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CHAPTER 7
POSITIVE CONFESSION
Introduction
Positive confession is a biblical truth. Like any other
truth, it can be MISUSED on the one hand, or MALIGNED on the
other. The important thing is to accept all biblical truth,
including positive confession. Then, it is vital to walk in
the light of all truth.
Confession as Diagnosis
Since HOMOLOGEO means to agree with God in one's speech,
what does it mean when we discover that one is not "saying
the same thing" that God says? It means two things: (1) one
needs correction in that particular area and (2) one has a
decision to make: one must change and agree with God.
By listening to oneself and comparing one's confession
with the Word of God, one can diagnose his own spiritual
pathology. Then, with God's help, he can begin a course of
treatment.
The logical progression of God's work in the Christian
begins with GOD himself. Then God speaks, producing THE WORD
OF GOD. The believer LISTENS to God's Word, then BELIEVES
God's Word. Next, the believer THINKS in line with God's
Word, then SPEAKS in line with God's Word, and finally, the
believer ACTS in line with God's Word.
"God said it, I believe it, that settles it," is a pop-
ular saying. A more accurate way of stating that principle
is, "God settled all truth in eternity. God spoke the truth
through his Son and in his Written Word and I believe it."
Receiving the Word of God into the heart produces New Testa-
ment faith:
. . .faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ.
(Romans 10:17).
Unless one is deliberately being a hypocrite, what he says
comes from his heart. It is his faith speaking. Jesus said,
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say
anything good? For out of the overflow of the
heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good
things out of the good stored up in him, and the
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored
up in him. But I tell you that men will have to
give account on the day of judgment for every
careless word they have spoken. For by your words
you will be acquitted, and by your words you will
be condemned. (Matthew 12:34-37, NIV).
Salvation and Confession
Confession is essential in our salvation. We are jus-
tified by faith. (See chapter one). We are kept justified
by faith. The writer of Hebrews tells us to maintain that
confession or profession of faith:
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23,
NIV).
As we continue to believe, we continue to confess our faith
in Christ.
Christian Walk and Confession
The Christian's speech is an essential part of his
life. Let us analyze some Christian roots of confession as
found in some of the Old Testament saints.
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES.
JOSHUA AND CALEB. Joshua and Caleb were two of the twelve
spies sent out by Moses to gather intelligence from Canaan.
[Adapted from Kenneth E. Hagin, "Confession Brings Posses-
sion" [Cassette Tape] (Tulsa: Kenneth Hagin Ministries,
n.d.)]. Before they were sent, God told Moses that he was
going to give Canaan to Israel:
The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to
explore the land Canaan, which I am giving to the
Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of
its leaders." (Numbers 13:1-2, NIV).
This word from God was received into the hearts of Joshua
and Caleb whereas the other ten chose to believe what their
senses and mere human reason told them instead of the word
of God. Israel believed the majority report, which in this
case was not right.
Joshua and Caleb's confession was:
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and
said, "We should go up and take possession of the
land, for we can certainly do it." (Numbers 13:30,
NIV)
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who
were among those who had explored the land, tore
their clothes and said to the entire Israelite
assembly, "The land we passed through and explored
is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with
us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing
with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only
do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be
afraid of the people of the land, because we will
swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but
the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."
(Numbers 14:6-9, NIV).
The other ten spies and Israel rebelled against God by re-
jecting God's word and accepting "common sense":
But the men who had gone up with him said,
"We can't attack those people; they are stronger
than we are." And they spread among the Israelites
a bad report about the land they had explored.
They said, "The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of
great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the de-
scendents of Anak come from the Nephilim). We
seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we
looked the same to them."
That night all the people of the community
raised their voices and wept aloud. All the
Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and
the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had
died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD
bringing us to this land only to let us fall by
the sword? Our wives and children will be taken
as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go
back to Egypt? And they said to each other, "We
should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."
(Numbers 13:31-14:4. NIV).
From a military analysis, Israel was no match for the
Canaanites. However, Israel as a whole discounted both the
Word of God and his faithfulness. His faithfulness to
Israel had already been proven by his past protection and
providence through miracles.
God rewarded everyone according to his own faith and
resulting confession. That generation of Israelites said that
they could not conquer and enter Canaan and they did not.
Joshua and Caleb both said that they were able to conquer
and enter Canaan and they did, even though they had to wait
until the present generation of Israelites died in the wil-
derness. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
"So tell them [the Israelites] `As surely as I
live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very
things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies
will fall--every one of you twenty years old or
more who was counted in the census and who has
grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter
the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your
home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son
of Nun. (Numbers 14:28-30, NIV).
DAVID AND GOLIATH. The familiar fight between David and
Goliath also has an important lesson about "saying the same
thing that God says." David was a teenager with little or no
training as a soldier. Goliath had been trained from his
youth as a soldier and was a combat veteran. Goliath was a
giant and had full fighting equipment, including a shield-
bearer.
Goliath believed in himself and what he said was based
on his past experience:
He [Goliath] looked David over and saw that he
was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despis-
ed him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you
come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine curs-
ed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and
I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and
the beasts of the field." (1 Samuel 17:42-44,
NIV).
David likewise had something to say. Through his past
experience he knew that God was faithful and he knew that it
was the will of God that this enemy of Israel be defeated:
David said to the Philistine, "You come
against me with sword and spear and javelin, but
I come against you in the name of the LORD
Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you
over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off
your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the
Philistine army to the birds of the air and the
beasts of the earth, and the whole world will
know that there is a God in Israel. All those
gathered here will know that it is not by sword or
spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the
LORD's, and he will give all of you into our
hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47, NIV).
David's confession was quite a proclamation for a young
shepherd boy. Someone today might be considered presumptuous
who made a statement like David's. The line between presump-
tion and faith is that faith is based on God's will.
Notice that David believed God, confessed his faith and
acted out his faith. Then, God brought his will to pass--
David received what he said.
ABRAHAM AND ISAAC. God appeared to Abraham and told him to
offer Isaac as a burnt offering:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said
to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of
Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
Early the next morning Abraham got up and
saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his
servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut
enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for
the place God had told him about. On the third
day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the
distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here
with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.
We will worship and then we will come back to
you."
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself
carried the fire and the knife. As the two of
them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to
his father Abraham, "Father?"
"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.
"The fire and the wood are here," Isaac said,
"but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide
the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the
two of them went on together.
When they reached the place God had told him
about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged
the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid
him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he
reached out his hand and took the knife to slay
his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to
him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do
not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear
God, because you have not withheld from me your
son, your only son."
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he
saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and
took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering
instead of his son. So Abraham called that place
[YAHWEH-YIREH] The LORD Will Provide. And to this
day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it
will be provided."
The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from
heaven a second time and said, "I swear by myself,
declares the LORD, that because you have done this
and have not withheld your son, your only son, I
will surely bless you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand
on the seashore. Your descendants will take
possession of the cities of their enemies, and
through your offspring all nations on earth will
be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Genesis
22:1-18, NIV).
From the first time God promised Isaac to Abraham and
Sarah, they had to wait twenty-five years. (Joshua had to
wait forty years and Noah had to wait one hundred twenty
years until God's word was fulfilled--faith looks to God and
not the calendar. However, one must not be discouraged--it
usually does not take this long for prayers to be answered!)
Abraham's faith was severely tried during the three day
trek to Mount Moriah. The command of God seemed to contra-
dict the nature of God. (God commanded not to offer human
sacrifices. Jesus was the only human sacrifice he ever
required and he raised Jesus from the grave on the third
day). Yet Abraham had the promise of God that, ". . .through
Isaac your descendants shall be named." (Genesis 21:12,
New American Standard Bible).
Abraham's faith was revealed in his speech to his
servants:
He said to his servants, "Stay here with the
donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will
worship and then we will come back to you."
(Genesis 22:5, NIV).
Some have wondered if Abraham were lying again as he did
previously concerning Sarah. The writer of Hebrews sets our
minds at ease:
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offer-
ed Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the
promises was about to sacrifice his one and only
son, even though God had said to him, "It is
through Isaac that your offspring will be reckon-
ed." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the
dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive
Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19, NIV).
Abraham placed God first in his life by not sparing his son
Isaac. His speech demonstrated his faith in God. [For a
more full treatment of this story of Abraham, see the "First
Commandment" in John E. Russell, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
(Garden City, MO: Russell Communications, 1995).]
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES.
THE WOMAN WITH A HEMORRHAGE. Moving to the New Testament,
we see an excellent example of a woman who had an "incura-
ble" disease:
And a woman was there who had been subject to
bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a
great deal under the care of many doctors and had
spent all she had, yet instead of getting better
she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she
came up behind him in the crowd and touched his
cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his
clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleed-
ing stopped and she felt in her body that she was
freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone
out from him. He turned around in the crowd and
asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
"You see the people crowding against you,"
his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, `Who
touched me?'"
But Jesus kept looking around to see who had
done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happen-
ed to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembl-
ing with fear, told him the whole truth. He said
to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go
in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark
5:25-34, NIV).
Before coming to Jesus, she said to herself that if she
could just touch Jesus' clothing, she would be healed. Her
confession was silent, but GOD heard her faith speaking.
Possibly the enemy and the angels heard, too. Sometimes it
is not wise to make a confession of faith openly. (1) She
was ceremonially unclean and was supposed to be segregated;
(2) She was a woman; and (3) She would have to fight crowds
--quite a few obstacles to overcome. Some may not have
understood if she had spoken out loud. The beautiful story
ends with her being healed. She received what she said.
JESUS AND LAZARUS. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the
dead, Jesus made quite a bold statement:
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus look-
ed up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have
heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I
said this for the benefit of the people standing
here, that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud
voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out,
his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,
and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave
clothes and let him go." (John 11:41-44, NIV).
Jesus confession was that the Father had heard (past tense)
him. Jesus was speaking as though Lazarus had already been
raised from the dead! He was "practicing what he preached,"
because he had just told Martha that if she believed, she
would see. Most people practice this in reverse: they be-
lieve AFTER they see, because they have not listened to God.
PAUL AND GLORIFICATION. One of the boldest statements Paul
makes is the ultimate confession of faith. HE SPEAKS AS
THOUGH HE WERE ALREADY GLORIFIED!
And those he predestined, he also called; those he
called, he also justified; those he justified, he
also GLORIFIED [Italics Mine]. (Romans 8:30, NIV).
Ralph Earle comments on EDOXASE (glorified) in this passage.
First, he quotes Denney and then concludes in a single
sentence:
. . .Denney declares: "The tense in the last word
is amazing. It is the most daring anticipation of
faith that even the N.T. contains" (EGT, 2:652)
[EXPOSITOR'S GREEK TESTAMENT (5 Vols.; Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d.)] In the divine fore-
knowledge our glorification is already seen as an
event accomplished. [Ralph Earle, ThD, WORD MEAN-
INGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: ROMANS Vol. 3. (Kansas
City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1974), pp. 167-168].
Paul's confession reached way into the future, where he
would be glorified. He so believed God's word that he spoke
as though he were already glorified, that is, that his sal-
vation were already completed. To God, it was. To Paul, it
was. Therefore, it is biblical to say that Christians are
"saved."
Christians are usually taught that they have been (1)
Justified (have been saved); (2) Sanctified (are being
saved) and (3) Glorified (will be saved). Paul exceeded
this teaching by proclaiming that he WAS glorified!
Conclusion
If one listens to God, he will talk like God, that is,
he will say the same thing that God says. A diagnosis of
one's faith can be made through his speech. The prognosis
is good if one will accept scriptural correction. The pre-
scription is the Word of God.
As one internalizes the Word, speaks the Word and acts
on the Word, he becomes conformed more and more to the
image of Christ. Self-esteem will rise correspondingly.
ASSIGNMENT: MEDITATE ON THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS CHAPTER.
END
