Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
8/24/97 pm
Confession Unto Salvation
Reading — Acts 8.26-39
For the past two Sunday mornings, we’ve been talking about those things necessary for our salvation. Two weeks ago, we noted that we must have FAITH.
- We must believe in prepositional truth, that God is and that He has and is intervening in human history to bring about our salvation. He has intervened this morning giving us another opportunity to make things right with Him.
- Faith includes turning our backs on this world and its culture.
- Faith demands that we do whatever He asks us to do in obedience to His will through the Word.
Last week we noted that God demands genuine repentance.
- Repentance is turning our backs on this world and its culture and turning to God.
- Repentance is a change of heart that is so strong, it results in a change in the way we live.
This morning we want to study Biblical confession, noting that it is unto... FOR salvation. The word confess in the Greek New Testament is a compound word. Homos — meaning the same or similar, and Logos meaning word or speech. Homologos literally means:
- To say again the same thing,
- To agree,
- To consent,
- To acknowledge,
- To submit or yield by a verbal statement.
Colon Brown in his Dictionary Of New Testament Theology says: Homologos is a legal word. A man agrees with another’s statement. This agreeing expresses itself in a promise or commitment, in a legal contract. Homologos is a confession that is equivalent to a legal, binding oath.
Confession then is: A verbal agreement with another’s statement. This agreement expresses itself in commitment.
When applied to New Testament Christianity confession means:
- To confess the Deity, the Lordship, the Headship of Christ.
- To agree with God that Jesus is who He says He is.
- To agree that the historical Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the only begotten son of God who came as the Savior of the world.
Let’s notice some scriptures where our word confession is used.
Matthew 10.32-33, Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Romans 10.9-10, If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
1 Timothy 6.12, Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 John 4.14-15, And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.
Philippians 2.9-11, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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.
Hebrews 4.14 & 10.22-23, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. (The Greek for profess is homologos). Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess. (Again the Greek is homologos). Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we confess... WHY? because God is faithful.
Now with these verses in mind, let’s see what we can learn from them and others about the subject of confession.
FIRST, WHAT ARE WE TO CONFESS?
Confession is not of a church creed. We are not to confess some doctrinal concepts, we are confessing Christ. We are confessing a person, not a set of rules. Insisting that an individual confess to a church creed or some special understanding of doctrine before baptism is denominational to the core. We are to confess:
- Jesus as the Son of God.
- Jesus as the Lord and King of our lives. Jesus said, confess ME and I’ll confess YOU, deny me and I’ll deny you. In the act of confessing, we are: Agreeing with God, Acknowledging, Accepting, the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten Son of God.
Now we must know this morning that, by confession, we are also accepting His Lordship in our life. We can’t confess Jesus as Lord; without submitting, yielding to His authority. Genuine New Testament confession must include a commitment.
You see:
- God has declared that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus... That’s Matthew 28.18.
- And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church. Ephesians 1.22.
In our confession is embodied the concept of commitment, submission to His deity status, to His Lordship.
If Jesus is indeed God in the flesh, then to acknowledge that fact is to submit to His will. Church, if we really believed that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, that He was God come in the flesh to save us, we will submit. Only a fool would confess Jesus... And then not submit to His absolute authority. You see, our lack of submission today is inseparably linked to our lack of faith:
- In Him being God
- And in His absolute authority.
Church, here is the truth, If and when we genuinely confess Jesus, we will yield to His Lordship in our lives... RIGHT?
SECONDLY, THE CONFESSION IS TO BE VERBAL.
Listen to Paul in Romans 10.9, If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Confession is an outward demonstration of an inward conviction. Paul concludes, with the heart man believes, with the MOUTH confession is made unto salvation. The Ethiopian treasure, of our reading, said, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Confession is an outward demonstration... A verbal acknowledgment of inward conviction. Confession is a declaration of our faith.
THIRDLY, THE CONFESSION IS TO BE PUBLIC.
Jesus said, those who are willing to confess me before men, on earth, will be confessed before the Father in heaven. Paul tells us, that Timothy’s confession was before many witnesses. There should be no doubt that our confession should be both verbal and public.
Notice with me how many confessions of Jesus, in the New Testament, were both verbal and public?
- The angelic host confessed Jesus verbally and publicly in Like 2.11. Today in the town of David a Savior is born... He is Christ the Lord.
-Twice God Himself confessed Jesus verbally and publicly. Once on the banks of the Jordan... This is My Son, in who I am well pleased. Then on the Mount of Transfiguration... This is My Son, hear you Him.
- Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ in Matthew 16.16, you are the Christ, the Son of God.
- And the eunuch’s confession was verbally and public in Acts 8.37.
Is there any doubt that our confession should be both VERBAL and PUBLIC?
NEXT, WE LEAN THAT CONFESSION IS NECESSARY TO OUR SALVATION.
The idea of verbal and public confession has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. Many today, some in the church, contend that there is no necessity for a confession before baptism. This has come about because some are saying that Acts 8.37 (Which is the Ethiopian’s confession) should not be in our Bibles, because it is not found in most manuscripts). And it’s not!
Now I am not here this morning to argue whether or not Acts 8.37 does or does not belong in the text.
- I do know that the ASV of 1901 has the verse in footnotes.
- The NASV of 1963 has the verse in marginal notes.
- The NIV of 1973 has the verse in footnotes.
- The King James has the verse in the text itself.
- The New King James places the verse in the text with a footnote that it is not found in some manuscripts.
It’s interesting to note that all these translators thought enough of this verse to include it either in the text, in the margin or in footnotes. Even great men of our brotherhood agree that this verse is probably an interpellation, a scribble entry that was not a part of the original text.
- McGarvey, in his commentary on Acts says, yes the verse is probably a scribal entry.
- H. Leo Boles agrees that it could be an interpellation, a scribal entry.
However, on the side for inclusion, it is interesting to note that Irenaeus, who lived 170 to 210 A.D. quoted this verse, so it must have been in some very early scriptures.
Church, it makes no real difference... No doctrinal difference is made, if this verse does or does not belong in Acts 8... It changes nothing. It is a serious mistake to remove the VERBAL and PUBLIC confession from the plan of salvation as we know it.
Allow me to give you two reasons:
First, note that Paul says, in our King James, confession is unto salvation. He is saying, confession is a condition to be met for one’s salvation. If confession is unto... FOR salvation, doesn’t that mean that we must confess Jesus before our salvation is a reality? This becomes very clear when we read Romans 10.10 from the NIV, For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Salvation is not possible without FAITH and confession.
Secondly, John says, God lives in the individual who has confessed Christ, If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. Church, HOW and WHEN does one get into God?... Into Christ? When do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Listen to these two scriptures that answers our two questions. Galatians 3.26 & 27, We are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, have been clothed with Christ. Verse 26 tells us how we are children of God... BY FAITH. Verse 27 tells us when we become children of God... At baptism.
Peter tells us that we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism in Acts 2.38, 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. God is in us and we are in Him at the point of New Testament baptism. 1 John 3.24 tells us, Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
If we can omit the confession, then we can omit other steps necessary for our salvation. If the word of God is perfect converting the soul, then let us be satisfied with that perfection and God help us to adhere to it’s teaching.
FIFTHLY THIS MORNING, CONFESSION SHOULD BE CONTINUAL.
Listen to these verses again from Hebrews 4.14 and 10.23, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess... Confess... Acknowledge... Homologos. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess... Confess... Acknowledge... Homologos, for he who promised is faithful.
Professing, confessing, acknowledging, agreeing with God:
- That Jesus is the Christ,
- That He is Lord & King,
- That He is head of the church.
And that means that we must submit, yield to His Lordship, Kingship and Headship. Our daily talk and walk must display our inward faith and conviction. It’s also interesting to note that the Greek construction of Romans 10.10 indicates that confession must be an ongoing event.... Like our faith. Faith is not a one time event... It is an ongoing process, and so is our confession.
THEN FINALLY, CONFESS NOW TO LIFE OR THEN TO CONDEMNATION.
Philippians 2.9-11 tells us in no uncertain terms that all will confess Jesus, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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. You see folk, we can confess Jesus now... TODAY... Voluntarily, and have eternal salvation. Or, we can be forced confess Him and His Lordship at the end of time and have eternal condemnation... The choice is ours.
The question this morning is this: Have you confessed Jesus? Are we living out our confession daily?
- You can become a child of God this morning by: Faith, Repentance, Confession, and New Testament Baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of your sins.
- Perhaps you are a child of God and feel you have a need to rededicate your confession.
- Perhaps you need the prayers of the church to help you live out the commitments of your confession daily.
Whatever your need, confess Jesus today!
