Once we have heard God’s word and have come to believe it to be true, we have to be willing to make a good confession of what we believe.  Just as Paul instructed Timothy to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV), we too are to make a public confession of our faith in Jesus Christ.

     In this confession we are letting others know of our choice to follow Jesus and be obedient to His will.  So then, in our confession, we are stating our belief, but we are also pledging allegiance to God.  There is much more to it than just stating our allegiance, as well.  If all our confession was about just saying that we believe in the existence of God and Jesus as His Son, then all we have done is pay lip service to God.  Satan and the demons know that there is one God, and they know that Jesus Christ is His one and only unique Son.  This is demonstrated in Jesus’ casting out of the demons in Matthew 8.  They called Him by name.  They knew who He was.  They recognized His authority.  Yet they are not among the saved, because they refuse to submit to God.  James wrote, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?^” (James 2:19-20).

     Therefore, when we confess that we believe in Christ, we are also confessing that we will do all that we can to be faithful and loyal to Him.  It means that we are confessing that we will show by our lives that we are followers of Him.  It means that we are pledging ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, not being conformed to the world, but trying our best to walk in step with our Savior (Romans 12:1-2).  This style of confession is necessary for us to receive the gift of salvation.  God offers His grace to us, and that grace is free.  There is nothing we can do to pay for it or to earn it somehow, so that God owes it to us.  But we must be willing to lay hold of that salvation that He provides for us.  Confessing Him is part of that.

     Jesus said that whoever would confess Him before men, He would confess before the Heavenly Father (Matthew 10:32).  That is a great deal!  We ought to take hold of that quick, fast, and in a hurry.  You will not find a better deal this side of eternity!  Paul wrote to the Romans, “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).

     Our belief needs to move us to action.  Mental acquiescence of God’s existence only puts us on a level with the demons.  We must act in submission to His will and do what He says to do in order to have salvation.  God says to confess Christ with our mouths, by our actions, and through our lives.  If we do so, we are well on our way to heaven!