Isaiah 61:10 English Standard Version (ESV) I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah is speaking on behalf of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You will find more testimonies about all salvation issues with this God than any other. One of the most telling and confounding comments came at the behest of this God.

Acts 4:10-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Looking at just some of the lines within Isaiah 61:10 we find a number of references which connect Old Testament prophecy to New Testament witnessing that Jesus is the Messiah. Words like clothed, covered, righteousness, bridegroom, priest and bride tie Old Testament scriptures to the New Testament. Sadly He was rejected and in that rejection is a very telling piece of believing on our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 28:16 English Standard Version (ESV) therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laidas a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

A foundation is support. A house built on sand has no support system. Matt. 7:26. A cornerstone is the first stone laid which indicates placement and alignment for everything built upon it. Believing on our Lord Jesus Christ places us in His universal church, the body, the bride, and aligns all we believe with how that cornerstone was set.

1 John 1:9 English Standard Version (ESV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We understand that if we confess our sins, we are admitting to the truth about what we have done. If we confess Christ then in the same manner we are admitting the truth to what He has done.

Now there are two issues here involved around this confession. Why are we confessing to something we have not done and exactly what has He done?

The first issue that lies at the core of confessing Christ is an earnest desire to be saved. It cannot be a decision based on covering all your bases. Just in case there is a heaven and a hell while wanting to cover the spread is a losers bet. There is no faith in that decision, only doubt. First we need to want it because we understand our own depravity and secondly we have to believe there is an afterlife. You cannot hedge the bet. There is no sincerity in a confession based on faithless assertions.

The second issue is a little more complicated because of the enormity of the deeds and words of Christ. Which ones must be confessed to be true to be saved? Which ones affect salvation and which ones only affect current conditions such as love, joy, peace and relationship? That is a fair and pertinent question.

The simple answer is there is a difference between eternal salvation and daily salvation. Since this began with the concerns of the dying, let us address the eternal salvation requirements.

John 8:42 English Standard Version (ESV) Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

Now you have to deal with this truth. Which God sent Jesus Christ?