☆The new translation: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
☆The colloquial translation: "Surely, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Which translation do you support? Which do you like?
As for 16:16, I feel comfortable with the colloquial translation.
Considering the character of Peter, the colloquial translation goes right to my soul.

After this confession, his name is changed from Simon Bar-Jonah to Peter.
However, in verse 23, the Lord says to Peter,
"Get behind Me, Satan!"
☆The person who was called Peter is now called Satan.
If we take our eyes off God, we at once turn into ones who stand in the way of God.
We become an offense to God.
If we are mindful of the things of men, instead of things of God, we turn into the ones who are led by Satan.
In the Amplified Bible, it is written that "you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men."
At this moment, what are you thinking about and what are you looking at?
This is the watershed.
"You are Peter." Or "Get behind Me, Satan!"
We have to be careful.

Let us look at verse 26.
It is written "his own soul."
Though it is written "his life" in verse 25, it is written "his own soul" in verse 26..
Let us see another translation.

Verse 25...
For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

Verse 26.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?

There are two definitions of life.
Temporal life (on the earth) and eternal life in the kingdom of God.
We are those who have been given our own soul. Hallelujah.

Simon Bar-Jonah is a fascinating and unique person.
He is also lovable, isn't he?
Because people go through life, making mistakes...

He is told "Get behind Me, Satan!"
And when Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane before being crucified...
In Mark 14:37, Jesus called him by his old name this time; "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?"
The Lord Jesus called him Simon on purpose.

☆And in Luke 22:31, it is written "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat."
The old name was used twice.

In Luke 24:34, it is written that the Lord of the resurrection "has appeared to Simon."

☆In John 18:25, his name is written as Simon Peter.
Both his old name and the name which the Lord Jesus gave him appear together.

The study of Peter's name would be an extremely interesting theme for bible study.

How does God make people grow up?
God's patient hands are placed on each one of us.
How happy we are to be brought up in the love of the Lord!

We will confess and declare our faith;
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Whenever I read these words, I am filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us close with the latter half of Isaiah 62:2.

"You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name."

May the the substance of the new names by which God calls us appear!
Hallelujah! I thank the Lord.