THE THREE C’S OF SALVATION
PART 2 - CONFESSION
Romans 10:8-13
INTRODUCTION: We have stated that the biblical formula for salvation is conviction plus confession plus conversion equals salvation. Simply put the design of true salvation consists of conviction leading to confession followed by conversion. When the Holy Spirit begins to deal with us He starts with convicting us of our sinfulness. He causes us to see our sin for what it is and how it separates us from God. When we are convicted we must then deal with that conviction through confession. Without conviction, confession would be meaningless. Without conviction without confession is useless. In our previous message we dealt with conviction, today we look at confession. The two primary passages in the word of God that deal with confession are Romans 10:9-10 and 1 John 1:9. One primarily deals with confession in relation to salvation, that is becoming a Christian, a child of God, and the other primarily in relation to sanctification, living as a child of God. Both, however, have application to every single one of us. Remember, as I have said, the pattern conviction plus confession plus conversion is for both salvation and sanctification.
I. What does confession mean?
A. The Greek words translated "confess" is homologeo. It means to assent or acknowledge.
B. Confess - It literally means to "speak what agrees with something which another speaks or maintains."
C. Confession expresses our "agreement or concord with what God holds to be true, and what he declares to be true."
D. Confession means to agree or acknowledge fully.
II. What does it mean to confess the Lord Jesus?
A. Romans 10:9-10 "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
B. If to confess is to "to say the same thing as another says or maintains", then confession of the Lord Jesus is to be in agreement or concord with Who Christ is and what he declares to be true.”
C. This "extends to all his declarations about our lost estate, our sin, and need of a Savior; to his doctrines about his own nature, holiness, and law; … about the necessity of a change of heart and holiness of life; and about the grave and the judgment; about heaven and hell." - Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible Albert Barnes (1798-1870)
D. It is acknowledging the truth of who Jesus Christ is. - John 8:24 "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."
E. It is seeing and admitting to yourself and to God your sin, your hopeless condition. – Romans 3:10-12 "As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."
F. Further, it is declaring your acceptance and agreement of Jesus Christ as Lord, the Supreme authority and Controller of your life. It is acknowledging your need for the redemption offered by Jesus Christ.
G. Confessing Christ as Lord means allowing Him to have absolute dominion over every part of your life and being.
H. Note the phrase "with thy mouth." denoting a willingness to make a public declaration or assent of your acceptance of these things and to be identified with Christ.
I. Luke 12:8-9 "Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God."
J. There are several ways in which this public confession is to be made.
1. Baptism
a. Baptism is usually one’s initial public enactment of a individual’s profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward decision to align oneself with Christ and what He lived and died for. It is the first act of obedience of the Christian life, followed by a lifetime of commitment to do all things as Jesus would do.
b. Acts 2:41 (NKJV) "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
c. Water baptism is a picture and public testimony of spiritual realities. I seriously question the reality of one’s salvation who is not willing to submit to baptism.
d. A faith that cannot be tested – cannot be trusted. A faith that fails the test is not real. It true faith is there, obedience will result.
2. Obedient living
a. Obedience, therefore, is one form of confession, and can never be rendered without distinguishing those who yield it as the followers of Christ.
b. In his epistle, James declares that there is a difference between mere assent and true confession of a vital faith.
c. James 2:17-18 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
d. Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
e. "You cannot hide a city set on a hill, nor can you hide a noble, worthy, steadfast Christian life." – W.A. Criswell
3. Verbal Testimony
a. A court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) once said to a jury that the case was so perfectly plain favoring his client that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing it. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict against him. Samuel Hoar was astonished! "How," he asked, "could you have reached such a verdict?" The foreman replied, "The fact is sir, we all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it and as you didn’t say anything, we concluded to render a verdict against you." How often effective testimony for Christ is lost because the one who should give it concludes there is no need of it, while the one who would hear it because of the silence concludes that it is of no importance. – (Walter B. Knight, Knight’s Master Book of New Illustration, Eerdman’s © 1956)
b. Occasions frequently occur in which Christians are called upon to declare the truth and to take a stand for it against acquaintances and antagonists.
c. A few years ago at USC there was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn’t exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him (you’ll see what I mean later). Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation. At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to the class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" In twenty years, nobody ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove he is God, and yet he can’t do it." And every year he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. All of the students could do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students were convinced that God couldn’t exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years they had been too afraid to stand up. Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major. And he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped. Finally, the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the room. The professor shouted, "YOU FOOL! If nothing I have said all semester has convinced you that God doesn’t exist, then you are a fool! If God existed, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. And as it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, unbroken. The professor’s jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God’s love for them and of his power through Jesus. "Yet to all who received HIM, to those who believed in HIS name, HE gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of GOD." "But HE knows the way that I take, when HE has tested me, I will come forth as gold." – copied
III. What does it mean confession of sin?
A. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
B. If we Confess – if we acknowledge and assent to our sins - denial of sin protects, preserves, perpetuates that sin!
C. Confession is not merely a mental understanding of the fact that a sin has been committed that is being asked for - even the demons understand on some level that they have violated God’s commands (they just don’t really care). Confession is not just a mental assent to having sinned or acknowledgement of your sin.
D. Confession does not mean rendering lip service, or mouthing deeds with vain repetition. It means calling sin for what it is – sin.
E. Likewise confession is not an announcement. It is easy to say "I have sinned but…" and then seek to justify or whitewash our sins.
F. Consider Adam and Eve in the garden after disobeying God. God confronts Adam who basically states. "I sinned. I disobeyed. But it’s not MY fault; it’s THAT WOMAN YOU gave me." God turns to Eve who says, "Yes I sinned and dragged Adam into it; but it’s not MY fault. It was THAT SNAKE in the grass."
G. Confession of sin means owning up to it and seeing it as God sees it.
H. A true confession is a complete admission of guilt. No rationalizing, no blaming.
I. It should be further noted that in 1 John 1:9 the plural "sins" indicates that the confession is to be specific as well as general.
J. Confession is necessary for fellowship. Sin builds a barrier between us and God. Erwin W. Lutzer (1941- )
K. Confession puts us on the same page with God about our sins.
L. Proverbs 28:13 (MKJV) "He who covers his sins shall not be blessed; but whoever confesses and leaves them shall have mercy."
All Scripture unless marked are quote from the Authorized King James Version
(NKJV) New King James Version, © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
(MKJV) Modern King James Version, © 1962-1998 by Jay P. Green, Sr. Used by permission. All rig
