David said, "I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed" (Psalm 119:46). And so from the long ago comes evidence of the necessity of declaring one's faith. By speaking of the testimonies of God before kings, David shows that he was not ashamed of his God. Jesus also said, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).

Are you ashamed for others to know that you are a Christian? Have you ever been ashamed to stand up and support the faithful teaching of God's word when it was being opposed? Have you ever been ashamed to stand with and acknowledge a faithful servant of God who was standing against error and contradictions? The stern condemnation of such spiritual cowardice was designed to show that the salvation of mankind is based upon such a confession. That blood bought body, the church of Christ has as its very foundation the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus said:

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matt 10:32-33).

By inspiration, the apostle Paul taught:

That 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom 10:9-10).

When Peter confessed what the Father in Heaven had revealed to him by saying to Jesus: ". . . Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus' response to Peter was, "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). And when the Ethiopian eunuch requested baptism, Philip the evangelist said, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." The eunuch's response was, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37). And so God ordained that all of mankind should begin their service to Him by declaring that Jesus Christ was His own Son.

Every member of the Lord's church is acquainted with that confession, or acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This confession is not to be confused with the confession of sin which is a part of repentance. The confession with the mouth that is made unto salvation is that acknowledgement of Christ as the Son of God. But how many of our brethren have considered the actual power that confession has to deliver us from temptation situations?

You're on the job, and someone urges you to listen to an ungodly story. You say, "No thanks, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." He'll never bother you again. A young Christian woman is out on a date with a man she thought to be a Christian, but he begins to take liberties with her. She tells him, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." She may have to walk home but he'll not bother her again.

Yes, the beloved apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to:

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).

In your lifetime there will be many witnesses to your life. After you have made that confession unto salvation and have been baptized into Christ, may you have the courage to confess Christ daily and not be ashamed of Him.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, remember that He was not ashamed to die for you. Will you not live for Him today?

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