By the confession of faith, we do not refer to a psychological technique or an exercise in optimism. It is a theological principle grounded in faith and reason. It means that what God has said becomes ours when we say the same thing with believing hearts and unwavering speech. To confess is to agree with God, to speak his word with the conviction that it is true and that it will come to pass. It is a form of prayer.

This is how Paul describes salvation itself: “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.” This is a direct instruction on how the word of God enters a person’s life and takes effect. Confession is faith in action. It is the application of God’s promise by the believer’s own mouth.

Jesus taught the same principle in many places. One time, the disciples asked him to increase their faith. He answered by saying that if they had faith the size of a mustard seed, they could say to the mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey. He described a kind of faith that speaks and expects results. The tree responds to the word, not because of volume or emotion, but because God honors the person’s faith. 

Jesus was describing how faith functions. It speaks, and the outcome follows. When the believer speaks in faith, God honors that faith and answers. This is the pattern of faith. God speaks, and we believe. Then we speak, and it is done.