Confession is Profession

We’ve proven through many verses that when the Bible speaks of the Hope it’s referring to God’s promise of a Kingdom. What’s that Kingdom? It’s the government Jesus will establish on Earth when he returns.

Does this principle that the Hope is Christ’s coming government hold true even when the author of Hebrews talks about ‘the confession of our Hope’? Yes. The apostle commands us:

Let us hold fast the confession of our Hope without wavering, for He who Promised [God] is faithful (Hebrews 10:23; NKJV).

A confession is a public declaration of what you believe, a profession. In fact, many Bible translations use the word profession in place of confession in verses like this one. The two words mean essentially the same thing.

Professions as well as confessions must be enunciated with our lips. The verse we just read, Hebrews 10:23, addresses specifically the profession of our Hope, that is, our declaration of not just something we hope will occur when Jesus returns, but our confident declaration of what God has promised, the Promise of the Kingdom.

Three Mentions in Hebrews

This is not the first time in Hebrews that the apostle exhorts us to hold fast our confession. He commanded the same thing six chapters earlier. His reason why we should do it is because Jesus is standing in the presence of God interceding for us.

… 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).

There is yet one earlier example from Hebrews of our confession. This earliest example is not directly related to us. It is indirectly related to us because it's about Jesus. The author of Hebrews uses confession not in a prescriptive way, but in a descriptive way. In other words, he does not speak of confession as something we must do, he uses it to identify Jesus.

The author of Hebrews calls Jesus the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1; NASB). This only makes sense if our confession is the Kingdom. Why? Primarily because Jesus is the Apostle of our confession of the Kingdom because he was sent by God to announce the Kingdom first. Apostles are men who are sent and Jesus was sent to make the announcement of a Kingdom, which he did by saying: 'the Kingdom of God is at hand' (Mark 1:15; NASB).

Jesus is the High Priest of our profession that the Kingdom is coming because Jesus intercedes for us before the Father, obtaining forgiveness for our sins. His intercession guarantees that the Kingdom will finally become our inheritance. So, the glory we profess is guaranteed. It will come because Jesus is the guarantor, so we are not wasting our time professing it.

You can see that the notion that Christians have a profession is a common theme in Hebrews. Our profession is the Kingdom of God.

Timothy’s Confession

Paul mentions this same confession twice to Timothy. The first time he reminds Timothy that it requires bravery to make a confession. He reminds Timothy that Timothy took hold of eternal life when Timothy made the confession in public. Paul says:

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).

To clarify the matter, just one verse later, Paul reminds Timothy of the good confession Jesus made. So, Paul doesn’t ask Timothy to do anything Jesus hasn’t already done. Jesus made his profession in the presence of Pontius Pilate.

In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you… (1 Timothy 6:13)

Jesus’ Confession

So, now we finally get a clue as to what a public profession of confidence in the Hope of the Kingdom of God looks like. If it’s the same thing as the testimony Jesus gave to Pontius Pilate, then it must have looked something like this:

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’

‘Is that your own idea,’ Jesus asked, ‘or did others talk to you about me?’

‘Am I a Jew?’ Pilate replied. ‘Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?’

Jesus said, ‘My Kingdom is not of this World. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my Kingdom is from another place.’

‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.

Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the World is to testify to the Truth. Everyone on the side of Truth listens to me.’

‘What is Truth?’ retorted Pilate (John 18:33-38).

The Hope is one of the Seven Truths. When Jesus says that he was born and came into the World specifically to testify to the Truth, he means that he came to announce the Kingdom, the Truth of One Hope. Is that the reason why you were sent as well? If it is, and your lifestyle reflects that of a person living for the Kingdom, a moment will come for you also when people demand an account for the reason for the Hope that is within you.

... always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the Hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15; NASB).

Pilate originally asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews, and then put the topic aside due to his frustration with the Jews. But Jesus did not let the topic go. He held on. He held fast the confession of his Hope. He was always ready to make a defense for the Hope within him. Twice he affirmed that he has a Kingdom. Twice he affirmed that he is a king.

Fear in Making the Confession

While you are in the World, you will feel the pressure to be silent and not to speak of the Kingdom of God. The World does not want you to be bold, but the Spirit does. The Spirit gives boldness. You will feel the pressure to be silent about the Kingdom even in churches!

The pressure not to speak of the Kingdom in churches comes from the pastors’ desire to have their members think only of the church. From their perspective, the Kingdom is a distraction from church growth, their programs, the tithing, and the building projects. They have forgotten that the Gospel is the Good News of the Kingdom, not the news of upcoming events on their calendar.

The early church prayed that God would give them boldness to preach the Gospel. God answered their prayer by giving them that boldness, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

'Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:29-31).

What Was Promised

Hebrews 10 is the origin of our key verse, 'Let us hold fast the confession of our Hope without wavering...' (Hebrews 10:23; NKJV). The reason for holding fast to the confession of our Hope is because 'for He who Promised is faithful.' In that same chapter the writer talks about what was promised. What was promised is that which He who Promised said he would give us.

Below, it’s called better and lasting possessions and something with which we will be richly rewarded. What is it? It could only be the Kingdom.

You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, ‘In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay (Hebrews 10:34-37).

Did you notice the last sentence? It says that this reward comes only when he who is coming comes. Who this he who is coming but Jesus? Only Jesus said:

Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done (Revelation 22:12).

Hope is Hard to Proclaim

This Kingdom hope sounds like craziness to unbelievers—and that’s exactly what makes it so hard to proclaim. That’s why confessing our Hope of the Kingdom in front of unbelievers is something special: a profession.

The unbelief of those who hear our profession can feel overwhelming, but our boldness is based on the fact that God has promised a Kingdom even to them! The Good News of the Kingdom is intended even for unbelievers. Deep down inside, they know it's true that God's promise is true. Look at how Pilate revealed that in his heart he believed that Jesus was a King, in the end:

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the Cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written' (John 19:19-22).