As we continue in this series of articles on giving honor to Christ, we might ask ourselves how do we give honor? We understand from the first article that to honor Christ is to honor the Father. This should be our goal to honor God in all that we say and do.
In this article, we will learn that we are to honor Christ by making the good confession. Jesus, himself, acknowledged that he was the Christ: (Mark 14:61, 62) “but he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am, and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” It was for this confession he died. The apostle Peter made this confession in Matthew 16:16. After Christ had questioned his disciples on whom others said He was, and then whom did they believe Him to be, Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John made the good confession. In John 20:30-31, he states: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John wrote a whole book by inspiration to give evidence and support of the fact that Jesus was the Christ.
In Acts 8:36-37, the Ethiopian eunuch made the good confession after being taught about Jesus. He asked Philip, “Here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
As we have noticed how Jesus made this confession and died for it and how his apostles and those who believed on their teaching made this confession, it is imperative to know that to fail to confess Christ before men is to dishonor Christ. (Matt. 10:32-33) “Whosoever 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.”
Philippians 2:10-11 teaches that every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess the name of Christ. We should give Christ the honor and confess that he is the Son of God before that final day or else it will be too late. This is by no means all one has to do in order to be saved, but it is how we show our allegiance and willingness to be obedient to all of Christ’s commands.
Wayne Rodgers
