THE GOOD CONFESSION

By

Shelby G. Floyd

 


 

I am studying with you on the subject of the good confession. Our text is found in Romans 10: 9-10, where Paul said, “That 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.” We notice here that belief is unto righteousness, and confession is unto salvation. Now if be­lief is unto, then confession is unto, because the same preposition is found in both clauses. So we believe unto righteousness and we confess unto salvation.

 

Now in many denominational churches they do not have a confession of faith, but rather before a person is saved, according to their theology, a person must come down to the front of the audience and give their experience or testify. Not one time in all the New Testament do we ever find anybody giving an exper­ience or testifying before their salvation. We never find any experience or testimony required before one becomes a Christian, but rather we find that the good confession of faith was required in all the New Testament conversions. Paul says, “We believe unto righteousness, and we confess with our mouth unto salvation.”

 

THE ORIGIN OF THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

The first point which I wish to make is this: the origin of the good con­fession came about when men confessed their faith in Christ in contrast to those who would not confess Christ and who denied him to be the Son of God. For in­stance, in the book of John, the Bible tells us that many of the rulers also believed on Him, but they would not confess Him lest they should be put out of the syna­gogues, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God:

 

John 12:42-43

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

NIV

 

Now here were some of the rulers of the Jews, the men who were the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the nation of Israel. They believed on Christ, but nevertheless, they would not confess him because they feared the Pharisees. They feared that they might be put out of the synagogues, so the Bible says that they “loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

 

The confession then is a distinguishing act between those who love the praises of God more than the praises of men. Those who refuse to confess Jesus Christ love the praises of men more than they love the praises of God. And so when a person today stands up and says, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” he is manifesting his faith, his courage and love for God over the praises and the commendations of men.

 

In Matthew 10: 32-33, Jesus mentions the confession as a mark of those who are his friends against those who are his foes. He said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also 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” (Matthew 10: 32-33). When our Lord lived upon the earth he had friends and he had foes. The confession distinguished his friends from his foes. Today, men who will confess Christ before men, he will confess them before the Father in heaven, but those who are his foes and refuse to confess him before men and deny him, he will deny them before the Father which is in heaven.

 

So the origin of the confession grew out of the fact that some were willing to confess Christ and some were not willing and denied him. Down through the ages of church history those who confessed Christ were known as the confessors, distinguishing them from those who refused to confess him. I might add that it was not always pleasant to confess Christ before men. In the days of the Roman Caesars, such as Nero, they were put to death if they confessed their faith in Jesus Christ.

 

In Fox’s, Book of Martyrs, you can read the story about men who loved the praises of God more than the praises of men, and they would not deny Christ even in the face of death. Polycarp, was one of those early martyrs, and was acquainted with the apostle John. They tied him to a pile of stakes, and told him if he would just renounce his faith in Christ they would let him live and go free, but Polycarp refused to deny Christ. He confessed Christ, and they lit the fire, and as the flames were licking around his body, he said, “I am eighty and six years old, and I have never once seen my Lord deny me, and how can I deny my Lord that loved me and died for me.” And he expired with the confession of faith on his lips. And so you see my friends the confession of faith grew out of those who were for Christ as opposed to those who were against him. The reason the friends of Christ confessed their faith is because Christ commanded them to. So that is the origin of the good confession.

 

THE HEAVENLY FATHER MADE THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

I would like to point out in the second place that the Father in heaven made the good confession. Do you remember when Jesus left his home in Nazareth, and came down to the Jordan River, to be baptized of John? When John saw him he first refused and said, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”  Jesus said, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  And the Bible says, “Then he allowed Him.” Then Matthew describes his baptism, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (cf. Matt. 3: 13-17). What was God the Father doing? He was confessing that this person, Jesus Christ, who had just been baptized, was his beloved Son. The Father was willing to con­fess his only begotten son, whom men would deny and crucify, but God was not ashamed of him.

 

In Matt. 17, Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up on the mountain of transfiguration, probably Mt. Herman, which arose to something like 10,000 feet above sea level. He took these three men with him up into the heights of that mountain, and he was transfigured before them, which means that his form and his countenance were changed.  The Bible says, “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” And the Bible tells us that when he was transfigured before them that about the same time a cloud over­shadowed them and out of this cloud, the apostles, Peter, James and John heard this voice, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the cloud was gone away, they saw no one save Jesus only. Moses and Elijah had disappeared along with their authority in religion. So again the second time the Father confessed his Son Jesus Christ and he added the phrase, “Hear him.”

 

THE APOSTLE PETER MADE THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

Now in the third place, I want to point out that the apostle Peter made the good confession. In fact, he made this confession in the chapter previous to the transfiguration. Jesus was in the area of Caesarea Philippi, and he asked his disciples saying, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” He wanted to know what men thought about him, as to his person and as to his identity. Well they replied, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”(Matthew 16:14). Now men held different ideas about Christ then and they still do today.

 

Then our Lord asked the apostles a direct question. He didn’t ask them what men thought about him, but he said, “But who do you say that I am?” He wanted a direct response of their faith in him and not what they had heard others say. Simon Peter of course being outspoken and being impulsive was always the first to speak out. And he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (cf. Matt. 16:13-19). Now he wanted to know what they thought about him. Peter says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But Christ said that men didn’t reveal this to Peter, “But my Father which is in heaven.”

So my friends our confession of faith must grow out of our belief in the testimony of Christ which is found in the New Testament.  We believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God, because of what is revealed about him in the Bible. Who revealed these things about him? Our Father in heaven revealed them. How did God reveal these things? He revealed them through the inspired apostles and prophets. Therefore, we believe that he is the Christ, the Son of God, just like Peter did because of our faith in the word of God. The good confession is a confession of faith!

 

MANY OTHERS MADE THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

Martha Made the Good Confession

 

So we have here the good confession as made by the apostle Peter. Now we move on and find that there were others during the ministry of Christ that made the good confession. I am thinking about the time when Lazarus was very sick. Our Lord received word from Mary and Martha that, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” Jesus remained two days and then went to Bethany. Of course, Lazarus had died, and had been dead for four days by the time that he arrived. As he neared the little town of Bethany, Martha came running out to him and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You”(John 11:21). Jesus told her he would be raised again, and she said, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” The Lord said unto her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”(John 11:25-26). Now here is what Martha said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (John 11: 27). Martha here made the good. confession that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God. Her faith had been weak, but when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” her faith was revived in the Son of God and she had to speak out. And she said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” So Martha made the good confession.

The Blind Man Made the Good Confession

 

Then I am thinking about the story of the man that was born blind, and our Lord healed him. Then the story got to going around about what Christ had done for him, and the scribes and Pharisees who were evil didn’t want to give Christ any credit for such a good deed, so they began to question the parents of this blind man. And they said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself” (John 9: 20-23).

 

            The reason they wouldn’t confess Christ is because the Pharisees had already agreed together that if any man did confess Christ he would be put out of the synagogue: “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him” (John 9:22-23).

 

            They didn’t want to be put out of the synagogue, so they wouldn’t confess Christ. But this blind man confessed his faith in Christ. They said that Christ was a sinner. The blind man answered, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was bind, now I see” (John 9:25.) Then the blind man said, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing” (John 9:30-33).

 

            The unbelievers continued to badger the blind man with questions and insinuations.  When Christ gently spoke to him and identified himself as the son of God he made the good confession:

 

John 9:26-39

Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."

NKJV

 

The blind man had enough courage to confess his faith in Christ even when his own parents didn’t. So all of us have our individual responsibility, and even if our parents won’t confess Christ, we are responsible before God our­selves, and we must confess him or deny him. We ought to be like this blind man who had the courage to confess Jesus Christ.

 

THE NATURE OF THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

This brings us to the next point, and that is the nature of this good confession. What is it like? How do we describe it? How is it carried out? Well, I have already anticipated this in our text. Paul, talking about Christ, said,

 

Rom 10:7-10

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that 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.

NKJV

The Good Confession Is Preceded By Faith in the Heart

 

So here is the nature of the good confession. In the first place it must be preceded by faith in the heart. You could stand up before an audience and confess Christ all day long, but if you did not believe deep in your heart that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, it would be of no value whatsoever to you. So he says, “If,” which is the conditional particle. “If you believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It is not you are saved, but you will be saved in the future. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto sal­vation.”

 

The Good Confession Is Made Audibly With the Mouth

 

Notice in the second place that the confession must be made with the mouth. I don’t know about you folks, but I love to hear people when they make the good confession say, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.” I love to hear those words come out of their mouths. I love to hear the sweet name of Jesus Christ uttered out of a heart of faith. So the confession must be made with the mouth.

 

The Good Confession Should Be Made Before Witnesses

 

In the third place the confession must be made before witnesses. We can’t just confess it before ourselves. It must be made before witnesses. In I Timothy 6: 13, Paul said to the young preacher Timothy, “I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate.” Now Timothy was being charged before the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and he says, “Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.” To what does that refer? Do you remember when our Lord was being tried, first before the Sanhedrin, then being brought before Pilate and then before Herod and then back to Pilate again. On one occasion Pilate said, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus answered him, “You have said so.” That was another way of saying, “I am.” It was another way of saying it is true, “I am the king of the Jews.” But to be the king of the Jews in the thinking of the Jews was equivalent to being the Son of God. For all the Jews realized that when the king of the Jews would come he would be the Christ or the Messiah. Jesus here confessed his own son ship and deity before Pilate. That was the same confession that Timothy had made before many wit­nesses.

 

So the nature of the good confession is this: it must be preceded by faith, it must be made with the mouth and it must be made before witnesses. This brings us to the last point which I wish to make on our subject of the good confession, and that is I want to give you a New Testament example of such being carried out that is so plain, so simple that even a little child cannot misunderstand it. It is found in Acts of Apostles.

 

A PLAIN NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE OF

THE GOOD CONFESSION

 

Philip was down in Samaria, preaching Christ unto those people. After he had baptized a great number of them, and after the apostles had been sent down from Jerusalem, to impart the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, by the lay­ing on of their hands, Philip was called by the Lord to go unto the way that goes down from Jerusalem, unto Gaza, which is desert. He arose and went, and when he came to a certain place he found a man of Ethiopia, who had the charge of the treasury of the queen of Ethiopia, whose name was Candace.

 

He had traveled approximately a thousand miles to Jerusalem, to worship according to the Jewish religion, and now he was making his return trip home. He was reading Isaiah 53, as the chariot rolled along. He didn’t understand what he was reading. That chapter had a dark mysterious cloud over it as far as he was concerned. It was at that point that the Spirit said to Philip,

 

Acts 8:28-33

And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.  Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”
 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this:

 

He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

In His humiliation His justice was taken away,

 And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.

NKJV

 

THE GOOD CONFESSION MUST BE FOLLOWED

BY WATER BAPTISM FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN!

 

I know that is a very pertinent question because all of us have read things at times that we didn’t understand, and of course it is not of much value unless we understand it. Philip said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he answered, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And Philip began at that scripture and preached unto him Jesus:

 

Acts 8:35-39

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

NKJV

 

            We find here not only an example of the good confession, but we find one more requirement. Not only must the good confession be preceded by faith and repentance of sin, but it must be followed by water baptism for the forgiveness of sin. So the good confession stands after faith and repentance and before water baptism.

 

 

Remember that Christ will confess us if we will confess him.  We urge you to make the good confession and be immersed into Christ today. *

 

*Shelby G. Floyd delivered this sermon October 23, 2011, at the Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. Copyright © 2011 All Rights Reserved

 

 


Shelby G. Floyd

shelby@thefloyds.net