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32 Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. ~ Matthew 10:32-33
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 10 where the Lord Jesus Christ is teaching His disciples about being a disciple. In this chapter we are given the summation of the greatest single section on discipleship in all of the Bible. It sums up everything the Lord wants us to know on the subject. Generally speaking the Lord Jesus said that discipleship involves an identification with Him. In today's chapter the Lord Jesus highlights the characteristics of His disciples: They know the message, they are growing at trusting the Lord more than themselves, and they are learning to fear God more than man.
In v.32 of today's passage we read, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven."
When we look to best understand this verse we must remember that the Lord Jesus was instructing His disciples about discipleship, not justification. He warned them that men would persecute and possibly even kill them. Yet, they were not to be afraid because, as believers who have been guaranteed heaven, they were bound for heaven no matter what pain they might experience here on this earth. The word "confesses" means "to own up to what is true" or "to say what is true" or "to agree with God." True discipleship comes only to those who own up to God the Father's definition of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Frances Chan once said, "Making disciples is all about seeing people transformed by the power of God’s Word. If you want to see that happen in others, you need to be experiencing such transformation yourself."
Now, when the Lord Jesus said that He would confess before the Father those who confessed Him and deny before the Father those who denied Him, He meant simply that. At the place where disciples are to be judged, the Judgment Seat of Christ, He will praise or confess before the Father those who consistently by their words and deeds confessed Him before men. However, disciples who failed to confess Him before men by their words and deeds will find that they will lack the rewards that they otherwise would enjoy in heaven.
In v.33 of today's passage we read, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."
It was Hudson Taylor who once said, "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered. It is a command to be obeyed." The Great Commission is a command for all believers in Christ to obey. But, since when has our obedience to God ever earned or maintain God's favor of us? No, it was at the cross of the Lord Jesus that our favor with God was procured. To think that we have to add to Christ's work on the cross for our justification before God is simply not biblical. Discipleship which happens in concert with our sanctification is different than our justification. While justification gets us into heaven, sanctification gets heaven into us now.
In 2 Timothy 2:11-13 we read, "11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
Again, we must interpret any passage by its context. These verses are found in an epistle which includes instructions for believers in Christ. The privilege of ruling with Christ in heaven is not guaranteed for every believer. If we endure in confessing Christ in our words and deeds, we will reign with Him. If we deny Him by our words and deeds, He will deny us that privilege of reigning with Him. The context of 2 Timothy 2:12 makes it clear that the Lord Jesus will deny faithless disciples to rule with Him in heaven. So, if we deny Christ by our words and deeds, He will deny us the opportunity to reign with Him. Confessing Christ may lead to persecution and loss now, but ultimately it leads to blessings and gain forever.
I close with a pertinent quote by Brennan Manning who said, "What makes authentic disciples is not visions, ecstasies, biblical mastery of chapter and verse, or spectacular success in the ministry, but a capacity for faithfulness. Buffeted by the fickle winds of failure, battered by their own unruly emotions, and bruised by rejection and ridicule, authentic disciples may have stumbled and frequently fallen, endured lapses and relapses, gotten handcuffed to the fleshpots and wandered into a far country. Yet, they kept coming back to Jesus."
