Bob Prichard

Topic(s): Salvation

After encouraging His disciples about the difficulties they would face in preaching the gospel, Jesus declared, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). The basic meaning of confession, in the biblical sense, is “to profess faith in, or acknowledge the authority of another.” Thus, to confess Christ means to profess faith in Him and acknowledge his authority. As He was beside Galilee, Jesus asked the disciples who men said He was. Their response was that some thought Him to be John the Baptist, risen from the dead, or Elijah, Jeremiah, or another of the prophets. Jesus then said, “But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). By his response, Peter confessed Christ.

Paul wrote, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). Paul said that “confession is made unto salvation,” so confession should not be minimized. Confession is important! Paul connected heart-felt belief with open confession of Christ by the mouth. Confession of Christ is not, however, merely the saying of some formula, but it is the outward expression of the faith felt in the heart. By our confession of faith in Him, we express our acceptance of His authority in every area of our lives, and give our personal pledge of allegiance to Him and His cause. Paul reminded Timothy of the confession of Christ that he had made. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12). His “good profession before many witnesses” was his oral confession of faith in Christ.

Luke describes the conversion of an Ethiopian, the treasurer of Queen Candace, in Acts 8. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, but did not know Christ, and did not understand Isaiah’s prophetic portrait of Christ. Philip “began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:35-37). Having understood what Philip taught him, Philip baptized him when he confessed his faith in Christ.

Because of His sacrifice for us, the Father has exalted Christ “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). It is said, “the confession is the birthplace of the unselfish element in religion.” Have you unreservedly, unselfishly confessed Christ?