Answer: Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of the living God, (verse 16).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
In the Greek, "The Christ" is ho Christos,
"the Anointed One." In the Hebrew language, this
is "the Messiah." Not only was Jesus "the
Christ," "the Messiah," but He was the DIVINE
Messiah, "the Son of the living God." "The
Son" designates His person. He IS the Son of God
(Immanuel, meaning "God with us").
"Of the living God" is literally "of God the
Living One." He was no long-awaited political leader
for the Jews (one of the reasons that Jesus may have told His
disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ--the Jews
had tried to "make Him king" John 6:15 ),
but He was the long-awaited Savior of the whole world, for the Jews
first, then the Greeks (Gentiles--all people not being of the
nation of Israel). Jesus is the Savior, Son of God the
Savior. He is the only "place" where we can go
and "meet with God:"
Psalm 42:2: "My soul thirsts for
God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with
God?"
Jeremiah 10:10a: "But the Lord is
the true God; He is the living God, the eternal
King."
Matthew 4:3: "The tempter came to
Him [Jesus] and said, 'If You are the Son of God, tell these
stones to become bread.'"
Luke 3:23, 38: "Now Jesus Himself
was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was the
son, so it was thought, of Joseph...the son of Enosh, the son
of Seth, the son of Adam, the Son of God."
Luke 4:41: "Moreover, demons came
out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!'
But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they
knew He was the Christ."
Luke 22:66-70: "At daybreak the
council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and
teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before
them. 'If you are the Christ,' they said,
'tell us.' Jesus answered, 'If I tell you,
you will not believe Me, and if I asked you, you would not
answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the
right hand of the mighty God.' They all asked,
'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied,
'You are right in saying I AM.'"
John 1:32-34: "Then John [the
baptizer] gave this testimony: 'I saw the Spirit come down
from heaven as a dove and remain on Him [Jesus]. I would not
have known Him, except that the One Who sent me to baptize with
water told me, "The man on Whom you see the Spirit come down
and remain is He Who will baptize with the Holy
Spirit." I have seen and I testify that this is the Son
of God.'"
John 1:49: "Then Nathanael
declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of
Israel.'"
John 6:66-69: "From this time many
of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.
'You do not want to leave too, do you?' Jesus asked the
Twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall
we go? You have the Words of eternal life. We believe and
know that You are the Holy One of God.'"
John 11:27: "'Yes,
Lord,' she [Martha] told Him [Jesus], 'I believe that
you are the Christ, the Son of God, Who was to come into the
world.'"
John 20:30-31: "Jesus did many
other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are
not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in His Name."
Romans 1:1-4: "Paul, a servant of
Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel
of God--the Gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets
in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, Who as to his human
nature was a descendant of David, and Who through the Spirit of
holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His
resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."
Galatians 2:20: "I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who
loved me and gave Himself for me."
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10: "for they
themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how
you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and
to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the
dead--Jesus, Who rescues us from the coming
wrath."
Hebrews 4:14: "Therefore, since we
have a Great High Priest Who has gone through the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess."
1 John 4:13-16: "We know that we
live in Him [God] and He in us, because He has given us of His
Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent
His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And
so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
1 John 5:5, 9-13, 20: "Who is it
that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God...We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is
greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given
about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this
testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made
Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God
has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have life. I write these things to you who believe in the
Name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal
life...We know also that the Son of God has come and has given
us understanding, so that we may know Him Who is true. And we are
in Him Who is true--even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the
true God and Eternal Life."
