CONFESSION
In the process of becoming a Christian (as that term is defined and used in the New Testament), following one’s belief in Christ and repentance, one must confess that Jesus Christ is Deity—the Son of God. Confession of faith in Christ is as essential to one’s salvation as is one’s belief in Christ and repentance of sins. It is one of the essential steps one takes in traveling the path leading one to becoming a Christian.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9, 10). In this passage Paul is speaking to Christians about the obligations of non-Christians to confess their faith in Christ in order for them to become Christians. Becoming a Christian requires one to say with one’s mouth what the conviction of one’s heart is, namely, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Phil. 2:11). This is a public statement of one’s complete allegiance to Christ and all that such trust and confidence in Christ implies. In other words, one’s confession of Christ, based on gospel teaching, states that one has truly placed complete trust and confidence in Jesus in all things, repented of all past sins, and is ready to live for Christ the rest of one’s life (Luke 6:46; 1 Cor. 15:58; Rev. 2:10; Col. 3:17).
Paul said that “confession is made unto salvation,” meaning that such a person has taken another step toward salvation. If one is unwilling to confess before men that Christ is the Son of God, one is not ready to become a Christian. As Jesus said, “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” (Mat.10:32, 33). One denies Christ when one refuses to confess Him to be the only Begotten Son of God. Thus, to confess Christ scripturally means that one is ready to obey Jesus in all things, that one has truly placed one’s trust and confidence in Christ as the Bible teaches, that one has turned from the habitual practice of all sin, and has determined to obey Christ in all things no matter the cost to oneself (Luke 14:33). Remember, Jesus asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)? Confession of faith in Christ is a condition of salvation that follows one’s belief in Christ and repentance of sins in becoming a child of God. However, confession of one’s faith in Christ alone will not save one from sin.