2 - You Can Be Saved by Making the Good Confession to Others
THE DEFINITION OF THE GOOD CONFESSION
(A) Paul Said it is Confessing Jesus as Lord
Paul taught the disciples at Rome what the good confession is, saying, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” (Ro 10:9) So if you want to be saved, your own mouth, and not another’s, must confess Jesus as Lord. Not only must you confess Jesus as Lord to have life, you must believe God raised Him from the dead.(B) Jesus Said it is Confessing Him to Others
Jesus makes the good confession even more clear when he said: “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 10:28, 32, 33) Jesus taught that your confession of Him must occur before men. You must not be afraid of men. Fear God!It takes courage to make the Good Confession. You must not shrink back from confessing Jesus to others. You just read in Matthew 10:28-33 that Jesus does not want you to deny Him before men. If you fail to confess Him before men, or if you do deny him before men, you will not be permitted to enter life. The Bible is clear: “The cowardly... their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Re 21:8)
(C) We Must Confess His Word Also
Not only must you confess Jesus as Lord before men, you must also show your faith in His words. For example, Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory.” (Lk 9:26) You must confess the Lord and confess His word. You must not be ashamed of Jesus’ words. Are you ashamed or bold to talk about Jesus with others? Are you ashamed or bold to mention His word to others? May God give you courage to confess the name of Jesus and His words to others without being fearful or ashamed.EXAMPLES OF THOSE WHO MADE IT
1. Twice Jesus Made the Good Confession
Jesus had the courage to confess that He was the Son of God before those who could kill Him.
(a) He Made it Before the Murderous Chief Priests and
Elders of Israel
The high priest asked Jesus, “‘Tell us whether You are
the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You
have said it.’” (Mt 26:63, 64) Because he agreed, they
condemned Him to be put to death. Do you believe that
Jesus is the Messiah?
(b) He Made it Before Pontius Pilate
Paul said: “Christ Jesus... testified the good
confession before Pontius Pilate.” (1 Tim 6:13) Pilate
simply asked Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
(Mt 27:11) Jesus simply agreed saying, “It is as you
say.” (Mt 27:11) Pilate had the power to kill or free Jesus.
Yet, Jesus still made the good confession of whom He
was. He was not afraid of man. Do you agree that Jesus
is the King of the Jews? Will you testify to that?