Every Tongue Shall Confess

I have entitled our message this morning “Every Tongue Shall Confess,” and I will be discussing the subject of our “confession.” Our confession is a common theme found in the New Testament, and that’s because it is significant to our Christian walk. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is called our confession, for one thing. Hebrews 3:1 declares, “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,” and then Hebrews 4:14 states, “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” So, what exactly does confession, or confessing, have to do with one’s faith in Jesus Christ?

I want to begin by defining the word “confession.” First of all, the word “confess” means, “to own [up to] a crime, a fault, [or] charge” and “to disclose faults, or the state of the conscious.”(1) In The New Bible Dictionary, a biblical understanding of confession “means to declare publicly a personal relationship with and allegiance to God. It is an act of open joyful commitment made to God in the presence of the world, by which a congregation or individuals bind themselves in loyalty to God or Jesus Christ.”(2) We also read in The New Bible Dictionary that the “biblical use of the word appears to reflect the language of ancient treaties where a vassal agrees to the terms of the covenant . . . and binds himself by an oath to be loyal.”(3) So, our confession is an oath made unto to God; and an oath of loyalty to Jesus Christ.

This morning I wish to emphasize that confessing, or confession, is a vital first step in receiving eternal life through Jesus Christ. We go nowhere without confessing. I also want us to see, as the title of our message conveys, that every tongue, or each and every individual on this planet, will one day confess unto God that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether we believe in Him or not, and whether we like it or not. Now that I’ve gained your attention, let’s begin this topical message by looking at Romans 10:9-11.

Confessing Jesus Leads to Life (Romans 10:9-11)

9 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

We see here the word “confess” and we are told that if we confess the Lord Jesus and believe in Him with all of our heart that we will be saved; or rather, we will gain eternal life. The first point I want us to understand is that “confessing Jesus leads to life.” Confessing Jesus is a requirement for salvation. I want to share with you a few reasons why we should confess the name of Jesus and how it should be done; but before I do, I first want to point out something we need to consider.

Many people fail to give their life to Christ because they are angry with God, and they reason, “Why would a loving God send someone to hell?” The thing is, God doesn’t send people to hell. We send ourselves to hell by our failure to confess Jesus as Savior and Lord of our life. Max Lucado says, “The only contribution you make to your righteousness is your own confession and admission of sin.”

So, what are some reasons why we should confess Jesus? First and foremost, confessing Jesus brings glory to God. 2 Corinthians 9:13 says, “They glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ.” Secondly, confessing is an important principle to belief and understanding. Whenever we read a book, there’s a noticeable difference in what we remember when we read the book silently versus reading it aloud. When we read aloud there are more senses involved, and this helps us with memory retention. Also, what we speak with our mouth reinforces our mind. The Lord wants us to confess the name of Jesus aloud in order for us to really comprehend the decision we’re making, and to reinforce and strengthen the faith that lies behind our confession.

The second point we need to realize is that “our confession should be before others.” In 1 Timothy 6:12 we are told, “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.” There is no set number of people that we must confide in when we make our confession of faith. We read in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” So, a worship service can consists of as few as two people, and all that’s required of us is to confess before those who are present, whenever the Lord calls us to surrender our lives to Him.