Recently, I was studying the passages in the Gospel accounts of Peter’s denial of Jesus (found in Matthew 26:31-35, 57-75; Mark 14:27-31, 53-72; Luke 22:31-34, 54-62; John 13:36-38; 18:15-18, 25-27). And, this got me wondering: What else does the Bible have to say about “Denial”? Surprisingly, it says a lot about it!
Not surprisingly, what the Bible says most about it is that people must not deny Jesus. Jesus Himself said this in Matthew 10:32-33: “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in Heaven.” Here, Jesus tells us just how dangerous it is to deny Him: If we deny Jesus, our “Advocate” (1 John 2:1), before the Judgment Throne of God, then what hope could we possibly have of going to Heaven and NOT going to Hell for eternity?! In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul said very much the same thing. “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. But, if we deny Him, He will also deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). Additionally, Beloved John tells us that, “he who denies Jesus” is a liar, an antichrist, and someone who does not have (a proper relationship with) the Father (1 John 2:22-23)! No wonder Peter and Jude both vehemently warn us to beware of people who “den[y] the Lord who bought them” lest we also blaspheme and suffer the eternal consequences for it (2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 4)!
With all of that said, maybe we should consider for a moment what it means to “deny Jesus.” A person can deny Jesus in a number of different ways.
For example, one may deny Jesus by denying that He ever existed. Foolishly, they reject (often without even considering them) the mountains of evidence which point the honest investigator to the fact that He was a real Personage in history; They deny the validity and voracity of all of the evidence which prompts them to foolishly proclaim that Jesus is no more that mythical legend of old and is no more real that the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus.
Likewise, a person can deny Jesus by denying His “incarnate deity” (i.e., that He was God in the flesh, John 1:1, 14 and Colossians 2:9). Again, they reject the innumerable identifying displays of His power and authority which were undeniable in His day (see Mark 15:39, Acts 10:37-38 and 26:26), including the most certain and important miracle of them all, His Resurrection from the dead.
Additionally, a person may deny Jesus by choosing not to have a relationship with Him. Jesus wants and freely invites everyone to come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30) and to go to God in Heaven through Him (John 14:6). Yet, so many people hear His invitation and deny Him. They deny Him to fulfill His heart’s desire, to save them (ref. 1 Timothy 2:4, 6; Luke 19:10), to heal them (ref. Matthew 9:12), to bless them, and to bless them eternally (ref. Ephesians 1-2)!
And, one may deny Jesus like Peter did a few times. They have a proper relationship with Him. And, yet, when they are faced with a challenging situation, instead of confirming Jesus, they deny Him, their relationship with Him, or even knowing Him! This is what Christians do every time we succumb to temptation and sin.
Friends, do not deny Jesus anymore. If you are a Christian, then stop denying Him by repenting from your sins and by resolving yourself to never sin again. And, if you are not a Christian yet, then stop denying Him. Believe the truth. Believe that Jesus did exist, that He IS God, that He was God in the flesh while He was on earth, and that He is the only Savior for sinners because of His self-sacrifice on the Cross and His Resurrection. Believe that and obey His Gospel unto your salvation. Again, I lovingly implore for us all to stop denying Him and start confessing Him in everything that we do, say, and are to His eternal glory!
If you would like to talk more about this, or if you have any questions about this (or any other Bible topic), then please contact one of the members of the Northwest church of Christ. Any of us would be happy to help you in your journey to get closer to God. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
–Curtis