There are two Greek words for “deny” in the New Testament.
720. ἀρνέομαι arneomai, ar-neh´-om-ahee; perhaps from 1 (as a negative particle) and the middle voice of 4483; to contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate: — deny, refuse.
and
533. ἀπαρνέομαι aparneomai, ap-ar-neh´-om-ahee; from 575 and 720; to deny utterly, i.e. disown, abstain: — deny.
We can see that the latter word (aparneomai) has a much stronger emphasis—to utterly disown—than the former which just implies contradiction or rejection.
When Paul tells Timothy that if we deny Christ, he will also deny us (2Timothy 2:12), he uses the word “arneomai,” indicating that when we reject or contradict what the Christ reveals, the Christ will, in turn, reject our rejection. This is what Paul says in the very next sentence, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (v13). What Christ reveals is truth, truth that cannot be altered, whether or not we accept it. But we don’t receive the benefits of that truth, not because the Christ won’t give to us, but rather because we have put ourselves in a position of being unable to receive. This same principle is applicable in these words of Jesus:
Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
We must rid ourselves of this notion that God is a judge, making independent and arbitrary decisions about what we are going to experience as a consequence of our beliefs and actions. No, the consequences are contained within the belief or action itself. The father of the prodigal son never denied or rejected him; nor did he judge and punish him for taking his inheritance and spending it on “riotous living.” He just patiently awaited his son’s experiencing the consequences of his denial of his father’s love and provision until he “came to himself” and returned to the father (Luke 15). The father “remained faithful” to the son because he “could not deny himself” (2Timothy 2:13)—he could not withhold his love from his son. But the son could put himself in the position of being unable to experience that love.
That’s why Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to “go, and sin no more”—but not before saying “Neither do I condemn thee” (John 8:11). He was not warning her that He would condemn her if she did return to her sin; He was rather letting her know that she would be unable to remain in the consciousness of God’s love and forgiveness while entertaining the sense of separation (which is all that sin is) that drove her to seek love and acceptance from a source other than God. She would be denying the truth that God’s grace is sufficient to keep us from ever feeling alone—just as it was for the man Jesus when He fulfilled His Father’s will to take our humanity to the cross:
John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
The stronger word for denial (to denote “utterly disowning”) is used only twice in the New Testament.
Jesus uses this word (“aparneomai”) when He tells us to deny ourselves to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). This is a foundational teaching of the entire New Testament—that we must die in order to live. Jesus Himself says it in the very next sentence:
v25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
and in countless other ways, including:
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Paul says it very emphatically in
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Of course Jesus is saying that we must “utterly disown” our “natural” or “old” man to experience our spiritual heritage of sonship.
Jesus uses this word (“aparneomai”) the second time when saying that Peter will deny (“utterly disown”) him just before the crucifixion (Matthew 26:34-35).
We can all identify with Peter. It was only moments after being commended by Jesus for recognizing that He was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” that Peter proclaimed his readiness to fight to prevent Jesus being crucified (thinking that to be evidence of his love for Jesus) and received a stiff rebuke for daring to interfere with God’s will (Matthew 16:13-23). And when Peter did have the opportunity to show his allegiance to Jesus, he found himself denying (not once, but three times!) that he even knew Him—thereby fulfilling Jesus’ words earlier concerning him who thought himself so loyal. Peter felt so self condemned and unworthy that he determined to leave off even trying to be a disciple and return to the life he had as a fisherman before being called by Jesus (John 21:3).
But what I want us to note here is that even though Peter had denied Jesus in the strongest possible way, Jesus remained faithful and could not deny himself (2Timothy 2:13). It was impossible that He who is love could withdraw His love from Peter. As John says in his first epistle,
1John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Like the man in the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus took upon Himself the task of bringing Peter back into the place that he would always occupy in the heart of God, the place where he would receive the love of God to the extent that he would be able to “feed God’s sheep” (John 21:15-17). Peter had to learn the truth about the nature of love that we all have to learn:
1John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
No matter how strong our desire to love and serve God and be good, we have not the ability to do so. We can just humbly accept the GIFT of righteousness extended to us by our Father and, like Paul, answer that knocking at the door of our hearts and allow Him to live His life through us (Galatians 2:20).
I have been led to write on this subject because of my own experience the past few months. As you may have noticed, I wrote and posted many contemplations this past summer and early fall. But I haven’t posted anything since the end of September. I began to entertain doubts about my calling and about my ability to hear the voice of God instructing me to write. You can see it creeping in in the second to last contemplation I posted (see Being Thankful). As the doubts increased, I just wanted relief from the torment I was experiencing. My carnal mind, the devil, the accuser, was speaking loudly; and I was sinking deeper and deeper into depression and despair.
It wasn’t until the early hours of this morning that I was finally able to hear the still small voice inside telling me to look at the accounts of Peter to understand what I was experiencing.
I immediately recalled the account of his walking on the water and then sinking, only to be rescued by the hand of Jesus who remained faithful and could not deny Himself. I knew this was a parable of my own spiritual journey. I have indeed “walked” on the “waters” of revelation, even been on the “mount” where I could see Jesus “transfigured,” but I, like Peter, began to see the waves (listen to the lies of the carnal mind), taking my eyes off the Christ and His instructions to me, and thereby began to “sink” into that raging torment that I do not hesitate to label “hell.” But, like David assures us, I could not flee from His Presence. Though I made my bed in hell, He was there to lift me up and out (Psalms 139:7-8).
I have been there before and have been lifted out before, but never were the flames as hot or the torment so pervasive. God did not put me there. No, I “denied” the Christ by rejecting the truth that has been spoken to me so often about my calling and His faithfulness to perform that which is given me to do as I remain single eyed and single minded. I did write one contemplation during this awful time which I will now post (see Double-Mindedness or Stability). I did identify my problem (“sin”) but not until today did I receive the revelation that I am confident will remove that “sin” from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12), never to be remembered again (Hebrews 8:12).
My confidence in no way rests upon my ability to receive the necessary revelation to rid myself of these doubts. It rests wholly in the Christ remaining faithful, because He cannot deny Himself. For He has revealed to me that I am Himself as He prayed in John 17 that I would come to understand and walk in.