By
Shelby G. Floyd
Jesus taught that if we confess him before men he will confess us before the Father. He also said that if we deny him before men he will deny us before the Father:
Matthew 10:32-33
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
The apostle Peter who was very self-confident and always the first to take the lead, once emphatically said that he would never deny the Lord:
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:31-34.)
Peter thought he was stronger than he really was. He was “cocksure” of his loyalty to the Lord. Little did he know that in a few short hours he would deny that he ever knew the Lord (Luke 22:54-62).
Neglecting the Great Salvation
Some of God’s people today deny the Lord by their actions. When we fail to obey the Lord, our denial is
just as bad as if we were denying Christ in the flesh. Neglect of our great salvation is very serious:
“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (Hebrews 2:1-3).
Some Christians will fail to commune with Christ on the Lord’s Day and will absent themselves from the congregation for almost any reason. The Bible declares that we are to provoke one another to love and good works and not to forsake the assembling of our selves together as some are in the habit of doing (Cf. Hebrews 10:23-25).
Which would be worse, to deny Christ while he was in the flesh, or to fail to remember his death, burial and resurrection at the Lord’s Table on the first day of the week? In so doing one would be crucifying Christ afresh and putting him to open shame (Hebrews 6:6)!
Copyright © 2021 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142