Confessing Christ

The Bible talks about confession in two main ways. First, there is confession of sins. This is when someone acknowledges they have transgressed God’s Law. By admitting their fault, they show agreement with and “speak the same” as the scriptures in terms of good and evil. Simply put, it is an admission of guilt. Many places in the New Testament point to confession of sins leading toward one’s forgiveness (Matt 3:6; Acts 19:18; 1 Jn 1:8-9). Second, the Bible also talks about “confessing Christ.” It is important for the student of God’s word to see the great difference here. To confess the Lord Jesus involves much more than merely admitting guilt. So, what does confessing Christ entail?

Confessing Christ means we must acknowledge His identity as the Son of God. Modern scholars will sometimes try to diminish this aspect of Jesus’ ministry. They say that Jesus made no direct claims to deity. This is clearly false. On multiple occasions, the enemies of Jesus accused Him of blasphemy for claiming to be one with God (John 5:18; 10:33; 19:7). Jesus did not rush to correct them or show any indication that they had misunderstood His words. When He was being tried, the high priest of the Jews demanded that Jesus say whether He was the Christ, the Son of God. The Lord answered, “It is as you said” (Matt 26:63-64). This same claim was praised by Jesus as the foundation upon which He would build His church (Matt 16:15-18). Those who are added by the Lord to His church proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:36-38).

Confessing Christ means we must acknowledge His death, burial, and resurrection. The gospel message centers on the work of Jesus. We cannot confess Christ while denying the core teachings of His gospel! The Son of God became flesh, humbled Himself, and was obedient in all things (John 1:14; Php 2:5-9). He died on the cross for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose again according to the scriptures (1 Cor 15:1-4; 1 Jn 2:2). Enemies of truth have attempted to undermine the message of the gospel, but those who are truly of God will publicly defend the truth of His gospel and will confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (Matt 10:32-33; Rom 1:16; 1 Pet 3:15; 1 John 4:2-3). Consider how much Peter’s sermon at Pentecost emphasized resurrection (Acts 2:22-24, 29-32).

Confessing Christ means we must acknowledge His position as the absolute authority. When you examine the teaching of Jesus, His authority stands out as a leading feature. He showed Himself to be the fulfillment of ancient prophecy (Luke 4:16-21; John 5:46-47), the confirmed preacher of the Father’s message (Matt 28:18; John 5:36), and the undisputed master of reasoning and logic (Matt 7:28-29; Luke 20:26). Confession is made unto salvation (Rom 10:10), but confessing Christ demands obedience to His teaching! After all, Jesus is preeminent and He will return to render judgment according to the words He has spoken (John 12:48; Col 1:18; 2 Tim 4:1). Let us continually and boldly confess Christ!