In the ministry of Jesus Christ, one day, He preached, and many people believed in Him, but they did not confess their belief publicly to submit themselves to the authority and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
By their actions they could not be saved.
“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:42-43).
Why will some people believe in Jesus Christ after hearing the gospel, but fail to confess Him? In the case of the Jewish rulers in the scriptural verse above, two reasons for their failure to make the confession of their faith were given.
First, they feared that they would be thrown out of the synagogue, and second, they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
The actions of those Jewish rulers are common in our days too. Many people in our generation believe in Jesus Christ, but often times, they do not confess Him publicly as their Lord and Saviour for some notable reasons. I will like to discuss three with you in this book.
1. Fear of Attacks:
2. Pride:
There are also people who refuse to confess Christ Jesus because they do not want others to see that they are sinners and that they are in desperate need of a Saviour. Such people are simply proud, and love the glory of men.
3. Ignorance:
Finally, there are people who are ignorant about this important truth. These are people who are born and grow in churches, but never have the opportunity to be presented with the gospel to genuinely believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him as their Lord and Saviour.
By James Quansah