Introduction: I remember a vivid conversation I had with one of my philosophy professors years ago. He had been lecturing us philosophy students for weeks from his dissertation on Kant. We listened dutifully. Increasing, however, we sensed that the lectures were becoming less and less rooted to anything relatable and practical. I could sense the frustration growing amidst us. I had a friendship with the professor, and so the other students suggested that I ask him some questions for clarification. And so, I did. “Dr. _______, for the sake of everyone’s understanding, would you write on the board the definitions of two terms—truth and duty—and then explain their relationship? I think that would go a long way towards helping us all be clear on what’s at stake here.”

What happened next is a moment in my education I’ll never forget. Our professor (a man I genuinely liked on a personal level; he was a great professor, a true intellectual, a kind person, etc.) unraveled. You would have thought I had asked him to compete in math drills alongside Elon Musk. He stammered; he turned red; he sought for words but could not find them. And it was an utter embarrassment for him and an education for us. How so? Well, here was this freshly minted Emory Ph.D. in philosophy who could not answer a couple of simple, direct questions. I had only asked what we students longed for—clear definitions and clear explanations. Again, I truly liked Dr. _______. He was and is a stand-up guy, but he was completely undone, and we all saw it, and he saw it, too.

Connection to Scripture: Matthew 16 records one of the most famous conversations in history. It’s between Jesus and Peter, the lead apostle. Here’s the conversation:

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.

Teaching: Did you see who Jesus says is solely responsible for revealing Jesus’ identity to Peter? Was it Peter? No. Was it Peter’s education? No. Was it Peter’s culture and background? No. Was it Peter’s religiosity? No. It was God (v. 17). Flesh and blood were of no help in the matter. When Peter was born from above, it was just that—from above, from without, from God. It was not something Peter earned or worked up to.

Folks who know even a scant amount of Scripture probably know that Peter was often gifted at digesting his own shoes. He tended to speak first and think later—often to his great shame. But he was nonetheless a mighty and faithful Christian in the long run. He penned two letters of the New Testament and died a martyr for the Christian worldview. And one of the lessons that Peter was learning was that he had to get the fundamentals right first. Have the main things nailed down. Be clear on definitions and identity.

Encouragement/takeaway: My old philosophy professor left academia and went into the world of cycling. True story. He had a love of cycling, and his Ph.D. diploma from Emory was in a frame above his couch in his apartment. What I learned, what my fellow philosophy buds learned, what Peter was learning at the feet of Christ, was that we must get the fundamentals right first. Be clear on definitions and identity. And recognize that spiritual regeneration comes from God, not from ourselves.