The Good Confession
—The fourth step
This lesson is about confessing Christ. We take as our main text something that Paul told Timothy...
¶“Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ...” (1Timothy 6:12-13).
Before we begin, we should make it clear that this lesson is not about confessing sin. That's a different subject. Confessing Christ and confessing sins are two different confessions as follows:
- When you confess your sins, you are confessing to God something that you have done wrong —some sin of yours.
- When you confess Christ, you are confessing before God and human witnesses something you have done right —that you believe Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God.
1 Confessing Christ is necessary for salvation
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Romans 10:9-10). If you keep your faith a secret and don't make the good confession, you don't have any promise of salvation.
2 Your confession should acknowledge the truth about Jesus
There is no set form of words in the scriptures for a confession of Christ. Any honest statement of the fundamental truth about Jesus is a good confession. For example:
- He is the Son of God (Acts 8:37, 1John 4:15).
- He is the Christ, the Messiah (Matthew 16:16).
- He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).
- He was God manifest in the flesh (1Timothy 3:16, 1John 4:2-3, 2John 1:7).
3 Your confession should be made before witnesses
Timothy made his good confession "before many witnesses" (1Timothy 6:12). Jesus said, "Whoever shall confess me before men, I will also confess that one before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).
4 You should go on confessing Christ through life
Peter was blessed by Jesus when he confessed his faith in Him, but later his confession lapsed, and he denied Christ for a while.
We should make it our aim in life to hear Jesus say to us, one day, "You have kept my word and have not denied my name" (Matthew 16:13-17, Matthew 26:69-75, Revelation 3:8).
The path of the good confession is not always easy, but God helps us every step of the way.
5 The confession on your lips should be seen in your life
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not obey what I say?" (Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46).
QUESTIONS
1. The opposite to confessing Christ is... ? (A) Denying him, (B) Acknowledging him, (C) Believing him.
2. The good confession, as discussed in this lesson, is the public acknowledgment of...? (A) Sin, (B) Christ, (C) A creed.
3. The good confession is necessary for... ? (A) Popularity, (B) Salvation, (C) Not necessary for anything.
4. What one believes in the heart and confesses with the mouth should be seen in one’s... ? (A) Health, (B) Family, (C) Way of life.
5. Which of the following is NOT something one should confess about Jesus? (A) He is an angel, (B) He is the Lord, (C) He is the Son of God.