A Good Confession

Scripture Reading: Psalm 108; Jeremiah 27-28; 1 Timothy 6; 2 Timothy 1

I charge you in the presence of God, who give life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…

- 1 Timothy 6:13-14

Before answering the obvious question these verses raise, we should see them in their context. Paul had just written that Timothy had “made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” While there are different opinions on when this happened – whether at his baptism or his ordination – there is agreement that this had to do with Timothy’s faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

And what Paul is urging here is for Timothy to “Fight the good fight of faith.” He is urging Timothy on in the face of trials and opposition. He wants Timothy to continue to continue confessing Jesus Christ even though that confession is being opposed and creating hardship for him.

In light of that, Paul puts before Timothy the prime example, the One whom Timothy should model his confession after, and the One who showed him the way forward – Jesus Christ.

Most likely, what Paul had in mind was that moment when Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus answered him, “You say I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world – to bear witness to the truth.”

This was Jesus’ good confession. He was confessing Himself to be Lord. Further, He was doing so even though it was this confession that would seal His fate in Pilate’s mind. Pilate had been on the fence as to what he was going to do with Jesus, but after this no longer.

The point Paul is making to Timothy is that a part of what it means to fight the good fight is to confess Jesus as Lord even when – especially when – it is going to be costly. As Jesus boldly maintained His confession in the face of death, so too should we.

Calvin wrote, “Thus whenever our hearts waver, let us remember immediately to look to the death of Christ for strength. What cowardice it would be to desert such a leader who goes before us to show us the way.”

So, let us also make the good confession…

Jesus is Lord.