Confession part 2 — What’s it mean to confess Christ?

Remember that the word confess means to openly admit, declare or assert one’s own conviction. What does it mean to confess Christ? Quite literally it means that you declare what you believe about Him, openly. Of course to properly and accurately confess Christ one must believe the truth or reality concerning Christ, among other things, who He is, what He has done, what He claims. Obviously Bible confession is a declaration of the truth found in the word of God. Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:15-16 is a beautiful example. Jesus asked: “But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter openly declared his faith in Jesus as the promised Savior and King, as well as the Son of God, that is God in the flesh.

Bible confession demands more than a verbal acknowledgment of truth, it implies a life in keeping with what one declares. For example, if I confess Jesus Christ to be LORD (master) it follows that I will do what He says! Jesus asked: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Bible confession demands a life in harmony with our confession. To confess Jesus as Lord (master), King (ruler and judge), Savior (deliverer from sin), Christ (God’s chosen) means that my behavior will look like I believe that. We know that we cannot say things we don’t really mean. I need to confess the truth about Jesus, but I must also be willing to live up to my confession.

My confession must be well taught so that the things I declare are actually true.
My confession must be personal so that what I declare is my own conviction.
My confession must be a commitment to the principles I declare, or it is vain (empty).

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Let me know if you would like to study confession further. [Don — 212-729-8356]