02.04. The Content Of The Confession
THE CONTENT OF THE CONFESSION And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
There are two things, which according to Holy Scripture make out the contents of the confession. In the first place, all true confession is acknowledging our sin and guilt. At the great day of Atonement in Old Testament times the High priest had to lay both of his hands upon the living scape-goat, confess all the sins of the children of Israel and all their trespasses, of any which nature they were, and lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness.
It was a common confession, spoken by the High priest, in name of all the people. But this common confession did not exclude the personal, individual confession of sins. For we read of the latter, again and again, in the books of the Old Covenant, especially in the so-called penitential psalms. They form a significant element in the prayers of all God’s people, of David and Salomon, of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel.
There is no people in the world that have felt their sins so deeply, and confessed them more humbly than Israel, "For innumerable evils compassed me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs on my head" (Psalms 40:12); and: ’If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities. 0 Lord, who shall stand? (Psalms 130:2); and "Enter not into judgement with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified" (Psalms 143:2). And we find confession of sin in the congregation of the New Testament. When John the Baptist preached the message of repentance, many were baptised in Jordan, confessing their sins. A multitude of sufferers, received not only bodily healing from the Lord, but an even greater blessing, i.e., the forgiveness of their sins and the redemption of their soul. He taught His disciples to pray, "Father forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. In the parable of the publican He draws a picture, which befits us sinners, over against a holy and a righteous God. The publican standing afar off, durst not lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat on his breast saying, " God be merciful to me a sinner". "If we confess our sIns, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Although confession of sins is very much needed, all by itself it is not enough. The doctrine of sin and misery is not all there is, but precedes that of redemption and gratitude. Yes, whoever is aware of sin and misery, and makes confession of the same, is already a believer. In the Lord’s Days of the Heidelberg Catechism that deal with sin and misery, the unbeliever is not speaking, but the Christian. In the first Lord’s Day he already glories in his only comfort and confessed, that with soul and body, both in life and death, he is not his own, but belongs to His faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. A true, upright confession of sins is already fruit of a saving faith. Whoever confesses his sin in truth and humility, has already been before the Lord, placed himself before His face and finds himself in God’s presence. He cannot do this but only in believing that God is gracious and of great compassion.
There is also a certain acknowledging of sin, that is not in faith. People that live in the world may have a deep sense of misery. "Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13). Judas called out, that he had sinned, betraying innocent blood. There is a doubtful speaking, which is not born from a broken heart, but wrested from the heart by the horrible consequences of sin. There is a remorse and despair, which does not drive out to the Lord, but flies away from Him and rises up against Him. There is a sorrow of the world, which worketh death. But the true confession of sins differs from this despairing cry and bears an altogether different character. It is derived from a contrite spirit, which is not despised by the Lord, but is pleasing to Him. It is not about the consequences of sin, but its essence, the guilt of sin, because it displeases God and is in conflict with His law. It is a heartfelt sorrow, that we have displeased God by our sins, we sinned against His righteousness, even more, because we sinned against His love. For, said Jesus at one time, If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin, but now they have no pretext for their sin. This confession is coupled with a sorrow after God and works a sorrow not to be repented of. It is a confession before the face of the Lord and holds nothing back. It is accompanied by, and born of faith that God is not only righteous, but also merciful and gracious. It is already a confession of faith; it is from, through and unto faith. Faith does not enter after we know our misery, but precedes it and gives it the right form. Above the law we find the word of grace: I am the Lord, your God. True repentance is also gratitude. That is why Scripture says in the second place, that confession means confessing the name of the Lord. Repentance and confessing the name of the Lord go together. For confessing that name includes a heartfelt, believing admission, that the Lord is the God of the covenant, Who revealed Himself as the compassionate and faithful, Who in Christ fulfills all His promises of grace. Those who repent with a true heart, repent unto God, the living God, Who in Christ is, a reconciled Father. When therefore in the days of the New Testament, John the Baptist appears, he does not just call to repentance and confession from sin, but he also points them to the Lamb, which bears the sins of the world. John was not just a preacher of the law and penance, but also the herald of the gospel and a preacher of faith. For the kingdom of heaven was near. And after him came He Who was before him, Whose shoelaces he was not worthy to undo. John administered baptism as a sign and seal of the forgiveness of sins, which can be obtained and granted in the way of repentance. The whole content of the confession of faith in the New Testament is summed up in few words, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He who confesses Him before man as such, shall at one time be confessed by Him before His Father Who is in heaven. It was a grave moment when all of Christ’s disciples went back, and He asked the twelve, "Will you also go away*?" But Simon Peter answered in the name of all, "Lord to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God" (John 6:68; John 6:69). As soon as the Eunuch confessed this good confession, he was instantly baptized by Philip. The spirits are known by the confession that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Whoever makes the confession, that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.
Jesus the promised Messiah, the by God anointed Prophet, Priest and King - is the short content of the whole of Christian faith. It is the core of revelation, the heart of Scripture, the bone and marrow of all confession, the central dogma of all bible truths. The centre from which all rays of the knowledge of God flow to the periphery. The Person of Christ determines the essence of Christendom. With that confession the Congregation took its place in the midst of Jew and Heathen. By its confession she was separated from both. By way of its confession it came to richer development of faith and life. At first, everyone who confessed the Lord Jesus was baptized. Later, this was expanded to the names of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the twelve articles of our undoubted Christian faith, this baptismal confession was further developed. Again later, all these articles of the different confessions of the Christian Church were better realized, and received a more detailed description. The confessions are like branches and leafs, together proceeding from the one trunk, which in faith that Jesus is the Christ, was in the beginning planted in the bottom of the Congregation. For in this short confession, creation and fall, sin and misery are pre-supposed. The whole Person of Christ with His names and natures, with His offices and states is enclosed as a germ. The whole order of salvation, for the individual, for humanity, for the world, is included. In the cross of Christ which was an offense to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, sin and grace, law and gospel, justice and mercy, guilt and forgiveness are united and reconciled. Over that cross, God and world, heaven and earth, angels and men, people and nations offer each other the hand of peace. For thereby God has reconciled the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses onto them, and triumphing over principalities and powers. In the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we are partakers of the love of the Father and enjoy communion with the Holy Ghost.