“Confession Is Good For The Soul” What Is The Good Confession?

1 Timothy 6:12-14 “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Introduction Confession is good for the soul. While many confuse this saying with something found in the Bible, the Bible does seem to agree with this statement. There are different types of confessions in the Bible. We will focus upon only one:

The Good Confession This is that which Timothy had made. What was involved in what Timothy had done? Fight the good fight Take hold of eternal life To which you were called AND made the good confession

The Good Confession Sometimes, we need to be reminded of what we once did by our confession. We need to live up to that promise we made to God. We need to remember where our allegiance is focused. This needs to be done every day of our life.

The Good Confession Was spoken by Timothy in the presence of many witnesses. Whether there were many or a few witnesses before your baptism does not really matter that much. What matters is that we continue confessing the name of Jesus daily and before all. In the text, the many probably consisted of Christians, and that is a good place to make the confession.

The Good Confession The confession can also be made to hostile witnesses. Pilate and governing authorities. Confessing Christ has dire consequences in some places of the world, and may be in this country before long. Jesus Christ testified the good confession before Pilate.

The Good Confession What was said before Pilate? Christ claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ. Christ claimed to be a King. Christ had claimed to be Deity. Jesus claimed to be equal to God. Jesus claimed a kinship to God. Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.

The Good Confession Spoken by the Ethiopian eunuch as a confession of faith in the Christ as his Savior. This faith must be sincere and from the heart. Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

The Good Confession But faith alone is not sufficient, confession must be made before witnesses. This confession precedes baptism. We must live a life consistent with our declaration of faith, and submission to God’s commands.

The Good Confession Our life must reflect an influence of God and Jesus and especially the work of the Holy Spirit, the Bible as our guide. Our behavior needs to be consistent with the teachings and principles of the Bible. We flee sin and lusts which can keep us out of heaven. We follow after: righteous, godliness, faith, etc

The Good Confession It continues our whole lifetime as revealed by how we live in this world. We continue this confession by our prayers, singing and worship, and receiving the instructions that are critical to living faithful. We confess Him, when we stand for the truth and fight the good fight. We confess Him, when we share the Gospel with others.

The Good Confession Confession cost Jesus His life, But that was God’s plan. It has cost others their lives throughout history, and even in some countries today. While we may not lose our lives by confession, we may suffer persecution of different sorts. Nevertheless, we must hold to our confession, no matter what, and at all cost.

Conclusion What greater statement can we make than to declare Jesus Christ our Lord and King. We are looking for salvation, and by declaring the great gospel, we can help others find it. Is anyone ready to confess the name of Jesus and become a Christian by baptism? Is anyone in need of re-commitment, to confess again and be restored to a right relationship with Christ and God.