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CONFESSION. “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… Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.” I Tim. 6:12-13.
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CONFESSION “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… Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate.” I Tim. 6:12-13
Two Confessions Under Consideration • The first comes before our baptism, and is mentioned in I Tim. 6. • The second is a Christian talking to his Father about the weaknesses of life. • Or talking with a trusted advisor.
Confession Of Faith In Jesus • It is necessary – Romans 10:9-10; Matt. 10:32-33. • The content – I John 4:2-3; Phil. 2:11. • Example – Acts 8:37 • What prompts us – Matt. 16:17; Rom. 10:9. • What hinders us – fear (John 7:13; 12:42-44) false teachers (2 John7)
Confession of Sins • Confession of Jesus as Lord is ongoing. • So is confession of sin – I John 1:8ff. • Confession isn’t repentance, repentance should lead to confession to God. Acts 8:14-24 • Or perhaps to a trusted friend – James 5:15f • “Confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation.”
“We confess our little faults only to persuade others that we have no great ones.” • “Promiscuous confession to promiscuous gatherings is not healthy. There are some things which God deals with in His private office.” • “Protestantism needs to develop a better method of dealing with personal guilt than public confession of general sinfulness. There is a need to particularize the guilt to get definitely rid of the burden.”
Public Confession • We’ve always been taught, “Confession needs to be public if the sin is known to others.” • Not necessarily healthy… • But sometimes necessary… Do you need to make one of these confessions?