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After one hears the word and believes in
Jesus as the Son of God, one must confess his belief before men. Notice
again the Ethiopian eunuch's response in verse
37 of Acts 8. Philip told him that he could be baptized if he
believed with all his heart. The eunuch voiced his belief in Jesus as
the Son of God prior to being baptized. In this lesson we will look at
the definition of the word "confess", review the New Testament
scriptures dealing with confession, and summarize the role of confession in
salvation. Links to an online Bible and Vine's Expository Dictionary
are provided. When the scripture listed has a Vine's reference
mentioned, please click on the Vine's link and go to that paragraph to see
the definition of the Greek word used in that verse.
Definitions
"Confess": "homologeo"
and "exomologeo"
are the Greek verbs used by the NT writers to convey the idea of
"confession". Vine's
lists definitions for both words.
Scriptures
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Romans
10:8-10: With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Vine's A-1c)
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John
6:16-17: Use of the prepositions "into" and
"unto" in the scriptures.
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Matthew
15:9: One who worships according to the teachings of men is worshipping in
vain.
Summary
Confession is an oft-misunderstood concept
in religion. Many people believe confession is sufficient for salvation.
Once during a study of confession I had a student walk out as the study was
taking place due to his misunderstanding of the word. What is meant by
confession in the New Testament, and is it sufficient for salvation or is it
a step towards salvation? We will answer these questions in this study.
First, what is meant by confession?
The definition of homologeo is key to understanding confession.
Notice what Vine's says above: homologeo is "to declare openly by
speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of
facts" (Vine's A-1c). Confession is not a private act. When
one confesses Jesus one verbalizes publicly his/her belief in Jesus as the
Son of God. This profession comes as a result of deep convictions, and
these convictions are based on facts. As you can see, confession
naturally follows the acts of hearing the word and
developing a belief in Jesus. One learns of
the facts that lead to the deep convictions expressed during confession by
hearing and studying the Word of God. Since the profession is based on
facts, one must be certain that his/her belief is based on facts. Jesus
warns us of the possibility of having a faith based on fables in Matthew
15:9. One who has a faith based on doctrines of men is worshipping God
in vain!! Please follow this link to study the practices authorized in true
worship
(that is, worship which is not in vain).
Next, let's consider whether confession is
sufficient for salvation or is a step towards salvation. Romans 10:8-10
will answer this question. Please link to Romans
10:8-10 and read closely Paul's words. Many people use these two
verses as support for the doctrine that one who confesses Jesus and believes
is saved. Did Paul say that? The key word in these two verses is
found in verse 10. That word is unto.
I have provided a link to Merriam-Webster. Vine's does not include a
definition for unto. In Merriam-Webster you will find a link to
the word to. Please follow that link and consider definition
1a. Notice the word to suggests movement toward
a person, place or thing. Toward indicates something that is coming
soon, not something which has already arrived! A
perfect example of the use of the prepositions unto and into is
found in John
6:16-17. John tells us the disciples came unto the sea and
entered into a ship. When they came unto the sea, were
they into the sea yet? No! They were on the shore
preparing to board a ship. Once they entered into the ship they
sailed over the sea to Capernaum. We all understand the use of unto,
into, and over in these verses. Let's apply the same
reasoning to Romans 10:10. Paul tells us "with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation." Is the person saved
after making the confession? No! Just as the disciples were not
yet into the sea when they went unto the sea, the believer who
has confessed has not yet achieved salvation. They are on the path toward
salvation, but are not yet saved.
The New International Version has a serious
flaw in its translation of Romans
10:10. It reads, "For it is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved." The NIV states that one is saved after confession!
But why is this a serious flaw? Don't many in the religious world today
teach this doctrine? Yes, they do. For that reason it is
important for us to determine why the NIV has mistranslated this verse.
In Ephesians
4:4-6 Paul gives us a list of things of which there is only one.
There is only one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, and one God. Therefore, there is only one plan of
salvation. Anytime we read of something one must do before entering a
saved state, we know that particular action is part of the one plan of salvation
that allows us to enter that one body and have that one hope. In order
to properly understand that one plan of salvation we must look to the entire
New Testament and identify those things that are necessary prior to salvation.
In Romans 10:10, the NIV makes confession sufficient for salvation. But
what does the NIV say in Mark
16:16? It reads, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be
saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Here the
NIV makes baptism necessary for salvation! How does one
resolve the conflict between these two verses? One cannot! Either
there are two plans of salvation, one in which confession is sufficient and another
that requires baptism, or there is a contradiction in the NIV. This is
true of any version that teaches that confession is sufficient for
salvation. In any such version of the NT turn to Mark 16:16 and
determine whether baptism is necessary for salvation. If that version
teaches that it is, then confession cannot be sufficient for salvation and
that version has mistranslated Romans 10:10.
As you can see with some simple logic,
confession is not sufficient for salvation. Please link to the final step in the plan of salvation to see
what is necessary to enter into salvation.
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