Confession of Jesus Christ (3)

Confession of faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

See also Mt 10:32–33; Mk 8:38; 2 Ti 2:12; 1 Jn 4:15; 1 Jn 2:23

Confessing Jesus Christ as Lord is only possible by the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:3 ESV

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Results of confessing faith in Jesus Christ

Baptism

Acts 2:38–41 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

See also Ac 18:8; Ac 22:16

A change in lifestyle

Mt 7:21–23; 2 Ti 2:19

See also Lk 19:8–9; 1 Ti 6:12; Heb 13:15; 1 Jn 1:6; 1 Jn 2:4

Persecution

John 9:22 ESV

(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)

See also Jn 12:42–43; 2 Ti 3:12

Demons confessed Jesus Christ’s divinity

Luke 4:41 ESV

And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

See also Mt 8:28–29

Ultimately all will confess Jesus Christ’s lordship

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Notable confessions of faith in Jesus Christ

John 1:49 ESV

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

See also Mt 14:33; Mt 16:16; Jn 6:69; Jn 11:27; Jn 20:28

The refusal to confess Jesus Christ

Matthew 10:32–33 ESV

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

See also 2 Ti 2:12