Mark Chen 1 hr · Edited · Dear brothers and sisters-in-Christ, Abba Father wants me to point out a false teaching that seems to be circulating among some believers. They teach that we dont need to publicly confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, as long as we believe Him in our hearts. To justify this teaching, they refer to Scriptures such as John 12:42. Based on their understanding of this particular Scripture, they claim that we dont have to worry about publicly confessing Jesus Christ as Saviour, as God sees our heart. However, they fail to quote the important continuing verse in John 12:43, which writes: For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. (NLT). This clearly shows us the true state of these Pharisees who believe that Jesus is the Christ, but were too afraid of what others will say or do to them, if they had publicly confessed Jesus as the Messiah. What does Gods Word say about this matter? Firstly, let us examine Romans 10:9-10, which tells us clearly that we are saved when we CONFESS WITH OUT MOUTH, Jesus is Lord,, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. For what the heart believes, the mouth must confess and declare in faith, in order that our faith comes forth from our heart through our public declaration of faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Did Jesus not say that what comes out of a persons mouth determines that persons condition of heart? Yes, for our speech reflects the thoughts and intents of our heart (Matthew 15:18). Hence, we see in John 12:43 that the Pharisees were cowardly and fearful before others, to the point that they dare not publicly confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Are they truly saved then? I would say that their salvation is highly doubtful, because of the following Scriptures which I wish to highlight below. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus reminds us that we should not fear men who can harm our body, but who cannot harm our soul. Instead, we should fear only God, who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell. The Lord tells us in Matthew 10:32-33 that those who publicly acknowledge Him, He will, likewise, acknowledge them before our heavenly Father. However, for those who disown Jesus before others, the Lord will also disown them before our Father in heaven. Indeed, Jesus warns us that those who are ashamed of Him and His Words, He will also be ashamed of them before the Father and His holy angels, when the Lord comes in His glory (Luke 9:26). Therefore, let us boldly confess and proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ, as we must not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Such wrong teaching based on a careless understanding of John 12:42 can lead to serious implications, as weak-minded believers or new believers may choose to conceal their faith in Jesus for the sake of their own comfort and security in the current state of increasing worldwide persecution of Christians (Matthew 24:9). It will certainly be very tempting for such believers to hide their faith in Christ, especially in the Great Tribulation, when the New World Order will hunt down Christians, arresting, imprisoning, and torturing them in order to force them to renounce Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and to willingly take the Mark of the Beast. People who believe this teaching are very likely to NOT confess their Christian faith publicly out of fear. Can we guess where that will lead them? Yes, it will lead them down the broad road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13), for they will be made to accept the Mark of the Beast. Once this happens, they will then be condemned to suffer in eternal punishment (Revelation 14:9-11). Let us not be misled nor deceived, for the enemy is throwing all kinds of devious half-truths at us, including messengers, at this late hour, in order that some of us may become deceived by the enemy, and unknowingly lead others away from Gods Truth. Even long-time Christians can be deceived if we are not careful to test every prophecy and teaching against the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22, Acts 17:11). I pray that God will help us to contend for the true faith and gospel that has been entrusted to us (Jude 1:3), for we are the light and salt of the world (Matt 5:13-16). Please understand that I have shared these thing here not to condemn anyone, but to show that Gods Word speaks differently than what some believers teach regarding John 12:42. Shalom! Mark Chen JOHN 12:42-43 (NASB) Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:06:10 +0000
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