Five Confirmation Promises: Renounce, Believe, Serve Christ

Confirmation stands on the promises first made at baptism, when parents and godparents spoke on behalf of these young people. The font shows that connection clearly. The promises now become their own public confession before family, church, and the Lord: not only who they are, but whose they are.

The first promise begins with a no: “Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his ways?” Renouncing means publicly declaring against something. The devil’s works and ways keep showing up in the world’s wisdom, insisting that wealth, power, honor, and pleasure can make a life fulfilled. These things may not be bad in themselves, but they become idols when they carry the weight of ultimate purpose and satisfaction. Wealth can make a person wealthy but not happy; power can make a person powerful but not content; pleasure can feel good but cannot give deep joy; honor can make a person popular but not blessed.

The cross sets a completely different figure before the church. Christ, hanging on that weird instrument of torture, rejected the trappings of wealth, pleasure, power, and honor for something far greater: the salvation of eternal souls and a deeper, long lasting happiness. The second promise, faith in God the Father Almighty, therefore means that life is not simply about self. Faith surrenders to God’s purposes and becomes an ingredient in his saving work in the world. Christ’s call to deny oneself, take up the cross, and follow him gives this confession its shape.

The third promise confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. Lord means someone served, and Bob Dylan’s line remains true: “You’ve got to serve somebody.” Christ’s lordship means that no one and nothing else gets to rule or guide a life. The first Christians often died for that confession, and Christ’s lordship still carries consequences, some very good and some costly.

The fourth promise confesses the Holy Spirit, the divine love between Father and Son. The Spirit joins believers to the God who is love and increases their capacity for true love, the love that wills the good of others. God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper remain the means by which the Spirit continually fills his people. The final promise affirms the Lutheran Church’s confession as the teaching of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, grounded in Holy Scripture. The cross marked at baptism and confirmation declares that these young people are permanently marked as God’s beloved children, belonging to Jesus and his cross. God’s promises surround their promises, and all of them find their Yes in Jesus Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Renounce the idols that cannot save Wealth, power, honor, and pleasure are not automatically evil, but they become deadly when they are asked to provide ultimate meaning. The idols promise happiness while leaving the heart restless, anxious, and hungry for more. Christ exposes their emptiness by choosing the cross rather than the world’s version of success. [13:22]
• 2. The cross redefines a fulfilled life Christ did not grasp for influence, comfort, or public honor. Christ gave himself for the salvation of souls and opened the way to a happiness deeper than temporary pleasure. The cross teaches that a life can look like loss in the world’s eyes while being full of eternal purpose. [15:33]
• 3. Jesus Christ is the only Lord Every life serves someone or something, whether that service is admitted or not. Christ’s lordship frees believers from being ruled by approval, appetite, fear, or ambition. This confession can bring costly consequences, because competing lords do not surrender quietly. [17:31]
• 4. The Spirit forms love through grace The Holy Spirit does more than provide religious feelings or occasional strength. The Spirit grows the capacity to will the good of others through the love of the Father and the Son. God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper continually bring that Spirit-given love to believers. [19:32]
• 5. God’s promises uphold faithful promises Baptism marks believers as God’s beloved children who belong to Christ and his cross. Human promises are serious, yet God’s promises are the ground beneath them: he remains present, saves through Christ, gives the Spirit, and preserves his church. Faithfulness grows from being held by the faithfulness of God.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:37] - Confirmation and Baptismal Promises
• [11:34] - Renouncing the Devil
• [12:54] - Wealth, Power, Honor, and Pleasure
• [14:51] - Christ on the Cross
• [16:14] - Believing in God the Father
• [17:31] - Confessing Jesus as Lord
• [19:08] - Believing in the Holy Spirit
• [20:14] - Faithfulness to the Church
• [21:26] - God’s Promises to His Children
• [22:58] - All God’s Promises in Christ

Bible Reading

Matthew 16:24 — Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” [16:56]

Romans 10:9 — Because, 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. [22:08]

Matthew 28:20 — teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [21:38]

1 John 3:1 — See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [21:49]

John 14:16 — And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, [22:24]

Matthew 16:18 — And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. [22:40]

Observation questions

1. What four things are named as idols that the world presents as necessary for a happy and fulfilled life? [13:22]
2. How does the cross visibly contrast with the world’s pursuit of wealth, power, honor, and pleasure? [15:21]
3. In Matthew 16:24, what three actions does Jesus give to a person who wants to follow him?
4. What promises does God give alongside the promises believers make: concerning his presence, their identity as his children, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and the church? [21:31]

Interpretation questions

1. Wealth, power, honor, and pleasure are not always evil in themselves, but they become idols when they are expected to give ultimate purpose and satisfaction. What are some signs that a good gift has begun to function as an idol in a believer’s life? [13:43]
2. Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him. What might self-denial look like in ordinary decisions about time, relationships, money, ambitions, or online life? [16:56]
3. Romans 10:9 connects confessing Jesus as Lord with believing that God raised him from the dead. Why is it important that Christian faith includes both a public confession and trust in the risen Christ?
4. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as a Helper who will be with his people forever. How does that promise strengthen a believer who feels weak in love, faithfulness, or courage? [22:20]

Application questions

1. Which of the four idols—wealth, power, honor, or pleasure—most often competes for your heart’s trust? What does that competition look like in a normal week? [13:24]
2. Is there a particular desire for comfort, approval, control, or success that you need to place beneath the cross of Christ? What would taking one faithful step away from that idol look like this week? [15:33]
3. Jesus Christ is Lord, which means no other person, desire, fear, or ambition has the final right to rule your life. What is one competing “lord” that most strongly tries to guide your choices? [18:01]
4. Confessing Jesus as Lord can bring both good consequences and costly ones. Have you experienced a moment when following Christ made you stand apart from others? How might you respond with both courage and humility next time? [18:43]
5. The Holy Spirit grows true love: love that wills the good of another person. Is there someone in your family, workplace, school, or church toward whom you need the Spirit’s help to seek their good more faithfully? [19:25]
6. God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper are given as means through which the Holy Spirit continually fills God’s people. What practical changes could help you receive these gifts more regularly and attentively? [19:43]
7. Baptism marks believers as God’s beloved children who belong to Jesus and his cross. When you are tempted to define yourself by failure, popularity, achievement, or the opinions of others, how could this identity reshape the way you speak to yourself and live? [21:04]