Confession of faith is
the open acknowledgment and declaration of
what a person believes,
especially the core truth that
Jesus Christ is Lord.
In the New Testament,
confessing Christ is closely connected with
salvation and public identification with Him.
The term can also refer to
formal statements of Christian doctrine
used by the church throughout history.
In the New Testament, confession of faith primarily means to acknowledge openly and agree with the truth about Jesus Christ. The key verse is:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Other important passages include:
Confession here is not a mere religious formality; it is the outward expression of genuine inward faith.
Personal confession of faith involves:
In the early church, baptism was closely connected with this public confession of faith in Jesus as Lord.
Throughout church history, believers have also written formal confessions (or creeds) to summarize and defend essential Christian doctrine. Examples include the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and later Reformation confessions. These are not equal to Scripture, but they aim to express clearly what Scripture teaches and to guard against error.
Confession of faith is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is the natural overflow of a heart that truly believes. While salvation rests on Christ’s finished work and not on the strength of our words, the New Testament treats the open confession of Jesus as Lord as a vital evidence of genuine faith. In every generation, believers are called to confess Christ clearly, courageously, and consistently.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.