Acknowledging Christ

BY Guest Writer

More often than not, there are times when anxiety feels like my closest friend. It greets me in the morning, my heart rate rising with the sun. It follows me to the mirror, to the breakfast table, to the car, to work. It is the shadow I can’t get rid of, an endless churning of guilt and shame and fear in my heart and mind. It’s a disease, a chemical imbalance, a generational struggle.

This particular passage in Luke features a lot of anxiety, from the revelation that nothing hidden won’t eventually be known, to the fear of death, to the “unforgivable sin,” to Jesus’s famous command not to worry because we are worth more than the wildflowers and the sparrows.

I tend to read Luke 12 as if it’s all about me: what I worry about, what I value, what I should or shouldn’t do. Don’t be like the Pharisees; fear God. Don’t be afraid; acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and don’t deny Him. Don’t blaspheme the Spirit (which is considered the “unforgivable sin,” the denial of Jesus’s work to the point that one considers it to be demonic). Don’t store up treasure for myself. Don’t worry about clothes or food—and on and on.

While I do think Jesus is teaching us a lot about ourselves, our worldly impulses, and the things we worry about, He is also revealing much about God, His character, and His work. There are three specific truths I want to rest in today: first, the sovereignty and care of the Father; second, the advocacy of the Son; and finally, the provision of the Holy Spirit.

The Father: In Luke 12:6–7, we see a clear picture of the limitless power and the all-surpassing knowledge that God possesses. Everything hidden will be revealed. This would be terrifying if it weren’t for the next part. Even though everything awful we’ve ever done will made public, our belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus makes us clean before God.

The Son: In verse 8, Jesus tells us that if we acknowledge Him, He will acknowledge us in the presence of God the Father (“before the angels of God” is a reference to God’s presence). He is our advocate in prayer before God, but He is also our advocate for salvation before God, the righteous Judge.

The Holy Spirit: Verse 12 teaches that the Holy Spirit is our provider, who will give us the words we need to acknowledge Christ when we are persecuted. Jesus promises His followers that the Spirit will give them what they need to continue in faith.

In a passage known for its treatment of anxiety, Luke assures us that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are working together in perfect unity, to care for us in perfect knowledge, perfect advocacy, and perfect provision.

I may battle my anxiety until the day I walk into glory, but the death of my anxiety is assured because of the life of Jesus. The more the book of Luke reveals to me about the beauty of the Son, the closer I feel to the heart of the Father.

Melanie Rainer is a bookworm from birth who makes her days writing, editing and reading in Nashville, where she also joyfully serves as the editor of Kids Read Truth. She has an M.A. in Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary, spends as much time as she can in the kitchen, and can’t wait until her two daughters are old enough to read Anne of Green Gables.