Bible Strands
Luke 12:9
But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples and the surrounding crowds during His journey to Jerusalem, placing this statement immediately after His promise concerning public confession.
The words — The verb ἀπαρνηθήσεται (aparnēthēsetai) is a future passive indicative translating literally to "will be denied," forming a direct grammatical mirror to the active denial in the first clause.
The thread — This reciprocal denial motif appears in 2 Timothy 2:12, Mark 8:38, and Matthew 7:23, where divine response to human acknowledgment or rejection is consistently framed as a mirror.
Why it lands — The text states that public allegiance to Christ determines divine recognition, establishing a non-negotiable link between earthly confession and heavenly accounting.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Cross-references
- 2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
- Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
- Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
- Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
- Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
- Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. Behold, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
- Matthew 25:12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’
- 1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Luke 13:26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’