Who Do You Say That I Am?

In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” In asking them this question, Jesus was seeking a confession of their faith in him. When Jesus asks a question, he already knows the answer. Jesus would typically ask questions to provoke some type of confession in others. During Jesus’s three-year ministry, he would often ask those he was about to heal, questions like; Will thou be made whole (Jn. 5:6)? Do you believe that I am able to do this (Matt. 9:28)? What do you want me to do for you (Mk. 10:51)? After the confession of faith of those seeking healing, Jesus healed them.

In Matthew 16:13-21, Peter had gotten a revelation of who Jesus is, and confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” After Peter’s confession, Jesus tells Peter that “upon this rock (the revelation of who Jesus is), he will build his church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This lets us know that the church is already victorious in the battle against the powers of darkness.

Jesus promises to give Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with the authority to bind and loose in the spiritual realm (Matt. 16:19). Jesus is still asking this question to believers today. Jesus is still seeking a confession of our faith in him. Jesus wants believers today to have a revelation of who he is. Only then will they be able to utilize the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

I AM THAT I AM – Throughout biblical history, God reveals himself to his people, through his miraculous acts in their times of need. When God was preparing to deliver his people Israel from the bondage of slavery, he told Moses that his name is “I AM THAT I AM” (Exo. 3:14). The three occurrences of “I am” in verse 14 are all forms of the Hebrew verb “to be.” Each relates to the divine name Yahweh (“the Lord”). The word translated “I am” can also be translated “I will be”. Given the context of verse 12 (“I will be with you”) the name of Yahweh (“the Lord”) is a clear reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people (Blue Letter Bible).

The words "I AM" is the ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence. God’s existence is not contingent upon anyone else. His plans are not contingent upon any circumstances. He promises that He will be what He will be; that is, He will be the eternally constant God. He stands, ever-present and unchangeable, completely sufficient in Himself to do and to accomplish his will (Got Questions). Jesus identified Himself as Yahweh. In John 8:58, He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Jesus used the words “I am” like God said in Exodus 3:14 (Compelling Truth). Jesus confirms with this statement that he and The Father are truly “one.”

A Sure Foundation –In Isaiah 28:16 God promised to send the truth of his Word, and called himself “a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, and a sure foundation.” Jesus used a similar metaphor to these in Matthew 16:18 when he told Peter, upon this “rock” will I build my church.

All Knowing – God is omniscient, which is defined as “the state of having total knowledge; the quality of knowing everything.” Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” 1 John 3:20 says that God knows everything.

All Powerful – God is omnipotent (Rev. 19:6). The word omnipotent comes from omni- meaning “all” and potent meaning “power.” God has unlimited power. The Bible says, “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).

Almighty God – In Hebrew El Shaddai speaks to God’s ultimate power over all things. Before making a covenant with Abram, God appeared to him and said I am the “Almighty God” (Gen. 17:1). During the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, the prophet Ezekiel calls God’s people to repentance as he describes the thunderous sound of the wings of cherubim as the voice of Almighty God when he speaks (Eze. 10:5). Revelation 19:15 describes Jesus, the Word of God, crushing his enemies like grapes in the winepress of Almighty God (Bible Hub).

The Bread of Life – After Jesus feed five thousand men, with five loaves of bread and two small fishes, he told the people that he was “the bread of life” (Jn. 6:35). It is human nature to first search out worldly means to obtain what we need. However, Jesus demonstrated to the people with this miracle that he is the bread of life, and is able to meet their physical and spiritual needs. Not only is Jesus able to provide what we need, but he is also able to multiply it.

The Comforter – Jesus tells his disciples that when he is gone, God will send them “another Comforter” (John 14:16) to abide with them forever. Jesus said that “the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost . . . shall teach you all things” (Jn. 14:26). The Comforter teaches us to be righteous and lovingly convicts us when we fall short.

The Creator – In Hebrew Elohim means creator; mighty and strong (Gen. 17:7). The Bible’s first sentence describes the superlative nature of God’s power, as God speaks the world into existence, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).

Eternal – God is infinite. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them” (Deut. 33:27). God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8). God is the author and the finisher of our faith, and nothing that happens in our lives is a surprise to him. So, we could save ourselves a lot of unnecessary stress by trusting his plans for our lives.

Everlasting God – The book of Isaiah records, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding” (Isa 40:28). The Apostle Paul writes, “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26). We may experience seasons in our Christian journeys when we feel we have reached the end and there is nowhere else to go. During these times when we feel tired and weary we must remind ourselves that we can lean on our everlasting God.

The Good Shepherd – King David killed and lion and a bear to protect his sheep. David knew what it was to be a good shepherd to the sheep. Because of David's love for the sheep, God calls him "a man after mine own heart" (Acts 13:22). David’s confession is, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Jesus said that he is the “good shepherd that giveth his life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:11).

Jehovah-Jireh – The Lord will provide. The name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac (Got Questions). The Bible says, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah- jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen” (Gen. 22:14).

Jehovah-Nissi – The Lord our Banner. Banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites (Got Questions). “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exo. 17:15-16).

Jehovah-M’kaddesh – The Lord who sanctifies; makes holy (Eze. 37:28). God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. God says, “And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you” (Lev. 20:8). Paul tells the Corinthian church that they are sanctified through Jesus Christ, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11).

Jehovah-Rapha – The Lord who heals. God said, “I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exo. 15:26) God heals both in body and soul, in body by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul by pardoning iniquities (Got Questions). Isaiah 33:24 says, “And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity”. According to scripture, Jesus has the same desire to forgive sins as he has to heal the sick. “It is common in the Scriptures to represent any calamity as the consequence of sin, and to identify the removal of the calamity with the forgiveness of the sin. Thus, the Savior said in Mark 2:5 to the man afflicted with the palsy, 'Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.' And when the scribes complained, he urged that the power of forgiving sins, and of healing disease was the same, or that the forgiveness of sin was equivalent to the removal of disease as in Mark 2:9” (Bible Hub).

Jehovah-Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness, which comes from the Hebrew word “tsidkenu.” The Bible says, “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness” (Jer. 33:16). It is God alone who provides righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21) (Got Questions).

Jehovah-Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts. The Bible says, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psa. 46:7). The word “hosts” means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God, and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do (Got Questions).

Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord our Peace. Gideon’s confession is that the LORD is his peace. The name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him (Got Questions). The Bible says, “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites” (Judges 6:24).

King of Kings and Lord of Lords – The title indicates someone who has the power to exercise absolute dominion over his entire realm. In the case of the Lord Jesus, the realm is all of creation (Got Questions). Paul writes, “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). In John’s vision, Jesus is returning to judge the world and establish His earthly kingdom. John writes, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14). It’s recorded in Revelation 19:16, “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Most High – The Hebrew words most often translated “God Most High” are Elohim (or El) Elyon, which literally means “the most God.” It is derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. Melchizedek, king of Salem, confessed God to be the most high God. The Bible records, “And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all” (Gen. 14:19-20).

Present Everywhere – God is omnipresent. The prefix omni- originates in Latin and means “all.” So, to say that God is omnipresent is to say that God is present everywhere. In many religions, God is regarded as omnipresent, whereas in both Judaism and Christianity, this view is further subdivided into the transcendence and immanence of God. He is present everywhere at all times. The Bible reveals that God can be both present to a person in a manifest manner (Psalm 46:1; Isaiah 57:15) and present in every situation in all of creation at any given time (Psalm 33:13-14). Paul writes, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

The Lord Thy Redeemer – In Isaiah 44:24 God tells his people Israel that he is their redeemer. Isaiah says, “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” (Isa. 48:17). In the book of Ruth Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s becomes a kinsman-redeemer when he buys the property left behind by Naomi’s and Ruth’s deceased husbands and takes Ruth as his wife. Together they have a son named Obed who became the grandfather of David, the forefather of Jesus (Got Questions). Jesus Christ is the kinsman-redeemer of all who demonstrate their belief in him through repentance, water baptism, and the indwelling spirit of the Holy Ghost.

Shelter in the Storm – “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). To dwell in the shadow of the Almighty is to live under the promise of God’s protection. The person who is always thinking about God and trusting in Him has the Almighty as a constant companion. The Lord stretches His “shadow” or “protective shade” over the man or woman who sets up camp in His presence. Isaiah 25:4 describes the “shadow of the Almighty” as “a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm, and shade from the heat.” (Got Questions)

Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace – In Isaiah’s prophesy of the coming Messiah, he says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). For believers, Jesus Christ is the Commander In Chief, and he carries the government on his shoulder. The followers of Christ triumph through difficult times because they get to know him as Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

The Word of God – Jesus Christ is the Word of God. John says, ”And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). The Bible says, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (Rev. 19:13). Jesus cannot be separated from his Word. Therefore, when we apply God’s Word to any situation, we are evoking the full authority and power of Jesus himself.

CONCLUSION

Do we really know who Jesus is? Our answer to this question is our confession of who Jesus is in our lives. When the body of Christ gets the revelation of who Jesus is, Christians will use the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and loose in earth as it is in heaven. The world will see the greater works that Jesus promised in his words to his disciples. This new move of God will not be the "revival" that many Christians are waiting for, but this end-time demonstration of the supernatural power of God is the result of the "revelation" of who Jesus is.

If you would like to have a personal relationship with Jesus, you must be born-again according to Acts 2:38 which reads, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please share your comments and questions in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.



Diane Margo Penny is an author, content creator, social media specialist, and Web Designer.

Works Cited:

All scripture references are taken from The Bible, King James Version unless noted otherwise.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Giant Print Reference ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Publishers, 1990.

[BibleHub.com]

[BlueLetterBible.org]

[CompellingTruth.org]

[GotQuestions.org]

Image Citation:

merandadevan-ai-generated-8029414_1920. Meranda Devan. [Pixabay.com.] Web. 27 Feb. 2026.