The Good Confession

 

In 1 Timothy 6:12 the Record reads: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession be­ fore many witnesses."  The Greek word rendered confess, is found 23 times in the New Testament.  Two times it is rendered with the English word profess.  The ASV (1901) in 1 Timothy 6:12 reads: "didst con­fess the good confession."

One time the word is translated profess in the Authorized Version is Titus 1:16: "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."  What does it mean to profess to know God?  It is a wonderful thing to know God and to know that we know Him.  Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am per­suaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."  Again, 1 John 2:3 states: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."  We know Him if we keep His commands.  If one pro­fesses to know God, and does not keep God's commands, then that individual does not really know God!  The other time we find profess in the King James Version is Matthew 7:23: "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."  These sad, sorrowful, sullen words are spoken to those who would not confess Christ as Lord in full obedience to His will.  Romans 10:10 teaches: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  One must believe (Mark 16:16), one must re­pent (2 Peter 3:9), one must confess Christ (Acts 8:37), one must be baptized into Christ for (unto) the remission of sin (Acts 2:38), and one must live faithful until the end of life's journey (1 Corinthians 15:58).  Do you not get it?  If one fails to confess faith in Christ as God's Son, or if one fails to continue to "walk in the light as He is in the light," that one has ceased to advance to­ ward eternal salvation!

We must do more than merely profess to know God.  Remember, what you go af­ter here will determine where you go in the hereafter.  Let us not forget Christ's own admonition: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).  Let us never be ashamed nor afraid to teach the necessity and loveliness of the good confession.  Jess Whitlock, Evant, TX; [The Saluter, September 21, 2008; Dresden church of Christ, Dresden, TN]