… and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession …
Summary: Paul’s reference to the ‘good confession’ points us to the essential core of the Gospel message.
Ah yes… the “Good Confession.” What, exactly, is Paul talking about?
The record of Jesus’ conversations with Pilate is fascinating. John, especially, shares a great deal of detail about what happened.
Pilate is curious. Looking at the impoverished carpenter turned itinerant rabbi, he seems to be almost amused. “Are you the king of the Jews?,” he asks, somewhat incredulously. He has obviously heard the Jews muttering this about Jesus even though they didn’t bring charges against him officially.
Jesus responds with, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
Jesus is not a threat to anybody, especially someone like Pilate. But why are the Jews so stirred up? Jesus has often taught about the ‘kingdom of God’ and because of his royal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, the Jewish leaders have accused him of being a ‘wannabe king.’ Pilate, no doubt, had heard of these mutterings.
All Jesus confessed was the Truth. His kingdom is not of this world.
Timothy made a “good confession,” too.
What was his “good confession”?
Paul doesn’t quote Timothy’s exact words, but he does tell us what it was about:
“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12)
How do we ‘take hold’ of eternal life?
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he writes:
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel…” (2 Timothy 2:8)
Jesus, the Christ (the promised Messiah), descended from David (promised by God — a kingdom “established forever”*), and raised from the dead (Acts 2:32). This explains what the gospel (the Good News) is. Jesus explains why it is good news:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
These are not ‘magic words’ one says as an incantation. Far from it! These words — or words like them — are a confession of what we believe to be true. They are words that, if believed when spoken, change the course of a person’s life … forever.
Application: Believe and be saved.
Food for Thought: If the kingdom of God (Jesus) is not of this world, where is it?
*2 Samuel 7:16
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