Jesus was honoring those who confess him

JESUS WAS HONORING THOSE WHO CONFESS HIM
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 12:8-9 8"I tell you, whoever publicly
acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9But
whoever disowns me before others will be disowned
before the angels of God.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Confessing Christ
Luke 12:8, 9
W. Clarkson
From these solemn words we gather -
I. THAT CHRISTIANITY CENTRESIN THE PERSON OF JESUS
CHRIST. Our Lord taught us much concerning ourselves - the inestimable
value of our spiritual nature; the realsource and spring of evil in our own
souls;the true excellencyof a human life; whom we should regardas our
neighbor, etc. But he taught us still more of himself - of his relations with the
Divine Father;of his essentialsuperiority even to the greatestamong
mankind; of his sorrow and his death on behalf of the human race;of his
mission to enlighten, to redeem, to satisfythe souls of men. And he not only

affirmed, but frequently and emphatically urged, the doctrine that, if we
would enter into life, we must come into the very closestpersonalrelationwith
himself - trusting in him, loving him, abiding in him, following him, making
him Refuge of the heart, Sovereign of the soul, Lord of the life. Not his truth,
but himself, is the Source of our strength and our hope.
II. THAT JESUS CHRIST DEMANDS AN OPEN CONFESSIONOF OUR
FAITH IN HIM. More than once (see Mark 8:38) he insisted upon a clear
recognitionof his authority and regalposition. He will have us "confess him
before men." How shall we do that?
1. In a heathen country, by avowing the Christian faith, renouncing
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, etc., and declaring before all that Jesus
Christ is the one Teacheroftruth and Lord of man.
2. In a Christian country, by making it clearthat we have acceptedhim as the
Lord whom we are living to serve. We shall probably think it right to do this
by attaching ourselves to some particular Christian community; also by
regular, public worship of Christ; but certainly, in all cases,
(1) by paying honor to his Name;
(2) by upholding againsthis enemies the truth and worth of his religion;
(3) by translating his will into active human life in all its departments -
domestic, social, commercial, political, ecclesiastical.

III. THAT COMPLIANCE WITH HIS DEMAND WILL SOON PROVE TO
BE AN ACT OF THE FIRST IMPORTANCE. The day draws on when we
shall meet our Master:then will he tell us what he thinks of us. Then, if we
have failed to honor him, he will refuse to honor us "before the angels of
God." What is involved in that denial? The worstof all exclusions - exclusion
from the favor, from the home, of God. And then, if we have honored him, he
will acknowledgeus as his own. And what will that include?
1. Acceptance with the Judge of all.
2. The expressionof his Divine approval - the "welldone" of the Lord.
3. Admission to the heavenly kingdom, with all its advancing glory, its
deepening joy, its extending influence, its enlarging life. - C.

Biblical Illustrator
Whosoevershallconfess Me before me.
Luke 12:8
The judgment-seat of Christ
J. M. Whiten, Ph. D.
I. ForFINGER-POSTSthat may guide our endeavourto come at the spiritual
reality here symbolized, such thoughts as these may serve.
1. Evidently Christ here contrasts the seenand the unseenworld as
respectivelysmall and great;here a petty vicinage, there a grand
environment; here ignorant men, there high intelligences — the angels of
God; here ourselves as affectedby the examples and opinions of sinners, there
ourselves as feeling the presence and the criticism of the pure; in dim light
here, in dazzling light there.
2. Christ evidently contrasts the seenand the unseenworld in their respective
objects of honour and dishonour.
3. The next truth of which Christ here makes us certain is, that the future is
simply the continuance of presentrelations to Him under changedconditions.
Thus we approacha true and clearconceptionof what our Lord meant by
confessing Him and being confessedby Him, &c. Not by what we say, but by
what we are, is our presentconfessionordenial of Christ most tellingly
uttered before men. Likewise, by what He is, as comparedwith what we are,
will His future confessionor denial of us be most conclusivelymade known, to
our glory or our shame before the heavenly witnesses"the angels of God."
II. From this look into the spiritual reality of our subjectwe draw some
obvious and practicalCONCLUSIONS.

1. Confessing ordenying Christ is certainly no mere affair of words. Yet
words, though weak, are not worthless. Theycan make their mark on
character— our own and others' character.
2. Confessing Christand being confessedby Christ are not to be separatedin
our thought, like work-dayand pay-day, as if the confessing were allhere, and
the being confessedall there. What comes out there is simply the flash of an
awakenedconsciousness ofa judgment of Christ which has been going on here
every day under the eyes of the invisible witnessesofmany a negligentlife.
3. Confessing ordenying Christ here is not a question solelyas to the totality
or average ofcharacter, but quite as much a question as to the particulars of
character. Pointby point, the world compares the professedcopy with its
model, and recognizes agreements orcontradictions in detail. No otherwise
can it be in the presence of the angels of God.
(J. M. Whiten, Ph. D.)
ConfessionofChrist
M. F. Sadler.
The confessionof Christ by the apostles was before the heads of their religion,
the chief priests who had crucified Him. It was before rulers and kings, before
the philosophers of Athens, the libertines of Corinth. It was the bold,
unflinching avowalthat the world was saved by the cruel and disgraceful
death of a Jew, one of a nation regarded with pretty much the same contempt
as they are now. They who made this confessionalways made it at the risk of
their lives. This confessionofChrist is yet dangerous to life even in this
nineteenth century. No man in a Mahometancountry, brought up in the

national faith, canembrace the Christian religionexcept at the risk of his life
— at leastit was so a very few years ago. In Christian England the confession
of Christ has assumed a different form, but it equally requires sincerity and
courage to make it; a Christian has now to profess the creating power of God
amongstevolutionists, and the all-ruling providence of God in the company of
unbelieving scientists. In some companies he has to brave the ridicule
attaching to the belief in miracles. In the societyof filthy-minded men he has
to uphold the purity of Christ, and in the society of worldlings he may be
calledupon to uphold the rooted antagonismbetweenthe world and Christ.
These may seemvery poor and mild ways of confessing Christ comparedto
what our forefathers in the faith had to endure; but they all try the metal of
the Christian. If he is faithful in confessing Christin these comparatively little
matters, he may have a goodhope that God would, if calledupon, give him
grace to make a bolder and more public and dangerous confessionif it was
laid upon him so to do. Such is the confessionofChrist; and the reward
answers to it. "Before the angels of God," i.e., before the court of God —
before His specialministers. Notice the extraordinary reality with which the
Lord here invests the unseen world of angels. To be honoured before them
and receive their applause, infinitely outweighs the contempt and persecution
of a condemned world.
(M. F. Sadler.)
Christian courage
James Foote, M. A.
I. Considersome of the OCCASIONS WHICH CALL FOR THE EXERCISE
OF THIS GRACE.
1. It requires courage to be able to withstand persecutionfor conscience sake.
2. You will need courage to bear reproach for Christ's sake.

3. You will need courage to act up to your convictions of duty in your own
family and in the world at large.
4. You will need courage to resist temptation.
5. Courage is necessaryto confess Christin the presence ofthe rich and
powerful, and of all who are exaltedabove you in stationand influence. "I will
speak of Thy testimonies also before kings," saidDavid, "and will not be
ashamed." And what noble courage was displayedby Daniel, and by
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego!
6. It may be that some of you will need courage to venture your life at the call
of duty. You may need it for the right discharge of your business. You may
need it to act vigorously in endeavouring to save the lives of others.
7. You will need courage to resist the mere apprehension of evil.
8. You will need courage to bear the evils of life while they are actually
pressing on you.
9. You will need courage to meet the last enemy.
II. In order, then, to the attainment of this necessarygrace ofcourage, or,
which is the same thing, in order to your preservationfrom sinful fear, let the
following BRIEF DIRECTIONSbe consideredand followed:

1. Beginwith a well-founded hope in God's mercy, through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Without this, though you may be free from fear, you must be
exposedto the most awful danger; and, therefore, though you may be
foolhardy, you cannot be rationally and scripturally courageous. But, if God
be "on your side," as the Psalmistexpresses it, then you need "not fearwhat
man can do unto you."
2. Endeavour, next, after a very firm trust in God's providence. Remember
that the slightestevil cannot befall you without your heavenly Father, and
believe that He causes allthings to work togetherfor your good.
3. Reflecton the noble examples of courage whichare recordedin Scripture.
4. Vex not yourselves with fears as to the future, but give yourselves to the
duties of the present.
5. Considerthe exhortations and promises of the Word of God, and have the
substance of all, and the very words of many of them, in your memory. They
abound to this effectthroughout Scripture, especiallyin Isaiah, and the
Psalms.
6. Think of the confessionthatawaits you from the Lord, and the crown of
glory which will be yours, at last, if you be faithful. He assures you that He
will confess youbefore His Father and the holy angels:and He says to eachof
you, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Think
often of this; and the thought will far more than counterbalance any reproach,
or opposition, you may meet with here. And, finally, mindful of your own
weakness,and how certainly both your strength and courage wouldfail if you

were left to yourselves, be much in prayer to God for this grace ofholy
courage.
(James Foote, M. A.)
Showing his colours
A Soldier's Diary.
One day, as I sat in the barrack-room, I was thinking over in my mind the
many difficulties with which I had to contend as a professing Christian, and
how to overcome them. One thing, I said, I must do; I must confess Christ,
and not be ashamedof my colours. I had only recently been led to trust in the
Lord Jesus as my Saviour, and had begun to pray and read all the books that
were likely to help me to a better knowledge ofthe Lord Jesus. I had not the
Bible to read; that I had given away a few weeks previouslyto one of my
comrades as a thing that I should never require in the future. There was but
one thing that I bad, up to the present, shrunk from doing, and that was
kneeling down as my bed-side, and praying openly before my comrades,
before going to bed. I felt dissatisfiedwith myself for being so cowardly, and
had also made up my mind to do so that night. "You want to be seenof men,"
whispered Satanin my ear. "It is not for Christ's sake;you want the praise of
man." I was fairly puzzled for a time, and was afraid of doing wrong. "If I
were alone in this room to-night, what would I do before going to bed?" I
askedmyself. "Certainly, I should kneeldown," I thought. "Then, if I do not
do so to-night, it will be because I am ashamedto confess my Masterbefore
my fellow-men. Lord help me to do it tonight," I said, "forChrist's sake." The
barrack-roomin which I sat was a large one, capable of holding about one
hundred men, and at night was lighted by four large oil lamps, which hung
from the roofby chains. My bed stood right opposite one of these lamps, and
there I sat waiting for nine o'clock, the time for all to go to bed. The scene
around me was not a pleasantone, the men had but recently come from the
canteen, where they had been liberally supplied with arrack (a native drink

resembling rum, and which destroys more lives in India than the ravages of
war or disease put together). Some of the men sat on their beds smoking, some
stoodin little groups discussing the topics of the day, others were singing
popular comic songs, while a considerable number were quarrelling about
something which had occurredat the canteen, and which ended in blows and
blasphemy. Confusion and disorder reigned supreme. With the exception of a
few who were so drunk that they were being put to bed by their comrades, all
were contributing more or less to the generaldisorder. In a short time the
bugles sounded the last post; it was nine o'clock atlast. "Lord, help me," I
said, and in the midst of all the confusionaround me, I dropped upon my
knees. Fora few seconds the horrid din around me continued; it then ceased,
and I knew that every eye was turned to where I knelt, right under the glare
of that large oil lamp. Something strange had happened! Most of these men
had been familiar with bloodshedin the Crimea, and in the still more recent
and more deadly conflictof the mutiny. Of such things, the men were careless,
but for things sacredthey had a reverence. Manyof them had praying
mothers in old Scotland, who still prayed for them, and as I knelt before them
now, not a hand was lifted againstme, nor did a tongue speak a word! I say
this to their credit, and for five years I continued to pray openly before them,
without being molestedin any way by them. I have had to reprove them for
sin, but for this they honoured me, because Iwas not ashamedto show my
colours. More than this, the Lord blessedmy testimony, for He brought eight
or nine of those men around me to bear witness for His name. Some are now
in heaven, while others are preaching the everlasting gospelto their fellow
men.
(A Soldier's Diary.)
The reward of confessing Christ
C. H. Spurgeon.
There was a prince of right royal blood, who once upon a time left his father's
palace and journeyed into a distant part of the king's dominions, where he
was little knownand caredfor. He was a true prince, and he had about his

face those princely marks — that strange divinity which doth hedge a king —
that might have made the onlookerknow that he was right royal. But when he
came into the place, the people said, "This is the heir to the throne; let us
insult him, let us hoot him!" Others said, he was no heir at all. And they
agreedto sethim in the pillory. As he stoodthere, every man did pelt him
with all kinds of filth, and used all manner of hard words towards him; and
they said, "Who dare acknowledge him for a prince? who dare stand by
him?" There stoodup one from the crowd, and said, "I dare!" They set him
up in the pillory side ,by side with the prince; and when they threw their filth
on the prince it fell on him, and when they spoke hard words of the prince
they spoke hard words of him. He stood there, smiling, and receivedit all.
Now and then a tear stole down his cheek;but that was for them, that they
should thus ill-treat their sovereign. Years went by, the king came into those
dominions and subdued them; and there came a day of triumph over the
conquered city: streamers hung from every windows and the streets were
strewn with roses. There came the king's troops dressedin burnished armour
of gold, with plumes upon their glittering helmets. The music rang right
sweetly, for all the trumpets of glory sounded. It was from heaven they had
come. The prince rode through the streets in His glorious chariot; and when
He came to the gates of the city, there were the traitors all bound in chains.
They stoodbefore Him trembling. He singled out from among the crowdone
man only who stoodfree and unfettered, and He said to the traitors, "Know
ye this man? He stoodwith Me in that day when ye treated Me with scornand
indignation. He shall stand with Me in the day of My glory. Come up hither!"
said He. And amidst the sounding of trumpets and the voice of acclamation,
the poor, despised, and rejectedcitizen of that rebellious city rode through the
streets in triumph, side by side with his King, who clothedhim in purple, and
seta crown of pure gold upon his head.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Powerof confession

In relating his experience during the Peninsularwar, Captain Watsonsays:"I
was nominated to sit on a garrison court-martial. A number of officers of
different ranks and regiments were present on the occasion, andbefore the
proceedings commenced, some ofthem indulged in loose and sceptical
observations. 'Alas,'thought I, 'here are many not ashamedto speak openly
for their master, and shall I hold my peace and refrain when the honour and
cause ofHim who has had mercy on me are calledin question?' I lookedfor
wisdom and assistance fromon high, and I was enabled to speak for a quarter
of an hour in a way that astonishedmy hearers and myself. The Lord was
pleasedto give what I said a favourable reception, and not another improper
word was uttered by them during my stay in that room."
Prompt confession
DilawarKhan, formerly an Afghan robber, being convincedof the truth of
the gospel, andhaving takenservice in an English regiment at Peshawar,was,
on the outbreak of the mutiny, ordered to Delhi. Separatedfrom the
missionaries before he had receivedbaptism, and thrown among
Mohammedans whose co-religionisthe had been, he was determined to make
his change offaith unmistakably known, and so, calling for a loaf of bread, he
ate it with a Europeanin presence of all. It was the only symbol of separation
which the circumstances allowed. Whenbaptized, he receivedthe name
DilawarMessih— "Boldfor Christ."
ConfessionofChrist unknown to nominal Christians
A Hindoo of rank was troubled in his conscienceonthe subjectof a future
state. He had heard of Christians, and longedto converse with them about
their religion, and to know who Christ was. So he visited England, the
Christian's land, supplied with introductions to some leading people. Being
askedto a greatdinner, he turned to his neighbour in the course of
conversation, and said: "Canyou tell me something about Christ, the founder
of your religion?" "Hush," replied his new acquaintance, "we do not speak of
such things at dinner parties." Subsequently he was invited to a large ball.
Dancing with a young and fashionable lady, he took an opportunity of asking
her who the founder of her religion, Jesus Christ, was. And againhe was

warned that a ball was no place to introduce such subjects. Strange, thought
the Hindoo, are these Christians in England. They will not speak of their
religion, nor inform me about Christ, its founder.
Confessing Christ
Dr. Talmage.
A greatmany years ago a Roman emperor said to a Greek architect:"Build
me a Coliseum, and when it is done I will crown you; and I will make your
name famous through all the world, if you will only build me a grand
Coliseum." The work was done. The emperor said: "Now we will crown that
architect. We will have a grand celebration." The Coliseumwas crowdedwith
a greathost. The emperor was there and the Greek architect, who was to be
crownedfor putting up this building. And then they brought out some
Christians, who were ready to die for the truth, and from the doors
underneath were let out the lions, hungry, three-fourths starved. The emperor
arose amid the shouting assemblage, andsaid: "The Coliseumis done, and we
have come to celebrate it to-day by the putting to death of Christians at the
mouth of these lions, and we have come here to honour the architectwho has
constructedthis wonderful building. The time has come for me to honour him,
and we further celebrate his triumph by the slaying of these Christians."
Whereupon, the Greek architectsprang to his feet, and shouted: "I also am a
Christian." And they flung him to the wild beasts, and his body, bleeding and
dead, was tumbled into the dust of the amphitheatre. Could you have done
that for Christ? Could you have stood up there in the presence ofthat great
audience, who hated Christ, and hated everything about Him, and have said:
"I, too, am a Christian"?
(Dr. Talmage.)
Be not ashamedof the religion of Christ
If you go into a Mohammedan country, when the hour for prayer comes at
three o'clock, youwill see the Mohammedan kneeling down on his knees. He is
not ashamedof his false religion. The only religion that gives a man victory

over sin and the flesh, the only religion that gives a man spiritual power, is the
religion of Jesus Christ, and yet it is the only religion that men are ashamed
of. When Mr. Moodywas at Salt Lake City he did not meet even one that was
not proud of being a Mormon. Everywhere the fact was announcedover their
shops and places of business. If you meet a man who is possessedofan error
he will publish it. Why should we, who have the truth, not publish it also?
ConfessionofChrist before men
T. Guthrie, D. D.
If people are loud in the praise of the physician who has cured them of some
deadly malady — recommending others to trust and seek his skill, why should
not Christ's people crown Him with equal honours, commend Him to a dying
world, and proclaim what He has done for them? Let them say with David,
"Come, all ye that fear the Lord, and I will declare whatHe hath done for my
soul";and tread in the steps of the Samaritan who threw awayher pitcher,
and running to the city, brought them all out — crying, "Come, see a man
who hath told me all things that I have ever done." It is a bad thing
ostentatiouslyto parade religion; but it is a base thing for a Christian man to
be ashamed of it: not to stand by his colours;by his silence, if not his speech,
to deny his Master;to sneak away, like a coward, out of the fight.
(T. Guthrie, D. D.)
Boldness in confessing Christ
H. G. Salter.
I have no notion of a timid, disingenuous professionof Christ. Such preachers
and professors are like a rat playing at hide-and-seek behind a wainscot, who
puts his head through a hole to see if the coastis clear, and ventures out if
nobody is in the way; but slinks back againwhen danger appears. We cannot
be honest to Christ exceptwe are bold for Him. He is either worth all we can
lose for Him, or He is worth nothing.
(H. G. Salter.)

The right kind of Christian
P. B. Power, M. A.
Not long ago an officerwas accostedby a brother officer thus: "You're the
right kind of Christian, not bothering people about their souls this way." The
speakerhimself made no pretensions to serious godliness;and the allusion was
to certain officers who had a way of speaking out very intelligibly for Christ.
Our friend had himself been converted; but, up to that time, he had been too
timid to utter any articulate testimony. As his visitor left him that day, he
beganto reasonwith himself: "Well, if that man thinks I am the right kind of
Christian, it is time I was looking about me and considering my ways." It was
a somewhatnovel point of departure; but from that hour, our friend has been
another man, boldly confessing Christand labouring to win souls.
(P. B. Power, M. A.)
Speak for Christ
Brother — was considereda consistentand by no means inefficient member
of the Church. His seatwas seldomvacant during divine service;and his place
in the business meeting of the congregation, in Sunday-Schooland the prayer-
meeting was seldomunoccupied. In short, his duties, public and private, as a
member of the Church, were promptly, well, and faithfully performed. Yet on
his death-bed he had his regrets. "Ihave," said he, "been a man of few words,
and of a still tongue. Oh, if I had my life to live over again, I would speak for
Jesus as I have never been accustomedto do."
Speaking for Christ
D. L. Moody.
In a prayer-meeting at BostonI once attended, most of those who took part
were old men, but a little tow-headedNorwegianboy, who could only speak
broken English, got up and said: " If I tell the world about Christ, He will tell

the Fatherabout me." That wrote itself upon my heart, and I have never
forgottenwhat that little boy said.
(D. L. Moody.)
Confessing Christ
Jesus Christ expects that those who believe on Him should confess Him.
I. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WORDS "CONFESSCHRIST"?There is no
greatobscurity about them; still, a few words of explanation may bring out
their meaning more clearly. Confessing Christis an avowalof what He is in
our esteem, ofwhat He is to us. It assumes, ofcourse, that there is an inward
conviction that He is the Sonof God, and the Saviour of the world. To confess
Him is to let that conviction be outwardly expressedin some form or other,
i.e., it is a taking care that we do not stifle our convictions by keeping them to
ourselves;but that we utter them, by letting it be knownthat we believe
Christ, that we receive Him, that we worship Him, that we follow Him, as
Teacher, &c. In a word, it is to say, "I am a Christian. I am Christ's man; 'for
me to live is Christ!'"
II. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE ACT OF MAKING THIS
CONFESSION? It denies. It affirms. It opposes. Let us note eachof these
points. This confessiondenies that man is his own master. It is a practical
declarationthat we are under the authority of another, and it denies every
other authority for man than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence this
confessionaffirms as wellas denies. It avows the infinite right of Christ to rule
over men because ofHis work for them! It is an avowalof His glory. Thus,
this confessionmust needs oppose very much loose and wrong thinking of the
present day. It is in oppositionto the worldliness which would treat all
religion and worship with supreme indifference. It opposes formalism, &c.
And, by the terms of the expression, confessing Christis as really exclusive as
inclusive. It refuses to be cumbered with a host of commandments, and
doctrines of men. It declines to own any priestly intrusion betweena man's

conscienceandthe Lord Jesus, and hence is as much a confessionof Christ
only, as of Christ.
III. IN WHAT WAY SHOULD THE CONFESSION BE MADE?
1. By letting it be seenthat we are Christ's, by our light shining before men.
The sun has no need to have the words, "I am a light," blazoned above or
beneath him. Nor have even dim, artificial lights any need for this. They give
light by shining. Now, though the parallel does not hold in every respect, yet in
one point it indicates what we mean. Are you Christ's men, heart and soul?
Then show it by being Christ-like. Notindeed that this is enough, but without
it, nothing else canbe enough. The importance of our unconscious influence
can scarcelybe overrated. So ought we to live that men can see that we are
Christians by what we are, whether our conversationforthe time being be on
religious matters or no.
2. But the apostle Paul says:"With the mouth confessionis made unto
salvation." There is a saying, I am the Lord's, and this is a part of the
confession— "speaking forChrist" — in the societyin which you move.
3. Then, by acting for Christ we may confess Him. We may seek to spreadHis
name among those who know Him not, and may make it a business of our
lives to teachand train men for Him.
4. But let us not only passivelyendure, let us also take up the positive attitude
of attack. We must not be content simply to receive rebuffs, we must give
them, going forth without the camp, exposing error and rebuking sin. We can
do this better in company than we can singly. I may go forth to work and
witness alone, and succeed, but if a brother comes and stands by my side, and

says, I am one with you, he makes me twice the man I was before. And out of
this law of reciprocalinfluence, out of this powerof combination — as being
so much greaterthan that of isolation — there comes anothermeans of
making this confession, viz., joining the militant host of the people of God, or,
to use a common phrase, joining the Church.
IV. WHY SHOULD CHRIST BE THUS CONFESSED? Formany reasons,
eachof which has some weight: but it is rather to the cumulative force of all of
them that we desire to point attention.
1. Jesus Christhas definitely and expressly commanded it (Luke 12:8, 9).
2. It is manifestly reasonable thatwe should avow our relation to such a
Saviour, and His relation to us. For what are we, but sinful, dying men, owing
our immortal life and eternal hopes to Jesus and His saving love? When the
names of men whom a country loves to honour are often on our lips, as if we
felt honoured by knowing something about them, shall it be that we keep
silence only concerning the Man of Sorrows, as if it were aught but an honour
to speak His name? God forbid.
3. It is assumedin the New Testamentthat Christ's men act as a corporate
body. The institution that Christ intended to build up, He called"a Church";
and after He went to heaven, a group of one hundred and twenty were found
meeting in an upper room, &c.
4. To avow your convictions, will help to give them definiteness and precision.
So long as a convictionremains snugly lodgedwithin, unexpressed, it need not
be very sharply defined; but bring it out, put it into shape, setit in words,
draw it forth to living action, and lo! it is at once a fuller and clearer

conviction, owing to the very effort required to avow it! Yea, more, conviction
unavowed becomes feebler.
5. Christ and the world are such opposites, that if a man has any adequate
conceptionof the difference betweenthem, he cannot help seeing the
incongruity of a believer in Christ refusing to confess Him. When so many are
opposed, or indifferent, does it not behove the friends of Christ to stand up for
Him?
6. Jesus Christconfessedus.
7. Christ lives on earth in those who confess Him. By His Church He manifests
Himself in living form to the world. His confessing ones are His mouthpiece by
which He speaks to a dying world I And we want your voice and tongue, and
hands and feet, and brain and heart, to be employed for Him in ringing out
the grand testimony that the Fathersent the Son, the Saviour of the world!
8. In confessing Christwe join such a blessedline of confessors.
9. The confessionitselfis such a glorious one.
10. The true confessors willbe so blessedlyconfessed(Matthew 10:32, 33).
"But," says one, "is there no medium betweenconfessing and denying?" We
reply, Christ puts none, therefore we cannot. Nor would we if we could. We
would bid you turn awayyour eyes from all goals but the very highestof all!
And suffer me to ask, Has not the promise of being confessedby Christ any
charm for you?

V. MANY DO NOT THUS CONFESSCHRIST. WHY IS THIS?
1. There is reasonto fear that there are some who do not confess Christ
because they know that if they were to do so, as things are now, they could but
profess a regardfor His name, which goes no further than outside reverence.
They are not living in obedience to Christ; so that, even if they were to call
Him "Lord, Lord," though there might be there a form of godliness, there
would not be its power!
2. "Thatis not my reason," says one;"but it seems to me that in the Church
you hedge round the open confessionofChrist, which is involved in 'joining
the Church,' with such difficulties, that many are thereby kept back." As
might be expected, we find that the "difficulties," which Churches are
supposedto put in the way, vanish in the course of friendly conversationwith
those who are kind enoughand frank enoughto state them.
3. Some do not confess Christ, on accountof not seeing the importance of
making such confession. But if Christ has commanded it, ought we not to obey
orders without debating the question of its importance?
4. Some do not confess Christowing to the feebleness oftheir personal
conviction. When the heart beats feebly the whole frame languishes, and when
brain nerve-power is lacking the heart beats feebly. Herein is one of the many
parables of physiology. A lack of strength in the convictions of the soulis often
a cause ofholding back from avowing Christ. And this feebleness of
conviction is often owing to confusionof thought, or to a lack of clear
understanding with regardto the contents and mutual relation of religious
truth.

5. Some are keptback from avowing their convictions through the fear of man
(John 12:42, 43, and others).
6. Others are kept back from confessing Christ, by a cause which is far less
objectionable, becausemore reasonable, viz., a fearof themselves. Confession
of Christ seems to them to involve so much, that they fear they can never
come up to the high standard which is before their eye. They see, too, that
there are some who, having confessedChrist, settle down at their ease, and
they fear lestit should be so with them.
7. Some are deterred from confessing Christby the warning of the apostle,
"Whosoevershalleat this bread," &c. Whosoeveris kept back by these
words, should read the whole of the sectionof the chapter in which they stand;
he will then find that the persons there addressedwere turning the Lord's
Supper into a common meal, mistaking its nature and design. Hence they
tarried not for one another; some came hungry and feasted, and others were
drunken.
8. "But look at the inconsistencyof professors!" Yes, we do look at it, and
grieve over it, but how that should be a reasonfor not confessing Christ, it is
not easyto see.
9. "Well, but I can be saved without making this confession."Do not be so
sure of that. If you see it to be a duty which you owe to Christ, and then can
leave a known duty unfulfilled, you are not a savedman! None who continue
in known disobedience to Christ are saved. Besides,look atthe selfishness of
the plea. It is as if all that a man had to think about was — being saved!This
may, indeed, be the first thing, but most assuredly it is not everything! We
would put another question: Suppose you refuse to confess Christ, canyou do

as much to save others as if you avowedHim as your Lord? And to this we
most decidedly answer, No!
VI. KEEPING BACK FROM THE CONFESSION OF CHRIST IS IN MANY
RESPECTS AGREAT EVIL. Whether the reasons for keeping back be those
which we have named or not, the non-confessionofChrist is evil, though the
kind and degree thereofmay be varied according to the motives which lead to
a secretrather than an open discipleship.
1. It is unworthy. Such a Saviour as we have ought to be confessedwillingly,
yea, joyfully. To keepsilent on our tongues the name that angels love to sound
forth through the realms of heaven, and for the one who thus keeps the name
so still to be the one who owes to it all his hopes of eternallife, that is no
worthy return for the suffering of the cross. Much reasonhad He to be
ashamedof us, but why, oh! why, should we be ashamedof Him?
2. If any refuse to confess Christthey voluntarily lessentheir ownpossibilities
of usefulness.
3. Forwe have only to suppose this isolatedworking to be universally carried
out, and then it is clearwe should never hear of a visible Church at all! The
Church might remain, but her visibility would be gone.
4. Inactive convictions will be injurious. To have them and not acton them
would be to our condemnation.
5. Another evil is, that not to confess Christis to be disobedient to His direct
command.

6. And still another evil in the non. confessionofChrist on the part of those
who are His, is that it may throw the balance of their personalinfluence on
the wrong side.
VII. WHAT SENTIMENTS AND FEELINGS SHOULD MOVE US TO THE
CONFESSIONOF CHRIST?
1. Gratitude.
2. Love. When once it is clearthat He has commanded it, and that He is
infinitely worthy of being so confessed, then love to Him for His infinite
worthiness should leave us without hesitationas to the course to pursue. And
there is this distinction betweenbeing moved by gratitude and being inspired
by love. Love is the higher affectionof the two, Gratitude is the desire to
recompense, orat leastto acknowledge, a favour received. Love is the passion
which cleaves to One who is in Himself surpassingly glorious.
3. Loyalty. Gratitude has respectto what Christ has done for us; love to what
He is in Himself; loyalty, to His relation to us as Leader and Commander.
4. The feeling of brotherhood should impel to the confessionofChrist.
5. Compassionformen who are out of Christ should lead us to confess Christ.
VIII. IN WHAT SPIRIT SHOULD THE CONFESSION BE MADE? This we
may gatherfrom the notice already given of the feelings which move us to

make it. Evidently it should not be made without much thought, care, and
prayer. The essentialqualifications for such a confessionare — sincerity and
truth; without these there must be an unreality about the confession, which
would not only render it null and void, but would bring greaterguilt on the
individual making a merely hollow confession. This, of course, must be the
prime matter. When any one says, I am Christ's man, he should say it because
it is true, for to say it cannot make it true, if it is not so otherwise. But this
being the case, anyone contemplating a stepso important will be anxious to
put into it all the meaning that he cando. To help such in so doing, let us
observe —
1. The step should be taken humbly; not in a spirit of boastfulness or self-
sufficiency, nor yet with the notion uppermost of "becoming a professor."
2. The confessionshould be made with fear and trembling.
3. At the same time that fear should not be so disproportionate, as to prevent a
hallowedjoy in confessing Christ.
4. We should always bring with us to the confession, a sense of the greatand
undeserved honour put on us in having such a Christ to avow. If a king should
have pity on a pauper, and should translate him from a workhouse to a
palace, and clothe him with royal robes, and make him partner of his throne,
and should then educate him up to his dignity, and all out of pure regardto
that pauper, without his having done aught to deserve it, might he not in his
elevatedposition glory in the honour put upon him, and with a sense ofthe
honour might he not well proclaim his deliverer and friend?

5. Making the confessionofChrist should be attended with a spirit of entire
devotion to the interests of the kingdom.
6. There should be the desire to gain such an amount of Christian intelligence
as shall give him the right kind of influence in the Church of God.
7. But, if possible, even more eagerlyintent should the individual confessing
Christ be on "adorning the doctrine of God" his "Saviourin all things," by
pureness, lowliness, meekness,and long-suffering.
8. To all this, let us add — There should be a reliance on Divine aid and on the
indwelling of the Holy Ghost. These, the Saviour whom we confess has
receivedfor us, and will impart them to us. And no one who has an
approximately adequate sense of the grand destiny of the Christian life will
ever dream of attaining it by his own unaided power.
IX. THERE ARE SPECIAL REASONS JUST NOW FOR SUCH A
CONFESSIONOF CHRIST AMONG THE INDIVIDUALS COMPOSING
OUR PROTESTANT CONGREGATIONS.Certainfeatures in the several
epochs of time may furnish reasons which would make a specially urgent duty
of what would be a duty at any time. Such features show themselves now in
the ecclesiasticalmovements and theologicalconflicts of the day, This may
appear more clearlyas we proceed.
1. A specialreasonfor this confessionis found in the fact, that only by
banding togetheras Christian people can we give practical effectto Christ's
own law, that those who love Him should uphold His cause.

2. It is important to hold up to the view of men another principle: viz., that
Christian men, when associatedtogetherin their corporate capacity, are
empoweredby Christ with authority to carry on His work.
3. It is important, at a time when so many are denying and disobeying Christ,
that hearts which are loyal to Him should cheeron eachother in their witness-
bearing for Him.
4. It is important that eachChristian man should bear a testimony for the
doctrine and polity which he believes to be most in accordancewith Christ's
will, and most effective for Christ's service.
5. Whateverwe cando to leavenpublic sentiments with the truth of Christian
doctrine, and to show the relation of that doctrine to the well-being of a
nation, it is our bounden duty to do, and towards this, it is no unimportant
contribution for us to band togetherwith those who uphold the cause ofour
Lord.
(C. Clemance, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(8) Also I say unto you.—Again we note another like variation betweenSt.
Matthew’s “before My Father which is in Heaven,” and St. Luke’s “before the
angels of God.”

BensonCommentary
Luke 12:8-9. Also I say unto you — It will be necessary, however, in order
that you may keepyour minds unshaken, that you should often look forward
unto the final judgment, at which I will own you as my servants, if, by your
constantand cheerful obedience to my commands, you now acknowledgeme
as your Master. Forwhosoevershallconfess me before men — Shall freely
and openly acknowledgehimself to be my disciple, and shall conduct himself
as such, to whateverdangers and persecutions he may thereby expose himself;
him shall the Son of man also confess — Shall declare to belong to him; before
the angels ofGod — When they come to attend on his final triumph. But he
that — To avoid reproachand suffering; denieth me before men — And is
ashamedor afraid of maintaining so gooda cause;shall be denied and
disownedby me before the angels of God — When they appearin radiant
forms around me, and wait in solemn silence the important event of that awful
day. Nothing can be more majestic than the view which Christ here gives of
himself, and of the issue of the final judgment. To be renouncedby him is
spokenof as a circumstance which will expose a man to the contempt of the
whole angelic world, and leave him no remaining shelteror hope.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:1-12 A firm belief of the doctrine of God's universal providence, and the
extent of it, would satisfyus when in peril, and encourage us to trust God in
the wayof duty. Providence takes notice of the meanestcreatures, evenof the
sparrows, and therefore of the smallestinterests of the disciples of Christ.
Those who confess Christ now, shall be owned by him in the greatday, before
the angels ofGod. To deter us from denying Christ, and deserting his truths
and ways, we are here assuredthat those who deny Christ, though they may
thus save life itself, and though they may gain a kingdom by it, will be great
losers at last;for Christ will not know them, will not own them, nor show
them favour. But let no trembling, penitent backsliderdoubt of obtaining
forgiveness. This is far different from the determined enmity that is
blasphemy againstthe Holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven, because it
will never be repented of.

Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Shall be proclaimedupon the housetops - See the notes at Matthew 10:27. The
custom of making proclamationfrom the tops or roofs of houses still prevails
in the East. Dr. Thomson("The Land and the Book,"vol. i. p. 51, 52)says:
"At the present day, localgovernors in country districts cause their
commands thus to be published. Their proclamations are generallymade in
the evening, after the people have returned from their labors in the field. The
public crier ascends the highest roof at hand, and lifts up his voice in a long-
drawn callupon all faithful subjects to give earand obey. He then proceeds to
announce, in a set form, the will of their master, and demand obedience
thereto."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
8, 9. confess … deny—The point lies in doing it "before men," because one has
to do it "despising the shame." But when done, the Lord holds Himself bound
to repay it in kind by confessing such"before the angels of God." For the rest,
see on [1647]Lu9:26.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 8,9. See Poole on"Matthew 10:32", See Pooleon"Matthew 10:33". Here
is a fourth and fifth argument, drawn from the rewards and punishments of
such as shall confess ordeny Christ before men. Confessionhere signifies, the
owning and adhering to the truths and ways of God in a time of opposition:
the rewardpromised is, Christ’s owning those that do it at the day of
judgment; before the Father, saith Matthew;
before the angels, saithLuke. Christ hath no need of our owning him, his
truth and ways;we may by it be profitable to ourselves, but not to him: we
shall have need in the day of judgment of Christ’s owning us. By the denial of
Christ, is meant our apostasyfrom the truths or ways of God, the denial of his
truths, ways, or interest in this world: it implies a persecuting of them, but
signifieth something much less, a denial by words, or a forsaking and not
adhering to them. The punishment will be Christ’s denial of us in the day of

judgment. What that signifieth Matthew tells us, Matthew 7:23, I will profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, I know you not, ye that work
iniquity. And, he shall sayto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting, fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, Matthew
25:41. This must be understood not of such as deny him, as Peterdid, in an
hour of greattemptation, and then go out and weep bitterly, and againreturn
unto him, but of such as persistin such denials, and return not to confess him.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Also I sayunto you, &c. The same as in Matthew 10:32
whosoevershallconfess me before men, him shall the son of man also confess
before the angels of God; only instead of I, he here calls himself "the son of
man"; and instead of "before my Fatherwhich is in heaven", here it is,
"before the angels of God"; who will accompanyChrist when he comes to
judgment, and will be present, when he shall acknowledge his true followers
as the blessedof his Father, the chosenof God, his redeemed and sanctified
ones;and rejectothers before his Father, and the whole universe of rational
beings: it is said in the Targum on Sol 1:15.
"when the children of Israel do the will of their king, he by his word (the
Logos)praises them in the family of the holy angels.''
This Christ, the eternalword, will do at the greatday.
Geneva Study Bible
{3} Also I sayunto you, Whosoevershallconfess me before men, him shall the
Son of man also confess before the angels ofGod:
(3) Great is the reward of a constant confession:and horrible is the
punishment for denying Christ; yea, it will be impossible to callthe

punishment back again, if on purpose, both with mouth and heart we
blaspheme a knowntruth.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 12:8-12. Another solemndeclarationintroduced by a λέγω δὲ =
Matthew 10:32-33.—ἔμπροσθεντῶνἀγγέλων τ. Θ.: in place of Mt.’s “before
my Fatherin heaven”. In Luke 12:6 “God” takes the place of “your Father”
in Mt. It seemas if the Christian circle to which Lk. belongeddid not fully
realise the significance ofChrist’s chosendesignationfor God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
8. before the angels ofGod] Compare Luke 9:26. “Before my Father which is
in heaven,” Matthew 10:32.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 12:8. Ἔμπροσθεντῶν ἀγγέλων, in the presence ofthe angels)in the last
judgment. The appellation, Song of Solomonof man, denoting His manifested
state, is in consonancewith this.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 8. - Also I sayunto you, Whosoevershallconfess me before men, him
shall the Sonof man also confessbefore the angels of God. The greatTeacher
pursues the subjectof the future of his disciples. It is by no means only to a
wise fear of that God, whose hand stretches beyond this life, that he appeals as
a mighty inducement for his servants utterly to disregardall dangers which
may meet them in the course of their service;he tells them, too, of a splendid
recompense, whichwill assuredlybe the guerdon of all his true followers.
Before that glorious throng of heavenly beings, whose existence wasa part of
the creedof every true Jew;before the mighty angels, the awful seraphim;
before that countless crowdof winged and burning ones who assistedatthe
awful mysteries of Sinai, would they who witnessedfor him, and suffered

because ofhim, be acknowledgedby him. Their sufferings in the service of the
King of heaven, whom they knew on earth as the poor Galilee Teacher, would
be recounted before the angels by the same King of heaven, when he returned
to his home of grandeur and of peace in heaven.
BIBLEHUB ON VERSE 9
He that denieth Me before men.
Luke 12:9
On denying Christ
R. South, D. D.
I. HOW MANY WAYS CHRIST AND HIS TRUTHS MAY BE DENIED;
AND WHAT IS THE DENIAL HERE CHIEFLY INTENDED.Here, first, in
generalI assertthat we may deny Him in all those acts that are capable of
being morally goodor evil; those are the proper scene in which we actour
confessionsordenials of Him. Accordingly, therefore, all ways of denying
Christ I shall comprise under these three.
1. We may deny Him and His truths by an erroneous, hereticaljudgment.
2. We may deny Christ verbally and by oral expressions. Now ourwords are
the interpreters of our hearts, the transcripts of the judgment, with some
farther addition of goodor evil. He that interprets, usually enlarges.
3. We may deny Christ in our actions and practice;and these speak much
louder than our tongues. To have an orthodox belief and a true profession,

concurring with a bad life, is only to deny Christ with a greatersolemnity.
Beliefand professionwill speak thee a Christian but very faintly, when thy
conversationproclaims thee an infidel. Many, while they have preached
Christ in their sermons, have read a lecture of atheism in their practice. As
for the manner of our denying the deity of Christ here prohibited, I conceive it
was by words and oral expressions verbally to deny and disacknowledge it.
This I ground upon these reasons —
1. Becauseit was sucha denial as was " before men," and therefore consisted
in open profession;for a denial in judgment and practice, as such, is not
always before men.
2. Becauseit was sucha denial or confessionofHim as would appearin
preaching; but this is managed in words and verbal profession. But now, if we
take the words as they are, a generalprecept equally relating to all times and
to all persons, though delivered only upon a particular occasionto the apostles
(as I suppose they are to be understood), so I think they comprehend all the
three ways mentioned of confessing ordenying Christ, but principally in
respectof practice, and that —(1) Because by this He is most honoured or
dishonoured.(2) Becausewithout this the other two cannotsave.(3)Because
those who are ready enough to confess Him both in judgment and profession
are for the most part very prone to deny Him shamefully in their doings. Pass
we now to a secondthing, viz., to show —
II. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES INDUCING MEN TO DENY CHRIST IN
HIS TRUTHS. I shall propose three.
1. The seeming supposed absurdity of many truths. Upon this heresyalways
builds. The seeming paradoxes attending gospeltruths cause men of weak,

prejudiced intellectuals to deny them, and in them, Christ; being ashamedto
own faith so much, as they think, to the disparagementof their reason.
2. The secondthing causing men to deny the truths of Christ is their
unprofitableness. And no wonder if here men forsake the truth and assert
interest. To be pious is the way to be poor. Truth still gives its followers its
own badge and livery, a despisednakedness.
3. Their apparent danger. To be resolute in a goodcause is to bring upon
ourselves the punishments due to a bad.
III. We proceednow to the third thing, which is to show HOW FAR A MAN
MAY CONSULT HIS SAFETYIN TIME OF PERSECUTION WITHOUT
DENYING CHRIST. This he may do two ways.
1. By withdrawing his person. Martyrdom is an heroic act of faith; an
achievementbeyond an ordinary pitch of it; "to you," says the Spirit, "it is
given to suffer" (Philippians 1:29). It is a peculiar additional "gift;" it is a
distinguishing excellencyof degree, notan essentialconsequentof its nature.
"Be ye harmless as doves, says Christ; and it is as natural to them to take
flight upon danger, as to be innocent. Let every man thoroughly consult the
temper of his faith, and weighhis courage with his fears, his weakness, andhis
resolutions together, and take the measure of both, and see which
preponderates;and, if his spirit faints, if his heart misgives and melts at the
very thoughts of the fire, let him fly, and secure his own soul, and Christ's
honour.
2. By concealing his judgment. A man sometimes is no more bound to speak
than to destroy himself; and as nature abhors this, so religion does not

command that. In the times of the primitive Church, when the Christians
dwelt amongstheathens, it is reported of a certain maid, how she came from
her father's house to one of the tribunals of the Gentiles, and declaredherself
a Christian, spit in the judge's face, and so provokedhim to cause her to be
executed. But will any say that this was to confess Christor die a martyr? He
that, uncalled for, uncompelled, comes and proclaims a persecutedtruth for
which he is surely to die, only dies a confessorto his ownfolly, and a sacrifice
to his own rashness. Martyrdom is stamped such only by God's command;
and he that ventures upon it without a call must endure it without a reward.
Christ will say, "Who required this at your hands?" His gospeldoes not
dictate imprudence; no evangelicalpreceptjustles out that of a lawful self-
preservation. He, therefore, that thus throws himself upon the sword, runs to
heaven before he is sentfor; where, though perhaps Christ may in mercy
receive the man, yet He will be sure to disown the martyr.
IV. Having thus despatchedthe third thing, I proceedto show WHAT IT IS
FOR CHRIST TO DENY US BEFORE HIS FATHER IN HEAVEN. Hitherto
we have treated of men's carriage to Christ in this world; now we will
describe His carriage to them in the other. These words clearlyrelate to the
last judgment: and they are a summary description of His proceeding with
men at that day. And here we will consider —
1. The action itself — "He will deny them."
2. The circumstance of the action — "He will deny them before His Father
and the holy angels."
(R. South, D. D.)

Some ways of denying Christ
J. A. Broadus, D. D.
1. We deny Christ when we advocate opinions which tend to lessenthe
authority of His religious teachings.
2. It is denying Christ to representHim as a mere man. He Himself said, "I
and My Father are one. He that hath seenMe, hath seenthe Father." And He
commended Thomas for addressing Him as " my Lord and my God." How
can any one affirm that He was only a man without the guilt of denying Him?
3. We may often deny Christ by silence. No doubt some well-meaning people
at times do harm by introducing religioninto conversationunder unsuitable
circumstances, orby harsh polemical replies to what some unbeliever has
said. But most of us are in far greaterdanger of a culpable silence when
Christ's truth ought to be vindicated, and Christ's own claim to reverence and
trust ought to be earnestlyand lovingly declared.
4. We may deny Christ by appearing at places and engaging in pursuits which
irreligious people themselves recognize as unsuitable for an earnestChristian.
5. We deny Christ by neglecting efforts to spreadthe saving knowledge of
Him at home and abroad. The Confederate general, Albert Sidney Johnston,
in the lastletter he wrote before he fell at Shiloh, said, "The popular testof a
military man's merit is success.It is a hard test, but it is the true one." We do
not believe that successis always the true test of merit, but beyond question it
is the popular test. Now, many irreligious people considerthat Christianity is
upon the whole a comparative failure. Large portions of the world it has never
even nominally conquered. Some countries in which it once existed, including
the Holy Land, have long been Mohammedan. And in the countries called
Christian, a large proportion of the people are not really the subjects of
Christ's spiritual reign, The hasty observeris wrong in concluding that

Christ's work in the world is a failure; but must we not feel grief and shame at
the thought that he has right plausible ground for such a conclusion? Justin
proportion as we fail of any effort to spreadChrist's spiritual reign, we give
men an excuse for rejecting His authority and neglecting His salvation. And
thus to act is in a distressing manner to deny Christ.
6. In fact, a Christian is always and everywhere either confessing Christor
denying Him. Every wrong act performed, every duty disregardedor
imperfectly discharged, every indication of a characternot conformed to His
will and likenedto His image, is, by the very necessityofthe case, a denial of
our Lord and Saviour.
(J. A. Broadus, D. D.)
Denial of Christ
W. Burkitt.
Note here —
1. That not to confess Christis, in His account, to deny Him and to be
ashamedof Him.
2. That whosoevershalldeny or be ashamedof Christ, either in His person, in
His gospel, orin His members, for any fear or favour of man, shall with
shame be disownedand eternally rejectedby Him at the dreadful judgment of
the greatday. Christ may be denied three ways — doctrinally, by an
erroneous and hereticaljudgment; verbally, by oral expressions;vitally, by a
wickedand unholy life — but woe to the soul that denies Christ any of these
ways.

(W. Burkitt.)
David Straiton, the Scottishmartyr
In the seventeenthcentury, David Straiton, a Scotchman, was one day in a
solitary place Where the New Testamentwas being read. When the words of
this verse sounded in his ears, he threw himself on his knees and said, "For
Thy mercy's sake, Lord, let me never deny Thee or Thy truth for fear of death
or corporealpains." At his trial he firmly defended the truth, and not only
died for it himself, but greatlycheeredhis fellow-martyr, Norman Gourlay.
Ashamed of Christ
C. H. Spurgeon.
What would the Queen think of her soldiers, if they should swearthey were
loyal and true, and were to say, "Your Majesty, we prefer not to wearthese
regimentals, let us wearthe dress of civilians! We are right honest men and
upright, but do not care to stand in your ranks, acknowledgedas your
soldiers;we had rather slink into the enemy's camp, and into your camps too,
and not wearanything that would mark us as being your soldiers." Ah! some
of you do the same with Christ. You are going to be secretChristians, are you,
and slink into the devil's camp and into Christ's camp, but acknowledgedby
none?
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
COMMENTARIES
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
12:1-12 A firm belief of the doctrine of God's universal providence, and the
extent of it, would satisfyus when in peril, and encourage us to trust God in
the wayof duty. Providence takes notice of the meanestcreatures, evenof the

sparrows, and therefore of the smallestinterests of the disciples of Christ.
Those who confess Christ now, shall be owned by him in the greatday, before
the angels ofGod. To deter us from denying Christ, and deserting his truths
and ways, we are here assuredthat those who deny Christ, though they may
thus save life itself, and though they may gain a kingdom by it, will be great
losers at last;for Christ will not know them, will not own them, nor show
them favour. But let no trembling, penitent backsliderdoubt of obtaining
forgiveness. This is far different from the determined enmity that is
blasphemy againstthe Holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven, because it
will never be repented of.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Shall be proclaimedupon the housetops - See the notes at Matthew 10:27. The
custom of making proclamationfrom the tops or roofs of houses still prevails
in the East. Dr. Thomson("The Land and the Book,"vol. i. p. 51, 52)says:
"At the present day, localgovernors in country districts cause their
commands thus to be published. Their proclamations are generallymade in
the evening, after the people have returned from their labors in the field. The
public crier ascends the highest roof at hand, and lifts up his voice in a long-
drawn callupon all faithful subjects to give earand obey. He then proceeds to
announce, in a set form, the will of their master, and demand obedience
thereto."
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
8, 9. confess … deny—The point lies in doing it "before men," because one has
to do it "despising the shame." But when done, the Lord holds Himself bound
to repay it in kind by confessing such"before the angels of God." For the rest,
see on [1647]Lu9:26.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 11:8"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But he that denieth me before men,.... That is, that continues to deny Christ,
and lives and dies a denier of him; for otherwise it is possible for a personto
deny Jesus to be the Son of God, or the Messiah, andafterwards confess him,
as a Paganor Jew;and through temptation, a real Christian may be left for a
while, in one shape or another, to deny him and his truths, and afterwards
truly repent, and at last be saved, as Peter;but they that deny Christ publicly,
and persistin it,
shall be denied before the angels of God: they will be denied by Christ as
belonging to him; they will be denied admission into heaven; they will be
coveredwith shame and confusion publicly; they will be sent into everlasting
burnings, and be ever tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of
the holy angels.
Geneva Study Bible
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels ofGod.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 9. - But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels
of God. Splendid as would the recompense be to the faithful and the loyal,
equally shameful would be the guerdon meted out to the cowardly and faint-
hearted. Before the same glorious throng would the King detail the failure,
through slavish fear, of those whom he had chosenfor so royal a service. Such
an announcement as this proclamation of glory and of shame before the holy
angels, in which stupendous scene he, the poor GalilaeanRabbi, was to play
the part of the Almighty Judge, could only have been made in the last weeks
preceding his Passion. All reticence was then laid aside. Before friend and foe,
in public and in private, in these lastsolemn weeks Jesus tore awaythe veil of
reticence with which he had been pleasedhitherto in greatmea- sure to
shroud his lofty claims, and the Masternow declaredbefore all that he was
the King of kings, the Lord alike of angels and of men. In the face of such an
announcement, his prosecutionby the priests and the Pharisee party for

blasphemy naturally follows. He was either a daring impostor or . In the latter
ease, to the poor Galilee Rabbi belonged the Name of names which no Jew
dared to pronounce.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Luke 12:8 "And I say to you, everyone who confessesMe before men, the Son
of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;
KJV Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoevershallconfess me before men,
him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
everyone who confesses Me before men 1 Sa 2:30; Ps 119:46;Mt 10:32,33;Ro
10:9,10;2 Ti 2:12; 1 Jn 2:23; Rev 2:10,13;3:4,5
Son of Man will confess him also Mt 25:31-34;Jude 1:24,25
Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 12:1-12 Confessing orDenying Christ? - Steven Cole
Luke 12:8-9 A Certain Cure for Hypocrisy, Part 2 - John MacArthur
THE REWARD FOR CONFESSING
JESUS BEFORE MEN ON EARTH

Everyone - No exceptions. Jesus has beenbuilding up to this passage,because
He knew that our natural fear of men would have an impact our our
confessionofHim as the Sonof God. And so He has just encouragedthem to
fear God and not to fear men.
ConfessesMe before men - This speaks ofwillingness to be bold. We all have
to ask ourselves "Doesthis describe my attitude and actions?"
John MacArthur adds that "Everyone is an inclusive term that gives a sober
warning to all would-be and all professing believers for carefulself-
examination. A person's willingness to confess Christbefore men determines
Christ's willingness to claim that person before His Father. Paul eagerly
confessed, "ForI am not ashamedof the gospel, for it is the powerof God for
salvationto everyone who believes" (Ro 1:16). He was not ashamedto
acknowledge the person and work of Christ because His is the only message
that offers salvationand hope to a corrupt and dying world. (MacArthur New
TestamentCommentary – Matthew 8-15)
Moody Bible Commentary - To confess is more than just a "cold recitationof
words" but it is an active acknowledgment—bylife and word—that "Jesus is
Lord" of one's life. Three reasons are offered to encourage disciples to confess
Christ: one, there is "the principle of reciprocity"—thatis, if we desire Christ
to confess us (acknowledgeus as rightfully belonging in heaven—before the
angels Lk 12:8b) we must confess Him before men (Lk 12:8-9). Two, there is
the problem of blasphemy againstthe Holy Spirit (Lk 12:10). This appears to
be a case ofwillfully denying the revealedtruth about Christ—that is,
unbelief. A "permanent rejection" (cf. Bock, Luke, 1143)ofthe Spirit
revealedtruth will not be—indeed cannotbe—forgiven. Third, Jesus
encouragedHis friends to confess Him before men by reminding them of the
promise of the Holy Spirit (Lk 12:11-12).

Confesses(acknowledges)(3670)(homologeo fromhomos = one and the same
or togetherwith+ lego = to say; confess from con = together, fateor= to say.)
literally means to saythe same thing as another and so to agree in one's
statements with, to acknowledge, to admit the truth of (an accusation).
This verb is used to describe the men in Titus 1:16-note who "profess
(homologeo in the present tense)to know God" indicating this is continually
their confession. The problem is that they counter their confessionwith a
continual denial of Him by their deeds continually "deny" God (arneomai in
the presenttense)! Yes, we are to confess Christ(Ro 10:9-10-note), but if our
life (works)does not authenticate or back up our words, then our words are a
lie and we are still dead in our trespasses andsins.
Confess means to affirm and agree with. It is not simply to recognize a truth
but to identify with it. Even the demons, for example, recognize that God is
one (James 2:19), but they by no means confess God, because theyare His
implacable enemies. We do not confess Christsimply by acknowledging that
He is Lord and Saviorbut by acknowledgingand receiving Him as our Lord
and Savior. (Ibid)
MacArthur adds that "Confessmeans to affirm and agree with. It is not
simply to recognize a truth but to identify with it. Even the demons, for
example, recognize that God is one (James 2:19), but they by no means confess
God, because theyare His implacable enemies. We do not confess Christ
simply by acknowledging that He is Lord and Savior but by acknowledging
and receiving Him as our Lord and Savior." (Ibid)
NET Note - This acknowledgmentwill take place at the judgment. Of course,
the Sonof Man is a reference to Jesus as it has been throughout the Gospel.
On Jesus and judgment, see Lk 22:69;Acts 10:42–43;17:31.
Parallelpassagein Matthew

Matthew 10:32; 33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will
also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 “But whoeverdenies
Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
Before the angels of God - In Mt 10:32 Jesus says Jesus willconfess them
before His Father Who of course is surrounded by the angels in Heaven. So
the sense is the same.
Steven Cole - We must confess Christ, even unto death, because we will stand
before God for eternal judgment.
To be a hypocrite is to deny Christ. The opposite is to confess Christ. Jesus
speaks very tenderly to His followers here, calling them His friends (Lu 12:4)
and assuring them of the Father’s loving care (Lu 12:6, Lu 12:7). He promises
that if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before the angels of God.
So, what does it mean to confess Him?
To confess Christ means to proclaim to others the fact that Jesus Christ is our
Savior and Lord and that our salvationis all from Him and not at all from us.
Other Scriptures show that we do this initially through baptism, where we
publicly confess that Jesus Christis our Savior and Lord (Mt 28:19; Mk
16:16;examples in Acts, e.g., Ac 16:33). Then, through both our lives and our
words, we openly acknowledgethatwe are followers of Jesus Christ and that
He has savedus by His grace, apartfrom anything we have done. If Jesus
Christ has truly saved you, then you will be a different person. You will be
growing in righteousness, love, and truth. You will judge and confess your
sins. When opportunities come up to tell others of the greatlove and mercy of
the Savior, you will do it because ofyour gratitude to Him for saving you.

Don’t miss the fact that Jesus here not only accepts, but also openly promotes,
His own preeminence. He states that every person’s eternal destiny hinges on
his or her confessionofJesus!As Leon Morris puts it, “Jesus leavesHis
hearers in no doubt but that eternal issues are involved in their attitude to
Him” (Luke [IVP/ Eerdmans], p. 210). Salvationis by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. One who has truly been savedwill openly confess thatfact. The
question then is, How do we confess Christ, especiallyin the face of
persecution?
To confess Christ, we must remember that all of life is lived under the
Father’s gaze. - This is the thrust of Jesus’words in Lu 12:2-3. Hypocrites live
double lives, acting one way when they’re around the religious crowd, but
living a different way when they’re alone. But that’s not a smart policy if
there is an omniscientGod who knows every thought we have. Genuine
Christianity is a matter of the heart and it must be lived openly before the
God who knows everything about us (Ps 139). When we sin even in our
thoughts, we must confess it to Him. Then, with the inner personcleansedand
with an awarenessofHis presence, we will be able to confess Christ openly to
others.
To confess Christ, we must fear the judgment of God more than we fear the
judgment of men. - Jesus here tenderly addresses His followers as His friends.
To be the friend of Jesus is far better than to be the foe of evil men. He tells us
not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but after that can do no more.
Rather, we are to fearGod who has the authority not only to kill our bodies,
but also to castour souls into hell. Some Christians say that we should always
be positive and that we should only focus on God’s love. But, clearly, Jesus did
not agree with that. Here He uses the fear of God’s judgment as a strong
motivation for believers. We may fearrejection or even persecutionby men.
But we need to fear rejectionand the ultimate persecutionby God!

This is a basic lessonthat every man who teaches orpreaches God’s Word
must come to grips with. If you want everyone to like you and sing your
praises, you will be unfaithful to God’s Word. The apostle Paul said (Ga 1:10),
“Foram I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please
men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of
Christ.” He also said (1Th 2:3-4), “Forour exhortation does not come from
error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by
God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but
God, who examines our hearts.” You simply cannot be faithful to the message
of the cross orto the holiness of God without stepping on some toes, no matter
how tactfully you presentit. So a basic requirement of every preacher and
teacheris, you must fear God more than you fear men.
But, what if men not only rejector slanderus? What if they actively persecute
us?
To confess Christ, we must trust in the loving, providential care of the Father.
- After telling us to fear God, Jesus tenderly tells us of His providential care
for us and then says, “Do not fear” [men]. He uses two illustrations to show us
how much God cares for those who confess the name of His Son. The first is
that of sparrows. Five sparrows were soldfor two cents. In Mt 10:29 He states
that two sparrows were soldfor a cent. If you bought four for two cents, they
threw the fifth one in for free! Even though sparrows were of such little value
to men, Jesus says that not one of them is forgotten before God. Jesus assures
us, “You are of more value than many sparrows.”
Then Jesus tells us that God has numbered all the hairs of our head. In my
case, Godis goodat subtraction! Jesus means that the smallestdetails of our
lives are under the tender care of our heavenly Father. Contrary to modern
“Christian” psychology, these verses are not teaching that we should esteem

ourselves more highly than we do. Rather, we should esteemGodmore highly
because ofHis fatherly care for us, in spite of our many sins and
shortcomings. But, Jesus does wantus as God’s children to feel assuredin His
loving care for us. No one can lay a finger on us apart from the Father’s
permission. If wickedmen kill us, we have His promise, “Preciousin the sight
of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps 116:15). Knowing that the
Father cares forus, we canbear witness even toward those who are hostile to
us.
To confess Christ, we must count on the faithful promises of the Son. - Jesus
promises that if we confess Him on earth, He will confess us in heaven (Lu
12:8). Every Christian should live every day in light of somedaystanding
before the One who gave His life for us. Our greathope should be that we will
hear Him say, “Well done, goodand faithful servant!” Then any suffering or
rejectionwe have experiencedwill be worth it all!
To confess Christ, we must rely on the instructive ministry of the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus warns His followers that they will be brought before religious and
governmental authorities because of their stand for Him. But He says that we
should not worry about what we will say at such times, because the Holy
Spirit will instruct us at the moment when we need His wisdom. These
comments apply to any time that we are under fire for our testimony. If we
have been living for Christ and walking in the Spirit, we can rely on the Spirit
to give us wisdom to respond in the moment of pressure.
Conclusion- Thomas Cranmer (youtube) servedfaithfully as Archbishop of
Canterbury under kings Henry VIII and Edward VI in England. But when
Bloody Mary came to the throne, he was condemned to death for treasonand
heresy. He was forcedto watch as Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridleywere
burned at the stake in Oxford. The fear of such a painful death caused
Cranmer to recanthis Protestantviews and to sign a paper that he agreed

with the RomanCatholic view of transubstantiation. But even though he
recanted, the Catholics planned to burn him anyway. On the eve of his
execution, he was brought before the church where he was expectedto
acknowledge publicly his shift toward Rome. But he shockedhis enemies
when he suddenly renounced his recantation, declaredthe Pope to be
antichrist, and rejectedtransubstantiation. Then, with a light heart and a
clearconscience, he allowedhimself to be hurried to the stake amidstthe
outcries of his disappointed enemies. As the flames curled around him, he
boldly held out his right hand into the fire, the hand that had signedhis
recantation, and said, “This unworthy right hand,” while he held his left hand
up toward heaven as he perished in the flames (J. C. Ryle, Light From Old
Times [EvangelicalPress], pp. 35-38).
Hopefully, none of us will have to face such a tortuous death. But, if we do, the
way to be ready to confess Christunder such pressure is to be confessing Him
now. What is a little rejectionor ridicule, or even physical death, in the light
of eternal life with our glorious Lord? May we boldly confess our loving
Savior who bore our sins on the cross!
DiscussionQuestions
When does keeping certain personalmatters private cross the line into
hypocrisy? How honestshould we be?
What is the difference between being diplomatic and being a people-pleaser?
How can a naturally timid person overcome his or her fear of people in order
to confess Christpublicly?
Should a Christian fear committing the unpardonable sin? Is it possible for a
believer to apostatize? (ConfessingorDenying Christ)

ILLUSTRATION - In the summer of 2004, WarrenBeamer, a missionary
from San Antonio, Texas, visitedan orphanage in Nigeria. Beamerwas
startled when one of the children at the orphanage spoke to him with a
southern accent. The girl quickly sharedthat she was from Houston, Texas.
To convince the missionary that this was true, she recited her socialsecurity
number. Then the girl led Beamerto six other children in the orphanage,
whom she describedas her brothers and sisters.
The children, who ranged from eight to sixteenyears-of-age,had been sent to
a Nigerianboarding schoolby their adoptive American mother. When the
woman stopped making tuition payments to the school, the children were sent
to the orphanage, living in terrible, squalid conditions. Gradually the children
gave up hope of ever returning home to the greatstate of Texas.
When the children saw Warren Beamer, they began singing the "Star-
SpangledBanner" in an effort to convince him of the truth of their claim that
they were Americans. The boldly proclaimed their citizenship and the place of
their true home. With the assistanceofBeamer's pastorand a U.S.
congressman, the children were back in the United States of America within
eight days. This story amply illustrates the important truth that Jesus makes
with His disciples in this sectionabout confessionand being unashamed of
your citizenship. (Mattoon's Treasures - Mattoon's Treasures – Treasures
from Luke, Volume 3)
ILLUSTRATION - We should not be ashamedto confess the truth about
Jesus Christ. That was the sentiment of the cartoonist, Charles Schultz.
The animated story A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on one of the major
televisionnetworks seasonally. The two producers who workedcloselywith
Charlie BrowncreatorCharles Schultz remembered their desperate efforts to
convince a television network to show the specialoriginally. All the major

networks were hesitant. Finally, one agreed, and the greatcartoonistgotto
work.
A memorable and moving part of A Charlie BrownChristmas occurs when
the cartooncharacterLinus, strolls to centerstage and reads the biblical
accountof the meaning of Christmas. The two producers working with
Schultz cautionedhim about putting something like that in the cartoon
special, because theywere convinced it wouldn't go over well. Charles Schultz
facedboth of the producers and said, "If not us, then who's going to do it?"
Way to go Charles!Even though he is dead, he is still remembered by many
today. I am thankful he was willing to speak up for the truth about the birth
of Christ in spite of the pressure and oppositionhe faced.
In dealing with the issue of fear, Jesus adds that the person that denies the
Lord will be denied by the Lord before the angels of God. He offers both
positive and negative motivation for His disciples. There is a price to pay for
denying Him and a blessing to enjoy in confessing Christ. (Mattoon)
Luke 12:9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels
of God.
KJV Luke 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the
angels of God.
but he who denies Me before men Luke 9:26; Mt 10:33;Mark 8:38; Acts
3:13,14;2 Ti 2:12; Rev 3:8
will be denied before the angels ofGod Luke 13:26,27;Mt 7:23; 25:12,31,41;1
Jn 2:23,28
Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Luke 12:1-12 Confessing orDenying Christ? - Steven Cole
Luke 12:8-9 A Certain Cure for Hypocrisy, Part 2 - John MacArthur
Matthew's parallel
Matthew 10:33 But whoeverdenies Me before men, I will also deny him
before My Father who is in heaven.
MacArthur asks "Whatdoes it mean to confess and be confessed, to deny and
be denied? people, this is the basic messagethat needs to be preachedin every
place where Jesus Christis named, this is a messagethatcalls so called
Christians to self‑ examination. It is a messagethatsays look at yourself...are
you confessing or...are youdenying? Foryour eternal destiny depends on
that." (The Hallmarks of Discipleship)
But - term of contrast. Here Jesus is clearlycontrasting confessionofHim
versus denial of Him before men.
Spurgeon- What courage this ought to give us! In company where the very
name of Christ is kickedabout like a football, — where everything is
respectedexcepttrue religion, — it is not always an easything to come
forward, and say, “I also am his disciple.” But if you will do this, you have
Christ’s pledge that he will own you before the angels of God. If you do not do
so, but practicallydeny him by a shameful silence, you may reasonablyexpect
that he also will deny you before the angels.
He who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels ofGod -
Matthew 10:33 has before My Father instead of before the angels of God, but
Jesus'point is the same. Notice that this in a sense is a conditional promise,

but it is also a strong and clearwarning. Keep in mind that the verb deny also
carries the sense of disown. We need to ponder the thought of disowning
Jesus, lestHe disown us. He is not speaking about denial or disowning
indicating that such a person loses their salvation. While a genuine believer
(like Peter)may deny Him occasionally, they will not continually deny Him.
Only an unbeliever continually denies or disowns Jesus and these false
professors andhypocrites will be "flushed out" in the future at the judgment
by God Who sees their hearts!
Denies (aoristtense)(720)(arneomaifrom "a" = negation+ rheo = say)
literally means "to say no", to say one does not know about or is in any way
related to some person or some thing. Webstersays that to deny implies a firm
refusal to acceptas true, to grant or concede orto acknowledgethe existence
or claims of.
Hendriksen explains that "those who deny or disownhim will be denied
before these same angels. See Matt. 25:41-43,45. In this case Jesus is not
quoted as saying, "I will deny them." What we read is "they will be denied [or
disowned]." This change was made, perhaps, to emphasize all the more
strongly the sorrowfullot of those who will be thus rejected."
Preaching the Word – True faith always moves from the heart to the lips. On
the other hand, a lack of desire to confess Christ before others is a warning
alarm—do we really have faith? An unwillingness to bear witness may mean
we have fooled ourselves—weare not truly children of God. (Luke, Volume
II: That You May Know the Truth)
Darrell Bock - In contrastto the idea in the previous verse, the one who denies
Jesus before other people will be denied in heaven. The passive mood does not
specificallyindicate who does the heavenly denying, but it is clearthat
rejectionfrom heaven is in view. People have two options: to acceptJesus or
rejecthim; there is no neutral position (Manson1949:108). But is Jesus

referring to a single incident or a pattern in one’s life? Peter’s failure to
confess Jesussuggeststhat one incident is not in view (contra Nolland 1993a:
679). In contrasting Peterwith Judas, it might be better to speak of denial of
nerve versus denial of the heart. Peterdid deny Jesus publicly three times, but
he regretted his act and responded later with numerous public declarations of
Jesus. Judas denied Jesus through betrayal and was tormented by his
decision. Nevertheless, Judas’s responsewas inadequate;rather than
declaring Jesus, he committed suicide. Peter’s denial was one of nerve, which
was later dramatically reversed. Judas’s denial was one of the heart. Thus,
Judas—notPeter—betterillustrates this verse. Other candidates might
include those who depart the assemblyin 1 John 2:19+, which may be the
same group referred to by the phrase sin unto death in 1 John 5:16+. Those
who deny or end up denying Jesus are in view here. As such, the aorist
participle ho arnēsamenos (the one who denies)functions as a summary
description of a life of denial. (BakerExegeticalCommentary on the NT:
Luke)
David Guzik - Even as there was an honorable reward for the faithful, there is
a terrible penalty for the faithless. They would be denied and disgracedbefore
the throne of God. i. Jesus did not say, denies Me in their heart or denies me
in their mind; He said, denies Me before men. There is a real and important
place for a public declarationof allegiance to Jesus. Formany, this is the most
difficult thing of all – and is usually difficult because of a fearof man, the
exactthing Jesus warnedagainstin His previous words (Luke 12:4-7). ii. The
test to either confess ordeny Jesus before men may come in many ways; but it
will always come. It is helpful to be determined in heart and mind before the
test comes. iii. Jesus clearlycalledHis listeners to a choice. As before in Luke
11:23+ the choice is to either be with Jesus oragainstHim. Here the choice is
to confess Jesus ordeny Him. (Enduring Word Bible Commentary – Luke)
William MacDonald- The primary reference here seems to be to the
Pharisees,but of course the verse includes all who refuse Christ and are
ashamedto acknowledgeHim. In that day, He will say, "I never knew you."
(Believer's Bible Commentary)

Holman New TestamentCommentary asks "willyou confess thatJesus is
your Lord? Now make your decision:fear human persecution—orfear not
being included in Christ's eternalkingdom." (Holman New Testament
Commentary – Luke)
Crawford - The verb arneomai is used of Peter's denial before the cross, but
is never used of believers afterward. The testof 2 Tim 2:12 is a testof the real
againstthe false. No true believer can deny the Lord in this sense today;only
apostates do this (see 1 Tim 5:8; 2 Tim 3:3; 1 John 2:22, 23; Jude 4). This is a
denial of His deity and the value of His shed blood. The denial of the Masteris
moral error and apostasy(2 Pet2:1; Titus 1:16), and is seenin those who are
reprobate. Although no genuine believer canbe an apostate, it is possible for
believers to adopt at leastsome of the behaviour of apostates(Heb 10:25; Jude
20-25). To "be denied before the angels of God" means that in the presence of
God the Lord will deny that these belong to Him, and they will perish
eternally. (What the Bible teaches - What the Bible teaches – Luke)
Kent Hughes adds that "According to Paul, the inception of authentic faith in
Christ involves verbal confessionofhim: "Thatif you confess with your
mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. Forit is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess andare saved" (Romans
10:9, 10). True faith always moves from the heart to the lips. On the other
hand, a lack of desire to confess Christbefore others is a warning alarm—do
we really have faith? An unwillingness to bearwitness may mean we have
fooledourselves—we are nottruly children of God. This is a great concernto
Jesus. He said, after Peter's greatconfession, "If anyone is ashamed of me and
my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory
and in the glory of the Fatherand of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). And the
one who gave himself for us says it here again. We must confess him—
always!" (Preaching the Word - Luke, Volume II: That You May Know the
Truth) (Bolding added)

Leon Morris comments that "anyone who denies (‘disowns’, NEB)Jesus will
face the ultimate denial. He has refusedto number himself among Jesus’
followers. Whenhe stands before God his choice will be ratified. Jesus leaves
his hearers in no doubt but that eternal issues are involved in their attitude to
him." (TNTC - Luke)
John Martin - To acknowledgedenotes the fact that the disciples recognized
Him as the Messiahand therefore they had accessto the way of salvation.
Those who did not acknowledgeHim were denying themselves the way of
salvation. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the
Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty - see Constable's comments below)
Sadly some evangelicalcommentators (Another member of Dallas Seminary
faculty Dr Thomas Constable who I use and generallyrespecton most of his
comments) interpret this denial of Christ as the time at the Judgment Seatof
Christ when "More or fewerrewards are in view" for believers. Beloved, this
is a very dangerous teaching!How can a genuine believer live a life in which
he continually denies (disowns)the One Who savedhim? It is not even logical.
Of course Jesus is not speaking aboutoccasionaldenials all of us have been
guilty of in our life. He is speaking about denial of Himself as one's practice.
As alluded to above Paul describes this lifestyle of denial in Titus 1:16-note in
men who actually "profess (continually confess)to know God, but by their
deeds they deny (present tense = continually deny or disown) Him, being
detestable and disobedient and worthless for any gooddeed." It is interesting
that in this verse Constable says "Whenevera person's talk and walk conflict
it is usually his walk rather than his talk that reveals what he really is (1 John
1:6)." Interesting! How can one continually walk with Jesus, if he continually
denies Him?
This verb is used to describe the men in Titus 1:16-note who "profess
(homologeo in the present tense)to know God" indicating this is continually
their confession. The problem is that they counter their confessionwith a
continual denial of Him by their deeds continually "deny" God (arneomai in

the presenttense)! Yes, we are to confess Christ(Ro 10:9-10-note), but if our
life (works)does not authenticate or back up our words, then our words are a
lie and we are still dead in our trespasses andsins. While one might argue
these are not the same context, let's look at another statement in John's epistle
Whoeverdenies (arneomaiin the present tense)the Son does not have the
Father; the one who confesses (homologeo inthe present tense)the Son has
the Fatheralso.(1 John 2:23-note)
Comment - This passage speaksofa lifetime (or lifestyle - present tense)of
denying the Son! Even in this very clearpassage, Constable does notsay John
is describing the attitude and actions of an unbeliever but insteadsays "If they
rejectedthe Son, they could not expectan intimate relationship with the
Father." That is not what the text says. John is not speaking of fellowship
(Constable's view)in this verse but of sonship, of one of the marks of those
who are not in God's family but have a spirit of antichrist. John MacArthur
explains "Anyone denying the true nature of Christ as presented in the
Scripture is an antichrist (cf. 1Jn 4:3; 2Th 2:11). The denial of Christ also
constitutes a denial of God Himself, Who testified to His Son (1 Jn 5:9; Jn
5:32-38;8:18)." Dr Charles Ryrie adds "To deny the Son makes it impossible
to become part of God's family and have God as Father." (Ryrie Study Bible)
Cole - If a person denies Jesus before men, He states that He will deny that
person before the angels ofGod. Obviously Jesus was nottalking about a
person who occasionallyfails by denying Him. If He meant that, then Peter
will not be in heaven! But if our way of life is to profess Christ when we’re
around the Christian crowd, but to deny Christ when we’re around the
pagans, we are being hypocrites. If we do not repent and take a stand with
Christ, no matter what the cost, then He will deny us at the judgment.
(Confessing orDenying Christ)

Broadman Bible Commentary - The pressures of persecutionwill subject
followers of Jesus to the most difficult kind of test. The disciples are to be
aware of the consequencesofaffirming and denying their relationship to him.
If in an hour of crisis they affirm their allegiance to him, they canbe assured
that he will be their advocate in the time of eschatologicalcrisis that lies
beyond this age. Luke is thinking here of judgment, the greatand final assize
before the assembledhosts of heaven. While it is true that the language does
not require the identification of Jesus with the Son of man, this was no doubt
the identification made by early Christians and by Luke. (Matt. 10:32 has “I,”
which, as Creed says [pp. 171 f.], may be original.) Those who yield to the
pressures and deny Jesus cannotexpect to have an advocate at the judgment.
In his teaching, Jesus constantlydrives home the severity of the gospel’s
demands. By his actions, however, he shows that the love of God is not
withdrawn from the weak and cowardly. The early church remembered well
that the persons who denied Jesus in the hour of crisis were forgiven and
restoredto places of trust. The gospelis always both grace and demand.
Without demand grace becomes cheap;without grace demand leads to
despair. So those of us who have denied him because ofsocialand business
pressures or for other reasons must hear the word of grace, which brings us
once more under the demand to be true whateverthe cost. (Broadman Bible
Commentary – Luke-John)
BRIAN BELL
FEARING TO PUBLICLY PROCLAIM YOUR FAITH! (8-10)
CONFESSOR DENY? (8-10)
Jesus encouragesthem not to be afraid to acknowledge theirfaith publicly.
Some have interpreted this to mean that you have to come forward & make a
‘public confessionof Christ’ known as “the altar call”.

(10) Why is that the unforgivable sin? Becausein such a state repentance
becomes impossible.
If a man doesn’t even realize that he’s sinning, if goodnessno longer makes
any appealto him, he cannot repent.
God has not shut him out; by his repeatedrefusals he has shut himself out.
That means that the one man who can never have committed the unforgivable
sin is the man who fears that he has! For once a man has committed it, he is so
dead to God that he is consciousof no sin at all.
If a man for long enoughrefuses to use a faculty he will lose it. [Examples]
If we don’t use a part of the body for an extended period it atrophies.
Darwin tells how when he was a young man he loved poetry and music; but he
so devoted himself to biology that he completely neglectedthem. The
consequence wasthat in later life poetry meant nothing to him and music was
only a noise, and he said that if he had his life to live over againhe would see
to it that he would read poetry and listen to music so that he would not lose
the faculty of enjoying them. (The Gospelof Luke. (W. Barclay, lecturer in the
University of Glasgow, Ed.). The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed)
Just so we canlose the faculty of recognizing God!
By repeatedly refusing God’s word, by repeatedly taking our own way, by
repeatedly shutting our eyes to Godand closing our ears to him, we cancome
to a stage when to us evil becomes goodand goodbecomes evil.
That is what happened to the scribes and Pharisees.
They had so blinded and deafenedthemselves to God that when He came they
calledhim the devil. (11:15)

JIM BOMKAMP
VS 12:8-9 - “8 “And I say to you, everyone who confessesMe before men,
the Sonof Man will confess him also before the angels ofGod; 9 but he who
denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”- Jesus warns
His disciples that if they do not confess Him before men that He will deny
them before the angels of God
6.1. It is a difficult thing to tell people of your faith in Christ when
your life is not in dangerfor doing so, howeverif you risk dying a martyr’s
death it is so much harder to tell of your faith.
6.2. Jesus admonishes His disciples that if they deny Him before
men that He will deny them before the Lord (which is what is meant when He
says ‘before the angels’), which means that His atonement will not be
accountedon their behalf and that they shall spend eternity apart from God.
GENE BROOKS
THE RIGHT KIND OF ALLEGIANCE IS TO JESUS, NOT MEN (Luke
12:8-12)
a. Luke 12:8-9 – Acknowledge him before the angels:The image Jesus gives
is of the Throne Roomof God on Judgment Day (Dan 7:7-14) with angelic

attendants (Isaiah6:1-4; Rev 4:6-11). Jesus is both intercessor
(priest/advocate/defenseattorney)and prosecutorbefore the heavenly courts.
If we confess him now, He will confess us before His Father, and the converse
is also true.
APPLICATION: Loyalty to God cannever remain for you an abstractidea.
Acknowledge the Son and be acknowledgedby Him before the Father. This is
why we give an invitation and ask you to walk to the altar. Putting your body
into motion to give concrete actionto the commitment in your heart is so
important. I will give you an invitation at the end of this service, and if the
Lord is dealing with your heart, you need to respond.
STEVEN COLE
Confessing orDenying Christ? (Luke 12:1-12)
RelatedMedia
Persecutionis not something that American Christians know much about
firsthand, but it may be coming our way soon. I heard on the news last week
that the President is pushing a bill in Congressthat would make it a hate
crime to speak in any way againsthomosexualityor to promote negative
attitudes toward it.
California’s new governorhas voicedsupport for a sweeping pro-homosexual
bill that would, among other things, require that children in public schools,
starting in kindergarten, be taught that homosexuality is simply one among
severalequally healthy and valid lifestyles (World [4/10/99], p. 18). It is not

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