A proper profession of faith

"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven," Matthew 32-33 (ESV).

In our church we do not offer an "altar call." We do not encourage people to "ask Jesus into their heart." And, we do not consider a "profession of faith" to be some public announcement at the end of a worship service. The many modern evangelicals who came to Christ in these ways have been at least confused and at worst deceived. A careful study of Matthew 10:32-33 taken in its biblical context (all of chapter 10, especially verses 16-33) will allow us to learn, along with the original disciples, how to give and how to live a proper profession of faith.

First of all, you much embrace your mascot (Matthew 10:16). Becoming a Christian is not entirely unlike joining a team. If you're on Christ's team, behold your new mascot -- a sheep. I think most sports teams would prefer the wolf over the sheep. In parts of the country there are plenty of wolves, but no sheep. Why would Jesus send His followers out "as sheep?" Wolves are independent. They roam wherever they want, they take whatever they want, they do what they feel like doing, almost all of the time. Sheep, on the other hand are quite different. They follow the shepherd, generally get along with one another, and would never attack others except in self-defense. They are easy to love, they love back in return, and they are extremely valuable to their owner. This is the basic character of a true Christian. So, behold your mascot. And know that no proper profession of faith can be made until you stand ready to suffer for your faith, in ways small and large.

Second, embrace the source of your strength (Matthew 10:20). In the animal kingdom, a sheep is much weaker than a wolf. In the kingdom of God, however, the strength of the sheep is much greater. It is easy to run with a pack and attack those who are different. It is hard, however, to endure the attack and maintain the very thing that makes you a target, namely a proper profession of faith in Jesus Christ. How do the sheep do it? The sheep have the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit saves, the Spirit sustains, the Spirit is the source of the sheep's strength, and the Spirit even shows the sheep what to say when under attack by wolves. The Holy Spirit is the agent of salvation for the sheep. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, regenerates the heart and gives the spiritual gifts necessary for living the sheep life. Faith and repentance are given to create life, practical gifts of speaking and serving are given to live life, and a complete makeover awaits the end of this life and entrance into the next. There is no proper profession of faith without the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is your strength to live your life for Christ, leading you where to go and showing you what to say, every day, until the end of your life. For if there is one thing that a Spirit-inspired, proper profession of faith surely does, it endures until the end.

Third, endure to the end (Matthew 10:22). My New Testament professor in seminary taught me, "A faith that fizzles before the finish was faulty from the first." It was his way of correcting the modern misconceptions of the doctrine of eternal security, or as some like to say, "once saved, always saved." I actually agree with this doctrine, although I think it has been badly misconstrued in our modern age. Modern, lightweight churches lead people to make an improper profession of faith and then immodestly tell them to never doubt it. With the right rhetoric, the proper mood music, and a touch of Elmer Gantry flair, almost anyone can make almost anyone else walk an aisle or pray a prayer at the end of a church service. Many have done it in our century, most have dropped out of church afterward, and almost all of them think they are saved. Is this a proper profession of faith? No! A proper profession of faith begins with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, then moves to the confession of baptism and the Lord's Supper. He or she will grow in maturity and in the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, the disciple becoming like the Teacher and the servant like the Master. People who love Jesus will love you, people who don't care about Jesus won't care about you, and people who hate Jesus will hate you. And through it all, you will continue your proper profession of faith in Jesus "to the end."

Finally, get ready to make a proper profession of faith (Matthew 10:32-33). When the end of life comes, it is then that you will truly make a proper profession of faith. This is the key, you see. A proper profession of faith is made at the end of your Christian life, not merely at the beginning. It will actually be made after you die when you stand before the face of God. Jesus, speaking to the sheep, speaks in these last two familiar verses of a great gathering of people before the Father in heaven. All of the people will "acknowledge" or "confess," or they will "deny" something or someone, or both. The translated words "acknowledge" and "confess" literally mean "to say the same thing." Jesus said He was, is and always will be God. Jesus said He came to earth to live, love and lay down His life for the sheep. Jesus said He would arise from the dead, ascend into Heaven and return one day to earth to gather all of His sheep. Jesus said those who deny themselves, take up the cross, follow Him and live as sheep to the end will be saved. Can you say the same thing? Can you say the same thing and mean it? Can you say the same thing and live it? For only saying it, meaning it and living it will equip you with the ability and opportunity to one day make a proper profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This short Bible study has been exegetical, theological, and personal for me. I think it properly takes into account the text in its context. I think it is true to the theological warp and woof of the gospel and the word of God. And, I take it personally because of my past experience and present pastoral charge. My first exposure to evangelical Christianity was through a Baptist church with brightly painted buses, a new building, a big baptistry and a boast of being one of the fastest growing churches in our state. They rounded up kids and teenagers. They brought us to a Sunday morning service where a sweaty preacher spoke loudly about heaven and hell, mostly hell. They told us the key to the kingdom could be found at the "invitation" at the end of the service, that if we'd walk that aisle, pray a prayer and make this profession of faith in front of people, we would be saved. I eventually caved to pressure and went forward, got baptized with no counsel whatsoever from a pastor and proceeded to be pronounced a sheep. Then, for all of my teenage years, I thought I was saved, never attended church and lived a life that more resembles the Wolf of Wall Street than the Good Shepherd. That's some profession of faith. So now, I'm going to ask you to make one, too; except it will be the one I made later in life, not then. I'm going to ask you to carefully consider the claims made by the gospel and the word of God. I'm going to ask you if you feel a need, a conviction in your life of personal sin and the need for forgiveness and cleansing. I'm going to ask you to turn your life over to God, because of your belief in who Jesus is and what He has done. I'm going to ask you to be faithful and true to Christ, to the Bible, to the church and to your particular calling in life to follow Jesus, until you die. In other words, I'm going to ask you to make a proper profession of faith.

Charles Franklin DeVane Jr. is pastor of Lake Hamilton Baptist Church, Hot Springs.

Religion on 07/26/2014

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