Identity crisis!
Part 4
V23 n41
Matthew 10:32-33, Everyone who will acknowledge
me before men, I will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven; and
whoever will disown me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
(Moffatt translation)
Matthew 10:32-33, 32 Whosoever therefore shall
confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in
heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before
my Father which is in heaven. KJV
Definition for shall confess: 3670 homologeo (hom-ol-og-eh'-o);from a compound of the base of 3674 and
3056; to assent, i.e. covenant, acknowledge: 1) to say the same thing as
another, that is, to agree with, to assent 2) to concede a) not to refuse, to
promise b) not to deny 1) to confess 2) to declare 3) to confess, that is, to
admit or declare oneself guilty of what one is accused of 3) to profess a) to
declare openly, to speak out freely b) to profess oneself the worshiper of one
4) to praise, to celebrate.
Definition for shall deny: 720 arneomai (ar-neh'-om-ahee);perhaps from 1 (as a negative particle)
and the middle voice of 4483; to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate: 1)
to deny 2) to deny someone, to deny oneself a) to disregard one's own interests
or to prove false to himself b) to act entirely unlike himself 3) to deny,
abnegate, abjure 4) not to accept, to reject, to refuse something offered.
The
Word of God must be a way of life for the believer every moment of every day;
this is what it means to be a Christian; this is what it means to confess him
before men. To not be ashamed of Him, or His gospel message. One must learn to
be an example of the believer at all times, and in all places, not when it
seems or appears to be convenient, or when it will work to our advantage among
other people. Thus one should be able to see, hear and comprehend that which
the Lord is stressing to us in the above verses.
Let’s
look at Adam Clarke’s comments on these two verses.
[Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men] That is, whosoever shall acknowledge me
to be the Messiah, and have his heart and life regulated by my spirit and
doctrine. It is not merely sufficient to have the heart right before God;
there must be a firm, manly, and public profession of Christ before men.
"I am no hypocrite," says one; neither should you be. "I will
keep my religion to myself," i. e. you will not
confess Christ before men; then he will renounce you before God.
We confess or own Christ when we own his doctrine, his
ministers, his servants, and when no fear hinders us from supporting and
assisting them in times of necessity.
But whosoever shall deny
me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
[Whosoever shall deny me] Whosoever prefers his worldly
interest to his duty to God, sets a greater value on earthly than on heavenly
things, and prefers the friendship of men to the approbation of GOD.
Let it be remembered, that to be renounced by Christ is
to have him neither for a Mediator nor Saviour. To appear before the tribunal
of God without having Christ for our Advocate, and, on the contrary, to have
him there as our Judge, and a witness against us,-- how can a man think of this
and not die with horror! (from Adam Clarke Commentary)
Let
us look at Matthew Henry’s comments on these same verses.
v. 32, 33. Note, First, It
is our duty, and if we do it, it will hereafter be our unspeakable honour and
happiness, to confess Christ before men.
It is our duty, not only to believe in Christ, but to
profess that faith, in suffering for him, when we are called to it, as well as
in serving him. We must never be ashamed of our relation to Christ, our
attendance on him, and our expectations from him: hereby the sincerity of our
faith, is evidenced, his name glorified, and others edified.
However this may expose us to reproach and trouble now,
we shall be abundantly recompensed for that, in the resurrection of the just,
when it will be our unspeakable honour and happiness to hear Christ say (what
would we more?) "Him will I confess, though a poor worthless worm of the
earth; this is one of mine, one of my friends and favourites, who loved me and
was beloved by me; the purchase of my blood, the workmanship of my Spirit; I
will confess him before my Father, when it will do him the most service; I will
speak a good word for him, when he appears before my Father to receive his
doom; I will present him, will represent him to my Father." Those who
honour Christ he will thus honour. They honour him before men; that is a poor
thing: he will honour them before his Father; that is a great thing. Secondly,
It is a dangerous thing for any to deny and disown Christ before men; for they
who so do will be disowned by him in the great day, when they have most need of
him: he will not own them for his servants who would not own him for their
master: I tell you, I know you not, <Mt 7:23>. In the first ages of
Christianity, when for a man to confess Christ was to venture all that was dear
to him in this world, it was more a trial of sincerity, than it was afterwards,
when it had secular advantages attending it. (from Matthew Henry's Commentary)
One
should be a partaker of the promise that is made available to us by, through
and in Christ, that is presented to us by His gospel message. (Eph 3:3-6) One
must be a partaker of His divine nature (2Pet 1:4), so that one may allow this
light of the glorious gospel of Christ to shine forth. (2Cor 4:6) To be a
partaker of His divine nature, is to allow the message that He has delivered to
us, to become alive within us, so that this ability of God that is within us by
the gift of Christ, will become a real and actual way of life for us. To be a
doer of the Word, and not a forgetful hearer.
After
all, if one is born again by the Spirit of God, they have received the measure
of faith, the measure of the gift of Christ. (Rom 12:3, Eph 4:7) Now, one must
not only hear this message of instructions that was delivered to us by the Word
of God, but they must adhere to it, and allow it to be an actual way of living
and life.
2 Pet 1:4, Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(KJV)
Definition for partakers: 2844 koinonos-1) a partner, associate, comrade,
companion 2) a partner, sharer, in anything .
Eph 3:6, That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs,
and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the
gospel: (KJV)
Definition for partakers in Eph 3:6:
4830 summetochos
(soom-met'-okh-os); a co-participant: partaker.
partaking together with one, a joint partaker.
Heb 3:14, For we are made partakers of
Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
(KJV)
Definition for partakers in Heb 3:14:
3348 metecho
(met-ekh'-o); from 3326 and 2192; to share or
participate; by implication belong to, eat (or drink): 1) to be or become
partaker 2) to partake.
One
has to identify themselves with Jesus Christ at all times, not just at certain
days or certain times of the year. Today, will you hear His voice, and allow
Him to come in and share the bread of life with you? Will you be identified
with Him?
That
you may know Him,
In
the service of Jesus Christ.
Larry
Gazelka
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© 2001 Built Anew Ministries all rights reserved