"Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also
7. RECOGNITION
"Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32–33). At first sight, the last of the seven "I will" promises of Jesus we will examine in this book might seem to be somewhat negative and even possibly disheartening. But, as we will see, that is not the case at all, and this is actually just as encouraging a promise as any of the other "I will"s.
There is certainly a solemn and serious aspect to be seen in the second half of this promise and we will look at that first. The context in which Matthew records Jesus' statement shows us what that side of the promise is: Jesus was telling his disciples not to be afraid of those who would try to hinder the spread of the gospel:
So do not be afraid of them ... What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:26–31) It is in this context that Jesus then promised his followers "whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven" (vs. 33). Jesus' words certainly include the fact that we should always be willing to "confess" or acknowledge his existence and his Lordship (James 2:19). The apostle Paul spoke of this when he wrote "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9 ESV). All baptized Christians make this confession at baptism, and this is a basic truth: we cannot deny that Jesus is our Lord and then expect him to be our Savior. We cannot follow Jesus if we don't want to be associated with him.
But the context of the promise of Matthew 10:32–33 shows that Jesus was primarily speaking not about a person's unwillingness to accept him – he was, after all, speaking to his followers (Matthew 10:1–31; Luke 12:1; 8–9) – but that his followers must never be afraid to speak the truth of the gospel when given the opportunity to do so. This does not mean we must "proclaim Jesus" every time we speak to anyone, but that we must not fear the opinions or active discouragement of others when we do feel it is appropriate to speak (for more information on this, see the chapter on witnessing in our book Getting Christianity Right).
There is a great difference between flatly denying we know or are associated with Jesus (as the apostle Peter did, and yet was forgiven even that when he repented Luke 22:54–62; John 21:15–19), and simple reticence to speak out on occasion. This has been long understood by scholars of the Bible. For example, John Calvin made the point that the public acknowledgment of Jesus varies in boldness, fluency, wisdom, sensitivity and frequency, from believer to believer; and that it is the person who disowns Christ who is disowned, not the person whose witnessing may be somewhat feeble. Jesus encourages us not to fear, and to be strong when necessary, but he does not condemn those who may fail in this area.
No one is "worthy" of Christ when it comes to salvation, but that does not mean we should not strive to be worthy of him when it comes to the promises he offers us. Notice that just a few verses after Jesus stated the promise of Matthew 10:32–33 – and still in the same context – he said explicitly:
Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their
cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37–38) This is because, although we can never be worthy of his salvation, we can become worthy to rule with Christ in his kingdom. This is plainly taught in many Bible verses, such as Matthew 7:21–23; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; Revelation 2:26; 3:4, 21. So it is, that acknowledging Christ – especially when persecution may be the result – is something that Jesus promises to reward.
This helps us to better understand the first part of Jesus' promise: "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). But the word "acknowledge" in this verse means so much more than simply "accept." Jesus' statement conveys the kind of acknowledgment that comes with an award or reward – just as we might say that an Olympic medal is an acknowledgment of a star athlete's performance. It is similar to the word "recognition" in the title of this chapter – not recognition meaning we are aware of who someone is, but recognition in the sense of an award that acknowledges someone's accomplishments.
The promise of Matthew 10:32-33 means that at the judgment seat of Christ, he will "recognize" or "acknowledge" before the Father those individuals who through their words and deeds acknowledged his rule in their lives. It will be a climactic moment in the history of salvation when Christ will be able to introduce and acknowledge those the Father called and gave to him (John 6:39) and who, with his help, became worthy of reward (Ephesians 6:8). So while this "I will" promise has little to do with our gaining salvation, it has everything to do with the reward of recognition God will give.
This is the great "awards ceremony" that awaits the faithful servants Jesus described in his parable of the pounds (Luke 19:12– 26), and those whose work Paul described in his parable of the building materials (1 Corinthians 3:10–14). It is the setting of Jesus' words "The one who is victorious will ... be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but
will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels" (Revelation 3:5). It is a transcendent promise indeed – an unshakable and sure promise given by the One "who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy" (Jude 1:24). This "I will" promise of Jesus was surely given for our consolation, hope, and lasting joy.
CONCLUSION
In the course of this book we have looked at the seven specific, unconditional, ongoing, and vitally important promises that Jesus made regarding his relationship with his followers. As we have looked at these promises we have seen how they apply to us in a progression through time – from when we first come to Christ, through his ongoing interaction with us in various aspects of our Christian lives, to the eternal future and reward we are promised to share with him.
In conclusion, consider just a few of the statements the Scriptures make regarding God's promises. These statements are found in the contexts of other promises made by God, but what they tell us applies equally to the seven promises we have focused on in this book: "He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3–4) "Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Corinthians 7:1) "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)
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