Confessing Christ
Jonathan Edwards on Prayer

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God… 1 John 4.1, 2

Distinguishing Marks
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
“When the operation is such as to raise their esteem of that Jesus who was born of the Virgin, and was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem; and seems more to confirm and establish their minds in the truth of what the gospel declares to us of his being the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world; is a sure sign that it is from the Spirit of God…This implies a confessing not only that there was such a person who appeared in Palestine, and did and suffered those things that are recorded of him, but that he was Christ, i.e., the Son of God, anointed to be the Lord and Saviour, as the name Jesus Christ implies.”

Many people confess faith in Jesus in our day. And many of those who confess faith in Him seem to know Him, at least, to a certain extent. They accept the historical facts concerning His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension; and they look forward in faith to the day when He will return in glory, to take His faithful ones home to Himself. This is good – as far as it goes. But the teaching of Scripture, from which Edwards drew his instruction, is that confessing Jesus as Savior simply does not go far enough. We must also confess Him as Lord, and, just as we adapt our lives to believing that Jesus is our Savior, so we will adapt our lives to His claim, as Lord, to rule every aspect of our being, all of life, all the time, for the glory of God the Father. We cannot call Jesus “Lord, Lord” and not do the things He commands us to do (Lk. 6.46). No confession is valid that is not accompanied by a life in support of that confession. And no true revival will occur where Jesus is not confessed as Savior and Lord. We must continue to preach Jesus as Savior, and call people to repent and believe the Gospel. But we must also tell them that God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2.36), and call them to respond, not only with their mouths, but with their whole lives.

What’s the difference between confessing Jesus as Savior and confessing Him as Savior and Lord? How does believing Jesus is Lord affect your daily life?

Pastors’ Webinar on Forgiveness
Our Spring Pastors’ Webinar will feature Dr. Stan Gale speaking on the subject, “Finding Forgiveness.” We have space for 15 men to join, and all you have to do to secure a spot is drop me a note at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Dr. Gale brings many years of pastoral experience to this subject, and he will be speaking on the role of forgiveness in the life of the individual believer and the local church. We’ll follow his presentation with Q & A and discussion, so if you’d like to participate, let me know right away.

Jonathan Edwards on Prayer
We have put together our 8-week series of Jonathan Edwards on prayer into a 28-day morning and evening meditation entitled, Give Him No Rest. To each of these 56 meditations we have added a prayer prompt, to guide you in taking the words of Scripture and Edwards to heart. This is an excellent resource for personal use, family devotions, or a staff-and-church-leaders study in prayer. And it’s free. For your copy of Give Him No Rest: Jonathan Edwards on Prayer, simply send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations are from Jonathan Edwards, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, in Edward Hickman, ed. The Works of Jonathan Edwards(Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1834, 1995), Vol. Two, pp. 257ff.