Volume 47   Number 4                                                     December 2004

The tongue is the largest muscle in the head. It has so many varied and vital functions that we often take it for granted, like so many of God's marvels. Can there be any greater or better use of the tongue than to confess its brilliant and awesome Creator?

Just listen to the words you hear every day: How much of the tongue's marvelous capacity for speech is exhausted on the futility of whining and complaining? We sigh about things we don't have when we don't even deserve the things we do have! Instead of confessing a saving faith, all we end up doing is professing an appalling lack of trust in the living God, which neither glorifies God, nor edifies a single soul. If we would spend half as much time confessing our faith as we do complaining about our poor health or high gas prices, we would really start firing on all cylinders!

Christ taught us in Matthew 10:32,33; "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.". Whatever you 'confess' with your mouth becomes who you are, what you believe, and what you stand for. Your words come from the abundance of your heart; from conviction. No wonder the Lord commands us to confess Him before men in order to be saved! Jesus wants professional Christians who are not ashamed to let the world know that they believe and stand with Him, the rightful Lord & King Who has been given all power and authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

"By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world." (1 John 4:2,3) How can we tell the difference between truth and error? Pay attention to who confesses Jesus for Who He is - The Son of the Living God Who is now Lord & Christ! If a religion, or a teacher, does not confess the Truth about Jesus, you do not need to go any further to verify their validity. By the same token, if you do not make the Good Confession, or are afraid to let others know of your faith in Him, is your faith valid?

"Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42,43) Confessing your faith is essential! Many rulers of the Jews believed in Jesus, yet their faith was in vain because they would not confess what was in their hearts. Was keeping quiet about the Messiah worth the fleeting praise of men? What is more important to you: Having people pat you on your spineless back, or hearing the best compliment of all time, "Well done, good and faithful servant."?

In 1 Timothy 6:13, we read these words of encouragement to the young evangelist; "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,". Jesus Himself was not ashamed to make the good confession when standing before a high official of the Roman Empire. The profession of our Savior before Pilate was incentive for Timothy to never grow weary or be ashamed of being a follower of Christ and Paul.

Even demons know Who Jesus is, and have confessed Him on earth: "And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, 'You are the Christ, the Son of God!' And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ." (Luke 4:41) These spirits from the unseen realms know Who Jesus is, and they confess the Truth! Unfortunately, their confession is powerless to save them. You have been given space to believe in Jesus, then to confess your Creator so your soul can be saved!

>"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." (Romans 10:9-10) Your eternal salvation depends upon not just faith in the heart, but confession with the mouth! God has ordained this oral confession as the way to make public what we have previously hidden in our hearts. The Good Confession is not just for starters, but it is the daily practice of the believer to show that faith is still alive, and that our profession is real.

Many have made the Good Confession before us: Peter made it in the midst of religious confusion (Matthew 16:16), and then again in the face of mass apostasy (John 6:69). The Samaritan woman made it in the midst of her joy at finding Living Water! (John 4:29) Martha made the Good Confession in the midst of grief! (John 11:27) Thomas cried out, "My Lord and my God!" , as he came out from under the dark clouds of doubt and unbelief! (John 20:28) The Ethiopian opened his mouth in faith, proving he was ready to be baptized. (Acts 8:37b) What do you say, friend?

"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 14:11; also Philippians 2:9-11) On the Last Day, there won't be any atheists before the Judgment Seat of Christ! We will all employ the tongue to confess the eternal Truth of Jesus' identity. But the Good Confession will only save you if you say it NOW and confess it daily while you are on the way to Court. Why not use your tongue the way it was intended? Confess Jesus!