But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:33 WEB
When we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, Christ is faithful to acknowledge us to our Father in heaven. In contrast, Jesus taught, “whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him.” On the day of judgment, Jesus promises to testify before God that he is our Savior when we accept him and profess with our mouths that he is Lord. Because of our profession of faith, through God’s divine grace, Jesus promises us eternity in heaven with the Father but for whoever denies him, Jesus warns of certain exclusion from the presence of God.
In addition to acknowledging Christ as Lord and Savior, scripture commands believers to test spirits to determine whether or not they are from God. 1 John 4:2-3 states, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. WEB”
Through the Holy Spirit, Christ lives within every believer. It follows then that each true believer testifies to the truth of Christ as God in the flesh. But the opposite is also true. Those who do not believe and those ruled by spiritual forces that do not come from God deny Jesus. Significantly Christ says, “whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father.” This is a fearful statement.
Faithful and Righteous to Forgive
Jesus makes clear that whoever denies him is condemned. However, understanding the complete gospel, we know that Peter denied Jesus three times. Does this mean that Peter is doomed to spend eternity in hell? The simple answer is no. Peter did not die while still in denial of Jesus. And as we read in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. WEB”
Although Peter denied Jesus in fear for his life, he repented of this grievance and spent his following years boldly proclaiming the truth of the gospel message. His panic driven denials, inspired by a spirit of fear that certainly did not come from God, did not persist. Saved by grace through faith in Christ, God forgives as many who turn from sin and believe. After witnessing the resurrected Christ, Peter spent the rest of his life acknowledging Jesus to others.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for accepting me for my simple faith. Thank you for your grace and mercy. Help me to always be strong in confessing my faith in Jesus. Give me wisdom to live in obedience to your word. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: To the Heavens
