Confession





                Today's article will deal with another element of the whole 
part of salvation. Let me emphasize if I haven't already, that it is vital 
for you to study these issues for yourself. Do not take anyone's word for 
what God has to say on a particular subject but ".search the scriptures 
daily"(Acts 17:11). That said, let us study for a moment the subject of 
confession. Confession deals with telling others that Jesus is ".the Christ, 
the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Consider what life in Christ 
would be like without our confessing to others that Jesus is Lord. 
Eventually, as your brethren grew older and died, there would be fewer and 
fewer members of the church with which to fellowship with. What if you moved 
to another city or town and never told anyone about Christ? Besides being 
displeasing to God, who would you turn to for spiritual strengthening? If 
you never told anyone about Jesus, then you would have no one with whom you 
could turn to for support in the faith.

          Confession is so important that neglecting it will keep you out of 
heaven and the presence of God. In Matthew 10:32-33 (a similar passage 
exists in Luke 12:8-9), Jesus speaks and says this "Whosoever therefore 
shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in 
heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before 
my Father which is in heaven." Notice that confession is an 'either or' 
proposition. One either does confess or he does not! There is no middle 
ground with God. You either do what He says or you do not. Think about the 
wonderful sound of Jesus telling the Father about you. Wouldn't it be great 
to hear Christ tell the Father that you have told others, on Earth, about 
Him? Can you maybe picture God 'smiling' when He hears that about you?

          Think about this; does Jesus, in fact, deserve to have us confess 
Him to other? Of course He does but why? If we turn again to the Bible we 
have the answer in Philippians 2:8-11. Among other things, it says that 
Jesus: (1) humbled himself (even being God), (2) became obedient unto death 
(and saved us from our sins), (3) God has highly exalted him (because he did 
what the Father asked him to do), and (4) received a name above all others. 
The verses go on to tell us that because of all that, Jesus deserves to have 
every person bow before him and confess that He is the Lord.  There will be 
a time when ".every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God" 
(Romans 14:11; Isaiah 45:23). Why wait for that day to come? Why not confess 
now what all will know to be true, that Jesus is the Christ and that He 
alone deserves our praise and adoration? Everyone needs to know about Jesus 
and about God the Father. Without that knowledge, there is no hope of 
heaven.



In Christ, Steve Preston





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