Confessing Christ Before Men: Duty and Divine Recognition

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).

The Nature of Christian Confession requires four elements: an open avowal of Jesus as Messiah; conscious adherence to fundamental Christian doctrine; declaration of benefits received through His Person; and zealous promotion of Christian truth in the world.

What does our text require? Our confession of Christ before men—both verbally and practically. We must confess Him before good men and bad men alike, for this falls with the nature and design of Christianity itself, proving our sincerity and usefulness.

To confess Christ aright means: (1) To acknowledge and adore the Divinity of His Person; (2) To believe in the Divinity of His doctrine; (3) To acknowledge and rely upon the all-sufficiency of His merits and mediation for us; (4) To show the efficacy of our belief upon our lives through observable conduct.

What does Christ ensure in return? His confession of us before His Father in Heaven—more than mere recognition. Knowledge becomes ability to confess; appreciation becomes disposition to confess; both combined are power. The human heart is by nature hostile to the gospel's spirit; entire transformation is essential. Yet the Christian cannot ultimately be a loser by suffering for righteousness' sake, for steady Christian fortitude shall be crowned by reparation, divine approval, and participation in His glory eternal.