Confessing Christ Jesus
The Church is called to “confess Christ Jesus.” St. Paul states: "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" Romans 10. Jesus said: “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” Matthew 10.
Confessing Christ Jesus is what we do as the Church. Someone confessed for us at our Baptism. We made the confession of Christ Jesus at our confirmation which is a continuation of our Baptism. As I was working on this the idea of a “good confession” crossed my mind. Lo, and behold, I was led back to my confirmation verse given to me by Pastor Loren Vogler. It reads: “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" I Timothy 6.
The Church confesses Christ Jesus through its preaching, teaching, the administration of the Holy Sacraments and as it gathers around the Divine Service to “receive” the gifts of God. What a privilege to be part of a confessing community of believers we call the “Church.”
As we are sent forth by the benediction, we are sent back into the world where our baptismal life is lived out in service to our neighbor through our various vocations. We enter the Divine Service with the “invocation,” we are sent forth with the Divine Service to a life lived through “vocation” and service to others.
When we fail (sin), we return to our Baptism, confessing our sins, drowning the old Adam and being assured that our sins are forgiven. St. John states it so eloquently and concisely: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” I John 1.
What a privilege to believe and confess and live in the newness of life which is ours in Christ Jesus. What a joy we have to tell that message of Christ Jesus to others!
Rev. Dr. Dean Rothchild
Assistant to the District President
