Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, He confronted believers who would not confess Him because they loved the praise of men (cf. John 12:42-43). He reminded them that He was the Savior and that His word would judge them in the last day (vs. 47-48). Consequently, their cowardly faith was unbelief.

            “… With the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). The confession of the Lord Jesus is an essential component to being saved (vs. 9). An acceptable, verbal declaration of Jesus is rooted in the conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord and the Son of God. Simon Peter confessed his faith in Jesus by testifying who Jesus is (cf. Matthew 16:16; John 6:69). Unwillingness to affirm that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is an impediment to salvation because it is a manifestation of an unbelieving heart.

            Public confession of faith is truly a test of an individual’s realization of God and Christ and confidence in them. A refusal to confess indicates that a person is not wholly convicted of the Sonship and Lordship of Jesus, or he is ashamed to declare allegiance because he seeks man’s approval more. The parents of the man born blind, whom Jesus healed, chose to keep fellowship with the Jewish synagogue rather than confessing Jesus to be the Christ and then be put out of the synagogue as a result (cf. John 9:22). They did not have the same confidence in Jesus as their son, although the evidence was undeniable.

            Jesus promised to confess to His Father in heaven the names of those who confess Him before men (Matthew 10:32). Having your name confessed before God denotes fellowship. The names of Christians, who do not defile their garments but overcome, are written in the Book of Life and confessed to the heavenly Father (Revelation 3:4-5). Prior to being baptized, the Ethiopian was unashamed to confess his conviction and confidence in Jesus Christ because He is the Son of God who saves those who call upon Him (cf. Acts 8:37). Consider the fact that the Lord Himself confesses those who confess Him. What hinders you from confessing faith in Jesus?