THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
My wife says, "Once a bargain hunter, always a bargain hunter."
She also says once a person gets started buying in auctions, they can't stop.
In an auction once, the auctioneer stopped and spoke distinctly over the microphone, "Someone has notified us that they lost a billfold which has $1,000 in it. He is offering a $200 reward to whoever brings it to him."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Then way back in the back of the room, a voice was heard,
"$250!"
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________SCRIPTURE____________________________________________________________________
Matthew 10:32-33
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
KJV
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_______THOUGHT______________________________________________________________________
"Confess"/"Deny." Two opposites. One thing I believe is important here is the tense of the verbs.
"Shall confess" is in the perfect present tense (English). That means CONSTANTLY! He who confesses Christ is owned by Christ. He who is constantly confessing Christ is constantly being owned by Christ!
"Shall deny" is also in the perfect present tense (English). He who lives a life denying Christ as Lord of his life, is NOT owned by Christ! And it does not matter if that person has once made a public confession of faith, been dunked and put on a church roll!
It is impossible to genuinely surrender to Christ as Lord without constantly confessing the same! Life with Christ is not meant to be lived privately. That's why it is important to make a public confession of our faith in Him. That confession "signs" a contract with Him.
And once we have made a public confession of faith in Christ, we will have a public profession of faith in Him.
It is not just a one-time act, it is a continued work.
The REASON it is a continued work, is because at the point of genuine contract, Christ SEALS the believer in faith by His Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13). At the point of genuine confession of Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a work of constant profession of Christ in the believer's life.
Jesus puts the two (confession and profession) together as one continual act. Then Paul reiterates the same thought (See Romans 10:9-10).
Jesus! Once ya start, ya can't stop!
Love ya,
Bruce