Sue’s Views
12 Steps to a Good Year
Step 3: Let Us Hold Fast Our Confession
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14 NASB)
The word confession is derived from a word in the original Greek of the New Testament which means “to say the same as.” In its scriptural context, it means that we say the same as God says—that we make the words of our mouth agree with God’s Word.
Then the passage points out, particularly, that it is our confession that relates us to Jesus as our High Priest. Every time we make the right confession—speaking out a positive declaration with our mouths—Jesus has obligated Himself to ensure that our confession is made good in our experience.
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” (Hebrews 3:1 NASB)
Those last five words tell us that our confession enlists Jesus as our High Priest. But the opposite, unfortunately, is also true. If we make no confession, we have no High Priest. Not that Jesus has ceased to be our High Priest, but that we have not given Him the opportunity to minister as our High Priest. He is the High Priest of our confession. If we make the right professions in faith, with our mouths, according to Scripture, then Jesus has eternally obligated Himself to see that we will never be put to shame—that we will always come into the experience of what we confess. But if we do not say the right thing then, alas, we silence the lips of our High Priest. We give Him nothing to say on our behalf in heaven.