and finisher of the Church is our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Dig Deeper The doctrine of the Church (known as ecclesiology) is one of the primary differences between the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) understands Jesus here to be appointing Peter as the head of the Church, and they then extrapolate from this other doctrines like apostolic succession and the papacy. Since those concepts lack Biblical support, the Reformers turned away from them. So it often seems odd to us in Protestant churches to recite the line from the Apostles' Creed stating that we "believe a holy catholic church." After all, the reason we're called protestants is because we're protesting the Catholic Church! But understand the Apostles' Creed far predates the formal RCC, so it's referring to something different when it uses the word catholic (small c). The Latin word it originally used is catholicus, a word that simply means 'universal.' So when you confess to "believe in the holy catholic church" you are confessing that Jesus Christ has been and still continues to build His church over all times and places and among every language, tribe, and people. He's making His Church holy, that is, He's separating you and every other member of His Church from the sinful world we live in. Praise God that the gates of hell will never overcome it! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who revealed to His elect that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for making you a member of His Church, and pray that it will be the biggest priority in your life. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 5