But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Parallel translations
- WEB but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.
- BSB But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
- NKJV But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
- NASB but the one who denies Me before people will be denied before the angels of God.
- NLT But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Whoever denies Jesus before others will be denied before God's angels. Rejecting Christ outwardly reflects a deeper unbelief with eternal consequences.
Overview
The flip side of confession is denial, and Jesus warns that disowning Him carries grave eternal weight. This is not about a single failure under pressure, like Peter's later repented denial, but a settled refusal to acknowledge Christ. The verse urges steadfast loyalty to Jesus, whose own faithfulness secures the salvation of all who truly trust and confess Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 2 Tim 2:12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
- Mark 8:38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
- Matt 7:23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
- Matt 10:33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
- Luke 9:26For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
- Rev 3:8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
- Matt 25:12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
- 1 Jn 2:23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
- Luke 13:26–27Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
- Matt 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
- 1 Jn 2:28And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
- Acts 3:13–14The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
- Matt 25:31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 12:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.