Confess Jesus Christ Before Men

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Confess Jesus Christ Before Men

By R. Keith Calvert

Matthew 10:30 "Therefore whoever confesses (acknowledge or make a covenant) Me before men, him I will also confess (acknowledge or make a covenant) before My Father in heaven." Our Lord, Savior and Elder Brother Jesus Christ wants us to always acknowledge and stay in agreement (covenant) with Him because He is perfect in every way and wants us to be like Him in our thoughts, attitude and conduct.

Matthew 28: 18,19,20 "Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Verse 19 becomes more clear by rendering it "Go therefore and make disciples in all nations" instead of all nations. God's perspective of events is entirely different from man, in time disciples will be made of all nations but not now. The foundation of effective teaching about Jesus Christ and God the Father is the conduct of the teacher (Matthew 23:3). The disciples lived among the people that they were teaching so that people could see that their conduct was the same as their verbal teaching. They went into all the nations of the Roman Empire at that time and lived and taught Gods way of life. After their death they are still teaching all nations through their inspired words in the new testament. Studies have shown that the vast majority of people in the western civilization are aware of the teaching that Christ was born, died and was resurrected to eternal life. However, until God opens the mind of all human kind only a very minuscule number will have significant understanding of His plan for mankind or can know how to live His way.

God tells us in 11John 4-11 how we are to confess Jesus Christ and not deny Him. "I rejoiced greatly that I Have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received from the Father. And Now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds." John points out that the doctrine of Christ is that we love one another and confess (acknowledge) Jesus Christ as having come in our flesh (Romans10:9). Our conduct clearly shows whether we confess or deny Christ.

The most effective way we as followers of Christ can teach others about Christ must be based on our conduct. 1Peter 3:13-17 states, "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." Notice three things that Christ with the help of his Holy Spirit expects of us. 1. Sanctify (purify or consecrate) the Lord God in our hearts. 2. Give a defense to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that is in us. 3. Have good conduct (works). There does not appear to be any indication that God requires us to go and make disciples in the same manner that the Apostles did. There is such a flood of false information constantly being taught about Christ that it is impossible to teach and make disciples through the mass media unless God chooses to perform such a miracle. Because of this prevailing attitude in our society we face the same barrier if we were to try to teach others who are not like minded. However, we are required to give an answer to anyone who asks us why we conduct ourselves the way that we do so that if God is opening their minds to His truth, they will be able to see the truth in us.