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IN HIM When we use the word, confession, people instinctively think of confessing sin. The Bible does say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1.9). But that is the negative side of confession. The Bible has much more to say about the positive side. The confession of our faith..
This does not refer to confessing sin. This is confessing Jesus. In his heart man believes, and with his mouth he confesses that Jesus is his Lord.
What we say is our confession. And our confessions- the words we say- Rule Us. Jesus said they did.
Let’s meditate on these words of Jesus a little more, “…. whosoever shall say …. and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”. Did Jesus know what he was talking about? Or are these just the words of an irresponsible dreamer? No! They are not the words of a dreamer! Jesus meant exactly what he said. And what did he say you shall have? He said you shall have what you said. If you really believe a thing in your heart- positive or negative- and you say it with your mouth, you will really have it. Jesus said you would. It is always with the heart a man believes, and with the mouth confession is made unto any of the provisions of God. Notice how these two phrases from God’s word say the same thing in different words, “….with the mouth confession is made unto ….” (Roman 10: 10), and “…. He shall have whatsoever he saith….” (Mark 11:23).
The same Greek word translated profession here is translated elsewhere in the King James as confession. Modern translations render it confession. “Let us hold fast our confession”, Christians are told here. What is the confession we are to hold fast to- the confession we are to maintain? It is the confession of our faith in God Our Heavenly Father- the confession of our faith in the word of God. The majority of Christians though sincere are weak. This is because they never really dared confess what God’s word says about them. They have never dared to confess that they are what the Bible says they are- that they are who the Bible says they are- and that they have what the Bible says they have. In fact, many maintain a wrong confession instead of holding fast to a right confession. A wrong confession is a confession of defeat, of failure, and of the supremacy of Satan. They are always talking about what a time they are having with the devil- what a battle they are having- what all they’re going through- how the devil is keeping them from success- keeping them sick- holding them in bondage. And as long as they talk like that, according to what Jesus said, that is what they are going to have. I know folks wouldn’t do it if they really knew what they were doing, but that kind of confession is an unconscious declaration that God Our Heavenly Father is a failure. God is not a failure! Defeat is not of God. When you talk about defeat you’re talking about the works of the devil. God did not intend that the church should be defeated. He said that the Gates of hell would not prevail against the church! (see Mathew 16:18). FAITH DEMANDS EXPRESSION AND TESTIMONY Testimony is a part of a faith life. If you want to develop robust faith- then continually to you. The less you talk about it, the less real. tell what the Lord is doing for you. The more you talk about it, the more real be becomes Faith is like love. It lives and finds his joy in the continual confession of it. In, the natural the more a husband and a wife confess their love for each other, the more it grows. If you’ll notice carefully the life of Jesus, you’ll find that from the beginning of his public ministry until he is lead to the cross, he is ever confessing who he is…. What he is…. and His mission in life. For instance He said, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 16:28). This was a fourfold confession. It covers His life from the Incarnation to the Ascension. One of the boldness confessions Jesus made was, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14.9). What a bold confession! “If you want to see the Father, look on me.” In John 12 It is recorded that He said.
Let me say it again. Jesus constantly confessed Who He Is …. What He Is …. And His Mission In Life. “Yes”, someone might say, “but that was Jesus”. I know. And the Bible teaches that Jesus left us an example and that we should follow in His steps. You should constantly be confessing who you are. Oh no who you are physically- the son or daughter of John Doe who lives in such and such street. No! But who we’re to hold fast to.
We are children of God! Sons of God! We are heirs of God- joint-heirs with Christ! We joyfully confess our relationship with God. And in that way are we related to Him? We’re born of God. Children of God. He is our very own Father. We are His very own children. We dare to take our place as sons, and daughters of God, and confess that’s, who we are! FIND OUT WHAT GOD’S WORD SAY’S ABOUT YOU AND MAKE THAT YOU’RE CONFESSION This is only one suggestion about studying the Bible: As a Christian Bible believer read through the epistles and the N.T. – Primarily the epistles (The epistles, you see, are the letters written to the church, to the believer). As you read, look for all expressions such as, “In Christ”, “In Him”, “In Whom”, “Through Whom”, etc. With colored pencils underline these expressions. You will find approximately 140 such expressions, most of them in the epistles. Some of these however, don’t exactly tell you something you have “In Christ”. For Instance, Paul’s greeting in one Epistle Is, “I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”. That has the expression. “In Christ” but it doesn’t tell you anything that is yours because you are “In Christ”. You will also find other scriptures, which convey the same message, but do not use the specific phrases, In Him, etc. Yet they tell you, who you are, or what you are, or what you have, because you are “in Christ”. Now when you find these scriptures – write them down then meditate on them. Begin to confess them. Begin to say with your mouth. “This is who I am, and this is what I am and this is what I have, in Christ”. For, you see, faith’s confessions create realities. As far as God is concerned everything you have or are “in Christ” is so. He has done it. Everything the Bible says is ours, is ours legally. The Bible is a legal document, sealed with the blood of Jesus. However, it is your believing it and confessing it, which makes it a reality to you. God wants us to enjoy and know the reality of what he has provided for us – and his word tells us how to do it. As an example, we see that God has provided the new birth for us. His word, tell us how that providing salvation, becomes real to us. Even though we sometimes talk like this, “God saved so and so last night,” we know that from God’s view point. He didn’t just save that person the previous night. He saved him when Jesus was raised from the dead. The man just accepted his salvation “Last night” and the Redemption God had provided nearly 2000 years before, became a reality to him.
Jesus never has to do that again. He has already done it. The provision has been made. Romans 10:10 tell us how we obtain the reality of salvation in our individual lives.
It is always with the heart that man believes – and with the mouth he makes his confession unto. When you believe a thing in your heart and confess it with your mouth - then it becomes real to you. Faith’s confessions create realities. As you read some of the “In Christ”, “In Him”, “In Whom”, etc., scriptures, they won’t seem real to you. It may not seem as though you really have what these scriptures say you have in Him. But, if you will begin to confess with your mouth, because you do believe God’s word in your heart, “This is mine, this is who I am. This is what I have”, then it will become reality to you. It is already real in the spirit realm. But we want it to become real in the in this physical realm where we live in the flesh. So remember as you find these scriptures to:
Victory! Jesus is Lord
Rev. Wanderson Da Silva
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