Matthew 10:32-33
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Ambassadors for Christ
Whether we realize it or not, if we have repented and trusted in Christ, we are His ambassadors. We represent the heavenly kingdom before others. That’s why God is likely making an appeal through us for the lost so that they might be reconciled to God through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). That is a very serious responsibility. We can deny Christ by our behavior, our language, our lifestyle, and our actions if they are contrary to the way a Christian should live. In other words, we can blaspheme the cause for Christ by the way we live. If we live no different than the world does, we have done a horrendous job of representing Christ and His kingdom. To represent the King of kings, we must live like His subjects; otherwise, we deny Christ by the way in which we live our lives, and our testimony and witness are destroyed.
Deny Him and He Denies Us
There are few Bible verses more frightening than Matthew 10:32-33, perhaps with the exception of Matthew 7:21-23 where if we tell others that we are Christians but don’t live it out, He might say to us, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.” It is not that He didn’t know us well or He didn’t know us as well as He should. He will say, “I never knew you.” When someone lives a life that is nothing like a Christian, like a friend of mine does, who swears, curses, watches filthy movies, gets drunk, and does drugs on a regular basis, he can say “I know Christ” all he wants; however, I find it hard to believe because he doesn’t show any real fruit of abiding in Christ (John 15). Rather than saying “I know Christ,” a better question is “Does Christ know you?”
Denial by Silence
Isn’t it hard to stand up for what is right in this world? When something despicably evil is before us, will we stand up for what is right and call it what it is or just be silent and say and do nothing? Our silence can be a sin of omission rather than a sin of commission, but it is still sin nonetheless. I have been guilty of not speaking up when something was clearly sinful. I could have spoken up or just left the room. But when I laugh at the dirty jokes or participate in the evil deeds of those in the world, I am denying Christ by my silence and guilty of denying Christ before men; and He could deny me before the Father someday. Very sobering thought, isn’t it?
A Closing Prayer
Great God in heaven, thank You for being so merciful to me when I failed to stand up for what is right, for the times when I denied You by my behavior or when I condoned the sinful activities of others. Please forgive me and strengthen my witness for You as an ambassador for Christ, and in Christ’s righteous name I pray.
Amen
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