"I believe, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
Take a second and think to yourself "What does the Good Confession mean to me?" Remember your answer. Is it important do you? Does it say something to you? Many today say there is no need of it today because it contains no faith at all. It does say a lot about our faith.
There are plenty of people in Scripture that have given this confession. It all started with Gabriel confessing Jesus to be the Son of God to Mary. Lk 1:34-35 God himself confessed Jesus was His Son. Mt 3:17 Then others followed, like Peter Mt 16:16; Timothy 1Ti 6:12; and even the Eunuch. Acts 8:37 It makes one question that if this confession is of no importance why did so many in scripture do it? We will see exactly what is in the statement and why it is important.
It consists of two statements. I would like to look at the latter and then the former. First, when we give this good confession we say that Jesus is the SON OF GOD or THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. This is to confess his deity and it is very important. Deity is defined as to be God; to rank or have the estate of a god; divine. The divine Sonship of Jesus cannot be denied in Scripture. It was prophesied in Psa 2:7; Isa 9:6. John the Immerser witnessed the fact of Jesus Sonship. Jn 1:34 So when we give our Good Confession we are not just offering lip service. We are witnessing to Jesus' Sonship.
Second, we confess Jesus is the CHRIST. In the Greek, the word Christ means the anointed. It is the same word as the Hebrew word Messiah. We read of three offices in Scripture that are to be anointed. They are the prophet, priest, and king.
PROPHET- Elisha was anointed 1Ki 19:16
PRIEST- Aaron was anointed Lev 8:12
KING- David was anointed 2Sam 2:4
Jesus fulfills all three!!
So It is obvious that the needs of mankind are what makes this confession so important. The true meaning of the good confession will meet all our needs.
Mankind needs a prophet because of our ignorance. Heb 1:1,2 People need the truth to banish false teachings. The Word of God will remove ignorance. Mankind really knows the truth about our origins and destiny from what God has revealed to us. Science claims to have a greater knowledge of our origins than God's Word but there are a lot of misconceptions in their theories.
Mankind needs a priest because of sin. Heb 1:3 Rom 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We need a mediator between us and God. We were utterly unable to approach a Holy God in our lost state. Jesus, the Christ, the son of the living God fixes all those problems that sin brought into our lives!
Mankind needs a king for an example. Heb 1:3 said, "…sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" We must have an example for us to follow. We need a king over our lives because history has proven we can’t successfully rule ourselves!
IN ALL THESE WAYS WE NEED GOD’S PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING!
So what does the Good Confession mean to you now? It means to acknowledge we are ignorant (in need of prophet), sinful (in need of a priest), and unable to successfully rule ourselves (in need of a king) and Christ alone can fulfill that in our lives!
It can all be summed up in Gal 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (king); and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God (prophet), who loved me and gave Himself for me(priest).
Today, show somebody you are following your king with your actions. Tell someone about your prophet that teaches the truth with you voice. Face the day with confidence with your attitude because your priest has atoned for your sins!
WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
Hear The Word- Rom 10:17; Acts 4:4
We Must Believe or Have Faith- Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31
We Must Repent- Lk 13:3; Acts 17:30
We Must Confess Christ Before Others- Mt 10:32; Acts 8:37
We Must Be Immersed Into Christ (Baptized)- 1Pe 3:21; Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38
We Must Remain Faithful- Rev 2:10; Acts 14:22
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