[Jan. 23d, 1854.]
I. Confession, i.e., (homologein) is,—1. To say the same thing with others. To agree with. 2. To promise. 3. To acknowledge, to declare a person or thing to be what he or it really is.
II. To confess Christ is therefore to acknowledge him to be what he really is and declares himself to be.
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To be the Son of God.
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To be God manifest in the flesh.
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To be the Saviour of the world.
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To be the Lord.
III. Nature of this confession.
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It is not enough that we cherish the conviction in our hearts, or confess it to ourselves or to God, to friends who agree with us.
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It must be done publicly, or before men, friends and foes; amid good report and evil report; when it brings reproach and danger, as well as when it incurs no risk.
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It must be with the mouth. It is not enough that men may infer from our conduct that we are Christians. We must audibly declare it.
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This must be done, a. In our ordinary intercourse. b. In the way of God’s appointment, i.e., by Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
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It must be sincere. Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. It is only when the outward act is a revelation of the heart that it has any value.
IV. The advantages of confession.
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It strengthens faith. Credo.
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It is proof of regeneration, because it supposes the apprehension of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
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It is an indispensable condition of salvation. How is this? a. Because God requires it. b. Because not to confess is to deny. c. Denial implies want of faith or want of devotion.
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Christ will acknowledge those who acknowledge Him. He will do it publicly, before the angels of God, with His mouth, and to our eternal salvation.
V. The duty of confessing Christ.
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It is not merely a commandment.
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It is the highest moral duty to acknowledge the truth, and especially to acknowledge God to be God.
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It is the most direct means we can take to honor Christ, and to bring others to acknowledge him.
Matt. 10:32, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” Luke 12:8, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” Mark 8:38, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Rom. 10:9, 10, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 2 Tim. 2:12, “If we deny him, he will also deny us.” 1 John 4:2, “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” 1 John 4:15, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God.”
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