Confession is not only good for the soul, it is vital to the soul’s well-being. The stanzas to one of my favorite hymns are so very piercing to my heart. When I allow their meaning to take hold of my mind, I sometimes can barely voice them to song. Who among true Christendom would not plead guilty of the failure here expressed?
We have not loved Thee as we ought
Nor cared that we are loved by Thee
Thy presence we have coldly sought
And feebly longed Thy face to see…”
(Thomas Benson Pollock, 1889)
We are inclined to think of faithfulness to Christ as little more than the absence of betrayal. After all, we are but human and our Lord knows that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14) and clay vessels (II Corinthians 4:7). It is because we could never be ‘unfailing’ after Adam’s fall that Christ had to redeem us with his own holy blood. But having realized this, we must beware of the slippery slope toward complacency in Nodville – the place of drowsiness and sloth. There we lose sight of our need for on-going sanctification and faithfulness in the large and the little things. Being what we are in the flesh, even when we do strive for faithfulness when surrounded by comfort and ease, we may surprisingly find ourselves even denying Him by default (see Deuteronomy 6:10-12).
Jesus informed the disciples that he was very soon leaving them – their lives with Him as they had known them would never be the same. They could not then follow Him but would do so at a later time. (see John 13—ff.) Peter responded with the brave and determined declaration that he was willing even to die for Jesus – why could he not go with the Lord at that time when his devotion was so strong and his heart so willing? Such was Peter’s confidence. Therefore let a man that thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. (I Corinthians 10:12)
“Will you lay down your life for me [Peter]? … I say unto you, a cock shall not crow, until you deny Me three times” (John 13: 28).
True to Jesus’ prophecy, before the sunrise came with the crowing of a rooster, Peter had verbally and by behavior denied his friend and Saviour, who he knew in his heart to be the Messiah for whom they had so long waited. Now (for fear of the potentially deadly consequences of confessing Him) he had denied that he even knew his Lord who was then being questioned by the religious rulers of Jerusalem with malicious intent. Having realized this, heart was immediately broken for his failure and cowardice. Full of shame, he found a place and wept bitterly in deep repentance (Matthew 26:75)
“We have not feared Thee as we ought
Nor bowed beneath Thine awful eye
Nor guarded deed and word and thought
Remembering that God was nigh…”
(Thomas Benson Pollock, 1889)
The New Testament and following church history hold numerous examples of people who began with zeal in their love for Christ (assured of themselves and their steadfast testimonies), who yet failed the tests of faith when they came – in essence a denial of the Lord Jesus as their Lord. Thomas (of the twelve) was also ready to die with Jesus (John 11:16) because of his belief in Him, yet in his grief after the crucifixion, he insisted on seeing the living Jesus with his own eyes and on touching His wounds with his own fingers before believing that He had risen from the dead (John 20:24-25). John-Mark, a young evangelist who later worked alongside Paul and Barnabas, apparently became somewhat careless (certainly in Paul’s estimate) in his work for Christ, even to a point that Paul no longer trusted him as dependable (Acts 15:36-39). But much later as he neared his own death, Paul requested John-Mark’s presence as someone who was of valuable service to him (II Timothy 4:11). There were others also who fled or hid in the shadows when Paul presented the gospel to politically powerful Gentiles who might very well have sentenced him to the “lion’s mouth” (vv.16-17). Yet there is life with hope, joy and usefulness after repentance!
Throughout our Christian lives we have opportunities to bear witness for our Christ, His teachings and the truths He has committed to us. Too often we fail to do so for far exponentially lesser reasons than fear of the lion’s mouth – relatively few present-day Christians really fear persecution or death. Sometimes we deny Him by our silence. Sometimes we deny Him by what we do. Sometimes we deny Him by what we don’t do. We need to be alert and diligent for duty when the nights of Christ’s trial come – lest the morning breaks and we find ourselves weeping bitterly (Ephesians 5:8-16; Nehemiah 1:7). May we take the stance of faithfulness to death in everything concerning discipleship. May God’s Spirit guide and enable us until the eternal day dawns. (Philippians 2:13) ~ DLA
“When shall we know Thee as we ought
And fear and love and serve aright
When shall we out of trial brought
Be perfect in the land of light?”
(Thomas Benson Pollock, 1889)
