It is not uncommon for Christians to face hardships and even to be prepared to give their lives in defense of their beliefs. For the sake of My name, you will be hated by everyone, Jesus informed His disciples. As stated in Matthew 10:22 and Mark 13:13, “But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.” Many examples of people who accomplished that are found in the Bible, including James (Acts 12:1-2) and Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). But what if you’re not strong enough to last? What happens if, in an attempt to save yourself, you cave in to peer pressure and reject Jesus? Will you receive forgiveness from God?
Denying Jesus is a serious sin
Jesus makes it very evident that rejecting Him is a big deal. “Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven,” the Lord declares in Matthew 10:32–33. “But whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
The phrase is trustworthy, according to 2 Timothy 2:11–12, since if we have endured with Him, we will also rule with Him, and if we refuse Him, He will deny us. This passage states that rejecting Jesus entails losing your salvation. According to John 14:6, Jesus is the sole path to the Father. There is no other way to make peace with God if you deny Him.
The apostle Peter denied Jesus
However, there is much more to discuss about this subject. Permit me to share with you the apostle Peter’s narrative. Having followed Jesus closely for almost three years, he was confident in his own commitment to his Master. Jesus told His disciples that evening of His arrest, “You will all fall away because of Me this night.” Peter, however, confidently replied to Him, saying, “I will never fall away, even though they all fall away because of You. I will not refuse You, even if I have to die with You! Matthew 26:31–35.
However, Peter lost courage when he witnessed Jesus being beaten and questioned after his arrest. Those standing close to him said three times that he had also been with Jesus. However, Peter refuted it each of the three times, stating, “I’m not sure what you mean. The Man is unknown to me (Matthew 26:69–74). He denied his Savior out of fear that, as a follower of Jesus, he too would be detained and even executed. After realizing his mistake, Peter stepped outside and sobbed bitterly. He genuinely loved Jesus; he never meant to turn away from Him, but in a fit of weakness, he had carried out exactly what Jesus had promised.
Peter’s relationship with Jesus was restored
Peter was deprived of the chance to make amends with Jesus since the following day Jesus died. Nevertheless, Jesus rose from the grave three days later. “Do not be alarmed,” an angel said to the women who arrived at the tomb first. You are searching for the crucified Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here; He has risen. View the location where He was buried. Tell Peter and His disciples that He is heading to Galilee ahead of you, then proceed. Just as He promised, you will see Him there (Mark 16:6-7). They were made aware by the angel that Jesus desired a meeting with Peter.
Christ made his appearance “to Cephas, then to the twelve,” according to 1 Corinthians 15:3-5. Since Peter goes by the nickname Cephas, these words allude to a face-to-face encounter Peter had with Jesus prior to Him meeting the other disciples. Although the content of their conversation is unknown, we do know of another instance in which Jesus appeared to the disciples and assigned Peter the task of overseeing the church (John 21:15-17). Jesus also told him that he would be persecuted and that his death would ultimately exalt God (John 21:18-19). These data suggest that Peter’s disloyalty and denial were pardoned by Jesus.
Repentance is crucial
However, there is a different, less happy ending to the narrative of another disciple of Jesus. After betraying Jesus, Judas came to the realization that he had sinned by spilling innocent blood. He went and hanged himself, so he had no chance to turn around and turn back (see Matthew 27:3-5).
It is extremely hazardous and terrible to deny Jesus. However, as the Bible makes plain, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we confess our sins” (1 John 1:9). The account of Peter suggests that [there is no exception to this rule] for the sin of denial. Therefore, go back to God, confess your sin, and obtain His forgiveness if you have denied Jesus because you were pressured by your family or because you were afraid of being persecuted!
Are you afraid?
Pray to God about your concerns if you haven’t denied Jesus but are worried that you won’t be able “to withstand in the evil day.” Trust in the promises made by God. Allow me to enumerate some:
- “My power is made perfect in weakness, so my grace is sufficient for You,” according to 2 Corinthians 12:9.
- “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill a body; for they have no further power.” (Luke 12:4).
- “And do not worry about how you should defend yourself or what you should say when they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11–12).
- “Now glory, majesty, dominion, and authority be to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time and now and forever. To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” Amen. Jude 1:24–25.
