What Do We Confess?

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What are we supposed to confess?

That confession is an important part of the gospel plan of salvation, there can be no doubt. Romans 10:10 plainly declares, “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Clearly, a verbal confession is something that carries us all toward the ultimate goal of salvation. But, what are we supposed to confess? Admittedly, this is a source of great misunderstanding, in the religious world. But, as usual, a closer look at the Scriptures will make the matter easily discerned.

Confess our faith in the fact that Jesus Christ is the Lord!

In order to properly answer the question at hand, one must consider the full reading of Romans 10:9-10. “That 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.” The American Standard Version of the Bible offers us a slightly different, yet more insightful reading of Romans 10:9 ASV, which says, in part, “because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord…” This plainly tells us that, in order to be saved, we must confess our faith in the fact that Jesus Christ is the Lord! This is the very same confession that the apostle Peter made, in Matthew 16, and it is the same confession that the Ethiopian eunuch made, in Acts 8. This the abiding principle upon which the Lord’s church is founded (1 Corinthians 3:11). So it is the case that we must confess the Lordship of Jesus today, if we desire salvation.

Verbal confession of all sins is not required to wash them away in baptism.

Some have the mistaken impression that we must confess all of our sins, prior to their being washed away in baptism. This, however, is an impossibility, since the average person is not capable of remembering every sin that they have committed, especially if they are well into their adult years. Some argue that James 5:16 requires a verbal confession of sin, but the context in which that verse appears is a discussion of what one who is already a Christian ought to do, when sin is ruining his life. Certainly, Christians ought to talk to each other about the spiritual challenges we face, so that we will be better able to bear one another’s spiritual burdens (Galatians 6:2). The Bible does not teach that we have the power to absolve each other’s sins. For that, we must confess our sins to God, and ask Him to forgive us (1 John 1:9).

“…thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord…” – Romans 10:9 ASV