Confessing Christ by A. J. Gordon, D. D.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 17, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 48.

Confessing Christ.

By A. J. Gordon, D. D.

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Mark you, it is the Lord Jesus and his resurrection from the dead which is here specified as the subject of confession. And this confession is made by the mouth. It is most interesting to observe how minute and specific the declaration of God is concerning the way of life. "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." "Faith cometh by hearing," and so it is that grace enters into the heart by way of ear-gate. But confession comes by speaking, and therefore its declaration must go through mouth-gate.

There is an old cannon in existence which was once used by the Scottish covenanters. On its brazen lips are inscribed these words, "O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise." There seems to be something of the same martial tone in the words of the apostle: "Fight the good fight of faith;" "Confess a good confession." Bombard the forts of unbelief by a volley of testimonies. The open mouth of a Christian is a port-hole of the Spirit of God, which Satan is especially anxious to close. If he can only spike the guns of the young believer, so that he shall not speak for Christ, he has practically conquered him. He has silenced him, which is half the battle, since confession is one-half the condition of life eternal.

Now you can see, on a moment's reflection, why confession holds so important a place in the fact of conversion. In the first place, confession is the development of faith. A good teacher will sometimes say to his pupils, "You don't know a thing till you tell it." It is precisely so with faith. A belief unconfessed is only half a belief. It may develop into a conviction, or it may subside into an unbelief. You cannot determine as yet. The only way to insure its continuance is to tell it out. It is faith, indeed, by which we are justified; but faith that is not confessed is not faith. The bird is in the egg. But unless it breaks the shell, and opens its wings, and flies heavenward, it will soon perish. And so faith, if it remains only a latent, undeveloped thing, must soon cease to be. It is just as true that faith without words is dead, as that faith without works is dead.

And then, besides, a lip confession gives a certain irrevocableness to our faith. A secret faith I can retract at any moment I choose to do so. It is in my own hands as yet, to do as I please with. I can publish it or suppress it, as I like. But not so when I have confessed it before others. Then it has gone into words, and taken wings to itself, and I can never recall it. Words are the most irrevocable of things. My thoughts, though they are swifter than the lightning, I can yet overtake and bring home again. For so long as they are only thoughts, they have not gone out of my keeping. I still have bit and bridle upon them, and can rein them in, and take them back. But my words are not mine. They have gone into other ears, and have been recorded in other memories. I have put them out of my keeping. And this I believe to be one principal reason why the Lord requires a confession of our faith. Such confession binds us. It has gone on record. It has become common property. I cannot take it back. It is like a letter dropped into the mail-box. Now it is in my power; but the moment it has passed from my hand, and entered that narrow aperture, it has gone into the public mail, and I cannot recall it.—A. J. Gordon, D. D., in Golden Rule.