“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33.
To deny Jesus is a very serious thing to do. The following will show us some ways in which denial of Christ is reflected in our lives.
“Jesus continues: As you confess Me before men, so I will confess you before God and the holy angels. You are to be My witnesses upon earth, channels through which My grace can flow for the healing of the world. So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. I am the medium through which Heaven’s blessings shall come to you. And everyone who confesses Me by sharing My sacrifice for the lost shall be confessed as a sharer in the glory and joy of the redeemed.
“He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him.
- A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession.
- Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking,
- by foolish talking,
- by words that are untruthful or unkind.
- They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens,
- by the pursuit of sinful pleasure.
- They may deny Him by conforming to the world,
- by uncourteous behavior,
- by the love of their own opinions,
- by justifying self,
- by cherishing doubt,
- borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness.
In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And ‘whosoever shall deny Me before men,’ He says, ‘him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 357.