Luke 12:8-9

Luke 12:8-9

[8] Also  I say  Whosoever  shall confess  before  men,  him  the Son  of man  also  confess  before  the angels  of God:  [9] But  he that denieth  before  men  shall be denied  before  the angels  of God. 

What does Luke 12:8-9 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Another special preface indicated the certainty and importance of what followed (cf. Luke 12:4-5). Confessing the Son of Man (i.e, Jesus as the divine Messiah) publicly or denying Him publicly were the disciples" options (cf. Luke 9:26). Confessing (Gr. homolgesei) and denying (Gr. arnesetai) are polar expressions. In polarization extreme terms stress the alternatives. The disciples had to make a choice. Their choice would determine God"s acknowledgment or lack of acknowledgment of them before the angels and the Father (cf. Luke 7:28; Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 11:11). The time of God"s action will evidently be when He evaluates their lives as they stand before Him. For Christians this will be at the judgment seat of Christ ( 1 Corinthians 3:10-15). More or fewer rewards are in view. Jesus appears to have been viewing the totality of a disciple"s witness, not every instance of it since He spoke of a final heavenly evaluation.