The cause of Christ has always demanded open confession of His divinity. The disciple of the Master must
take his stand before men. There are no secret Christians. The confession is made before men. We are to hold fast
to His name. Jesus made this fair offer to men in Matt. 10:32 , "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." One of the great tests made in the days of persecution
was to hold fast to His name. Jesus writes to the church in Philadelphia in (Rev 3:8) "I know thy works: behold,
I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word,
and hast not denied my name."
Paul writes to Timothy that he has witnessed the "good confession before many witnesses," in 1Timothy 6:12 . Thus we learn there is a divine confession, not founded on man's creeds but by inspiration. When Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:36 , the eunuch, ready to obey the gospel, asked "What doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip's answer was, "If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
The careful student will notice in the following verses these great truths about the confession.
1. It is necessary to salvation.
2. It is with the mouth.
3. It comes before, and is a prerequisite to, baptism and salvation.
1. The good confession according to Peter, is that Jesus is the the of the Living God. (Matt. 16:16)
2. Young Timothy made a good profession (confession) before many . (1 Tim. 6:12)
3 Did Timothy have to make his confession (profession) publicly in view of what Jesus says in Matt. 10:32? ? .
Our confession of Christ must be likewise before men. Christ will have no disciple that is afraid or ashamed to let the world know who he is and what he stands for.
4. Must one make a good confession in order to be saved? (Rom. 10:9) .
5. The Ethiopian nobleman, before his baptism, confessed that Jesus was , the of God. (Acts 8:37)
6. What did Christ say about himself? (Matt. 26:63-64)
7. Jesus promised to before His Father the persons that Him before men. Matt. 10:32
8. When did God confess that Jesus was the Christ and His Son?
Matt. 3:16-17
Matt. 17:1-5
9. Christ will those who Him. Matt. 10:33
On the day of Judgment Jesus will be forced to deny those who have denied Him. This will be a sad day for many.
10. Confession is before or after baptism? (Acts 8:37-38)
The pattern set forth here by the eunuch is the pattern endorsed by the Holy Spirit. Our conversion must be characterized by the same acts: a confession of our faith in Jesus as the Christ before our baptism into Christ.
11. The chief rulers would not confess Christ because they loved the of man more the praises of .
(John 12:42-43)
We wonder if the same reason keeps many from making the good confession today.
12. The confession is made by . (Romans 10:10)
13. What price did Jesus have to pay for confessing that He was Christ before Pilate? (1 Tim. 6:13)
14. Stephen was for confessing his faith in Jesus. (Acts 7:57-60)
15. What blessings do we receive for confessing Christ? (1 John 4:15)
16. What if our lives are not in keeping with our confession? (Matt. 7:21)
Now that you have made a careful study of all the scriptures in Lesson 6, you have found that confession is unto salvation. Paul declares in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The confession and creeds of men are different to this great confession that the New Testament teaches.
For example: If in making the confession, you said, "I believe that God for Christ's sake has pardoned my sins," you made the wrong confession. The good confession looks forward unto salvation. The salvation has not yet been realized, but like the eunuch in Acts 8, upon this confession valid baptism can be administered.
Think what a wonderful thing it is to sweeten your lips with the most precious thing in heaven and earth; to stand unafraid and unashamed before men and say, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
***All Bible texts and quotations are taken from the New King James Version.
|
