IV. The Essence of Confession
CHAPTER IV
The Essence of Confession If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. - Romans 10:9, 10.
Everything that lives and grows has need of time. A machine can quickly, in a few moments, be put together. But life and growth are not to be forced. Artificial promotion of growth produces or brings forth hot house plants which are not able to withstand storm and tempest.
Also, our spiritual life is subject to this law of development under which all organical beings have been created. Holy Writ admits of various and manifold differences amongst the children of God. It speaks of lambs and sucklings in the sheepfold of Jesus; it makes mention of children, of youths, and of Fathers in the faith; it makes a distinction between those who are still under age and those who have already attained their majority and in connection herewith also between the milk and the strong meat of the truth, which must be administered unto the believers. Again and again we are admonished and exhorted, to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, to put on the new man created after God in true righteousness and holiness, to become strengthened in the inward man and renewed in the spirit of our minds.
Even as the natural, so also, must the spiritual life be developed. It may not remain hid from man, neither may it, as a treasure, be buried in the earth, nor can it be consigned to inactivity. Life is a stranger to all indolence and idleness. Life is exertion, life is power, life is action, everything that lives, moves and develops itself. In its
growth it can be hindered and checked, but as long as life is there, action is inseparable from it. In a still greater measure is this true of the spiritual life, which is implanted in regeneration through the Holy Spirit and bears an eternal, indestructable character. Wherever it is, it reveals itself, it appears in word and deed, it develops into activities of faith and conversion and where faith is present, confession is given therewith as a matter of fact.
Confession is an excellent word for a still more excellent and glorious fact. But to a great extent and in a great measure it has lost its beauty and power for our minds. When we use it or hear it used by others, we generally, immediately think of the confessional writings of this or that Christian Church, or we think of the public confession, which is made, once in their lives, by the youthful members of the church before they are permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper.
But these meanings of the word "Confession" are relative. The original meaning in Scripture is much richer and deeper. According to this original meaning, confessing is nothing else and nothing less than one's openly and publicly testifying and witnessing of personal faith in Jesus as the Christ.
Two things are then included in this. First, a true, upright faith, a deep, firm conviction of heart. In the true sense of the word no confessing is possible, if there is no faith in the heart. Confessing is a thing of the heart. It is rooted in the heart. It comes up out of the heart. It is a fruit of the faith of the heart. Without that faith, confessing becomes a worthless work of the lips, an external repetition with the mouth, an impersonal, untrue, hypocritical work, which is not worthy of the beautiful name, confession; an act refuted and condemned by Christ with holy wrath in the Pharisaism of His day. All such dissemblers are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful without, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
But in the second place there is included in the true confessing, the fact, that the faith of the heart is not ashamed of itself but reveals itself in openly and publicly testifying and witnessing. He, who does not believe, cannot confess. But he, who does believe in truth and uprightness, must confess; he cannot remain silent; he must speak to the ear of friend and enemy, before the face of God, of angels, and of men. Whatever insult, disgrace, and scorn may follow, whatever hatred, and persecution it may awaken, He, who believes, speaks: loud, powerful, free. We believe, therefore we speak.
Jeremiah by his prophesying made himself a mock and derision in the midst of his people, but nevertheless he could not keep silent.
The Lord constrained him, was too strong for him and triumphed over him. Although he said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name, the Word, which the Lord put in his heart, became as a burning fire shut up in his bones. When the lion roars, who will not fear? When the Lord speaks, who will not prophesy?
Believing with the heart and confessing with the mouth therefore accompany each other, and belong inseparably together. He, who believes and does not confess, is just as much in contradiction with the law of God as he, who confesses and does not believe. Both are necessary, said a certain church Father, a true, firm faith and a free confession, so that the heart may be ornamented with the certainty of faith and the tongue may fearlessly confess the truth. And another hath witnessed: The heart has need of the mouth, for what fruit can it bring forth, to believe with the heart, without publicly confessing before men? The faith of the heart may justify, the perfect salvation nevertheless, lieth in confession. Then only does faith shine when it reveals itself in confessing, and then only are many benefited and profited by it. On the other hand, the mouth has need of the heart, for many there are who confess Christ but whose hearts are far from Him.
Thus also speaks the Apostle Paul, when he says, that the faith of the heart grants righteousness but that the confession of the mouth must accompany it to obtain salvation. To be sure, it is true that these two cannot be separated in our thoughts, no more than the confession of the Lord Jesus can be separated from the faith in His resurrection.
Faith and confession are as inseparably bound together as the Lordship of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead; as inseparably, as righteousness and salvation. But nevertheless, is it true—and that is what the Apostle Paul wishes to make known—that, although the faith of the heart justifies, nevertheless this faith is first known and proves itself to be the true, justifying faith, when it reveals itself in confession. Faith, not confession, justifies. But that, this faith is the true faith first becomes evident in the confessing. The true, justifying faith only leads unto salvation in the way of confession. Without holiness shall no one see God. Without confession, as fruit of faith, shall no one enter Heaven. Confession is not the meriting cause but it is the royal, the kingly way unto salvation.
Faith and confession therefore also exert an influence upon each other and are a mutual prop and support. The faith that does not confess becomes shy, timid, retracts, begins to pine away, or is sometimes even discovered in its falseness and unfaithfulness. And the confession without faith is nothing more than a flower without a stem, it withers and falls to pieces. On the other hand, by and through confessing, faith gains in strength, power, and vitality, becomes more firmly founded, and shoots its roots deeper and deeper into the ground of the heart and by and through faith, confessing receives its animation and fire, gains in courage and freeness, and as by a secret, invisible flame it is constantly preserved and fed.
From this it then also follows, that the so-called public confession of faith is not a loose, separated fact, which takes place once and therewith is concluded forever. Such an interpretation is still possessed and found with many. A few weeks beforehand they
prepare themselves for the solemn hour of confession. During this preparatory season they withdraw and will hold themselves from public amusements. More regularly they attend church and catechism. On the day of confession they appear in a new frock or suit. Probably after this, they once partake of the Lord's Supper. But then everything is forgotten. Life resumes its former old course and proceeds as if nothing whatever had taken place.
Such confessing is not in any way worthy of the name, confession. It does not stand higher than this: A work, which was accepted, being finished, is delivered. Such a confession is nothing more than an old custom, which is kept up and followed unconsciously and thoughtlessly.
Such a work, such an action is not making confession of faith.
Confessing is much richer of meaning and much greater in significance. Certainly it is an earnest matter and a solemn, impressive hour when youthful members for the first time in the midst of the congregation make confession of their personal faith. It is a mile post upon the way of life, the coming to majority of the minor child, the entering in unto all the rights and privileges granted by Christ to His believers. Unto that affirmative answer, which we then give we are bound for time and eternity. God holds us firmly unto that and will one day judge us according to it. Christ keeps it in remembrance and will one day call for an account of it. The Holy
Spirit will keep and preserve it in our minds and remembrance and will refer and point us to it again and again, even unto the hour of death, yea, even unto all eternity. It shall one day, in the day of days, testify for us and if not, then against us—it will fly up in our face and make our condemnation the heavier.
But this confessing of our faith is not a matter, an action, a work which stands by itself and which sustains no relation to our preceding and following life. It is not a sacrament as the church of Rome has made it. It bears in itself no special, supernatural holiness.
It is not, as it were by a fence, separated from the sphere of
unconsecrated life. It does not incorporate us into a new company, into a special rank and file amongst the soldiers under Christ Jesus as King. However important and however earnest the making of public confession may be it does not stand disconnected, by itself, but is closely related to and in the closest way it is connected with our preceding and following confessions.
This one public confession is preceded by a daily confession. All faith confesses, be it, according to its own measure, in its own manner and in its own language. The faith of the playing child, of the happy and cheerful boy, of the lively youth also confesses—in its own way and manner. If faith is only of the true caliber, if there is only true, childlike fear of God in the heart, it always comes to light and makes its appearance. It reveals itself and we can see and behold it in the piousness of desires, in the uprightness of mind, in the tenderness of heart, in the respect for things holy and sacred, in the pleasure to pray, in the fear of what is evil and wicked, in the holding back of themselves and others from what is not right but sinful. Confessing! that is what our children do even from their infancy and their confessions are pleasing unto the ear of God.
Nevertheless, what saith the Scriptures? Let the little children come unto Me and hinder them not, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Because the name of the Lord is excellent in all the earth He ordains strength out of the mouth of babes and sucklings that He may still the enemy and the avenger. The small and weak is chosen by the Lord to put to shame thereby the great and mighty. Children in their simplicity, in their uprightness, in their guilelessness and humility are proclaimers of the glory and excellency of God, which is shed abroad throughout the whole earth and which has revealed itself the brightest in Christ, And even as the making of public confession is preceded by a confession from infancy, so also is and must it be followed by a confession throughout the whole life, even unto the hour of death.
It is true, the public confession in the midst of the congregation is, in the first place, to obtain permission unto the table of the Lord. It opens the access unto the table of the covenant. And thus it appears to separate Baptism and the Lord's Supper from each other. But indeed and in truth this is not so, it rather binds and holds them together.
And thus it also ought to be. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are sacraments of the same worth and worthiness. They have the same power and significance. They are signs and seals of the same covenant. Both of them with the Word are appointed and ordained thereto, that they direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, as to the one ground and foundation of our salvation.
These two sacraments are also given and granted unto the same believers. In the New Testament baptism was mostly administered unto adults; confession therefore preceded baptism; he who was baptized had access immediately unto the Lord's table.
But when infant baptism became the general practice there naturally and gradually came a separation. To be sure, baptism can be administered unto children of the covenant for it is the sacrament of regeneration and incorporation into the Church of Christ. But the Lord's Supper supposes, that we ourselves accept the broken bread and eat, that we ourselves receive the cup and drink. The right use of the Lord's Supper ought to be and must be preceded therefore by the ability to examine and prove ourselves and discern the body of the Lord. It is the sacrament of the increasing and upbuilding of the spiritual life in the communion and fellowship of the Lord Jesus, and is therefor also repeated from time to time.
Consequently confession gradually took in a place between baptism and communion, not to separate them but just the reverse, to hold them in their mutual relation and to lead from baptism to communion. Confession supposes baptism and prepares for communion. In confession the baptized child accepts its own baptism and desires to receive access to the second sign and seal of
the covenant. Out of grace God accepted and adopted him as His child, and now he, having come to years of understanding and discretion and to consciousness of his life and duty, humbly and childlike but also believingly and sure, confesses before all men that God is His God. He puts his hand in the hand of God. Freely and with clear consciousness he admits and accepts the covenant relation in which he was accepted from his birth. Upon the affirmation of the Lord: I am your God. He now answers: And I am Thy servant, a son of thine handmaid, Thou hast loosed my bonds. God trains and brings up all of His children unto liberty and self-dependence. In the day of His power He desires a willing people. We love Him because
He first loved us.
That is what the believer proclaims, when in the solemn hour of his confession, he is given access to the Supper of the Lord. Of that he also makes confession, when with the congregation he sits at the table of the Lord. In the sacrament the emphasis, in the first place, is certainly laid upon what God does, upon His gift, upon His grace.
Therein, He offers unto us the Christ with all the profits and benefits merited by Him. The Lord's Supper was specifically instituted by our
Savior Jesus Christ for the purpose of feeding and preserving those whom He had already regenerated and incorporated into His family, which is His Church. It is His flesh that we eat, and His blood that we drink with the mouth of faith, for the strengthening of our spiritual life.
But then, in the second place, the sacrament is from our side a confession of faith. The Lord's Supper is preceded by the true proving and examining of ourselves, which consists in three things.
First we are to consider by ourselves our sins and the curse due unto us for them, to the end that we may abhor and humble ourselves before God. Secondly, we are to examine our own hearts whether we do believe this faithful promise of God, that all our sins are forgiven us, only for the sake of the passion and death of Jesus Christ and that the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed and freely given unto
us as our own. Finally, we are to examine our own conscience whether we purpose henceforth to show true thankfulness to God in our whole life, and to walk uprightly before Him.
What a significant confession we therefore make when we come to the Lord's Supper! We do not come to it to testify that we are perfect and righteous in ourselves; but on the contrary, considering that we seek our life out of ourselves in Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that we lie in the midst of death. We confess in this sacrament that Jesus
Christ is the true meat and drink of our souls, and that we are members of His body. For it is one bread, thus we, being many, are one body, for we all are partakers of one bread.
However that Supper of the Lord does not stand far without and highly exalted above our life. Certainly it is extraordinary in this sense, that every time and anew we are met in this sacrament by God's specific grace, and it is revealed in a particular way unto our eyes and assured unto our hearts. Very often the Lord's Supper also seems strange and wondrous to us, because it is only celebrated a few times in a year and then not faithfully and not nearly by all. But the grace which is granted unto us in this sacrament is no other than that which constantly accompanies the word of the Gospel and feeds us day by day. In the first Christian congregations therefore the Lord's
Supper was celebrated not only every Sabbath but also at the weekly meetings of the believers. It was the height of their service, the communion of saints, the sustenance which they received every time for their pilgrimage.
In the Lord's Supper is signified and sealed the communion and fellowship of Christ, which we, at all times, possess in the Word, and enjoy through faith. And of that faith we not only witness and testify when we sit at the table of the covenant, neither only on Sunday, when with the congregation we go up to the house of prayer.
But, as surely as we are true believers, we make confession of that faith throughout our whole life. For faith cannot do otherwise, it