There are so many words I could use to fill in the blank. Jesus is so many things to me it is really hard to come up with just one word. He is my savior, He is life, He is truth, He is loving, He is forgiving, He is awesome. How would you fill in the blank? How we fill in the blank may tell us a little about our relationship with Christ. Often in scripture we find names for God based on the experiences of his people. Abraham called him “Jehova Jireh” (Yahweh provides) when God provided a ram to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac. In Exodus God is referred to as “Jehova Rophe ”( The Lord heals), and when the Israelites would march into battle they would call God “Jehova Nissi “(The Lord our banner). Who is Jesus to you?
There is one word that naturally fits in the blank and should fit the blank for all of us. It is really not his name even though we treat it as just a name. It is his rightful title. The word I am talking about is “Lord.” Jesus is Lord. Can you call Jesus your Lord?
The english word Lord is translated from the Greek word “Kurios.” It means master, owner, possessor, the absolute authority. Does this describe your relationship with Christ? Many of us know him as savior, but do we know him as Lord? Jesus is referred to as Lord 747 times in the New Testament. In the book of Acts alone he is referred to as Lord 92 times. Ironically Jesus is only called savior twice in the book of Acts. It is clear that the early church understood the concept of “Lordship.”
When I was in college I was a part of a small group campus Bible study. I remember the leader talking about how some of us had accepted Jesus as our savior, but we needed to make him Lord of our lives. At the time it made perfect sense. As I grew in my faith and looked more closely at the word of God I found that we can not accept Jesus as savior unless we are willing to make him Lord. Romans 10:9 says ” if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ” Notice the confession or agreement that “Jesus is Lord.” Jesus cannot be your savior unless he is your Lord. You cannot take one and leave the other. He is your savior because he is your Lord.
For some “Lord” is just another name for Jesus. As I stated earlier Lord is his rightful place in our lives. Look at what Jesus said to his disciples about some who would call him Lord.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
At first glance what Jesus said may seem to conflict with what Paul wrote in Romans. Paul said if we confess Jesus as Lord we will be saved. Jesus said not everyone who calls him Lord will be saved. The key is in the second part of Matthew 7:21. If Jesus is truly our Lord then we are going to do the will of the Father. Doing God’s will is sometimes confused with religious activity. If we act religious and sound religious and do religious things certainly we are doing God’s will. Maybe, maybe not.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)
If Jesus is truly our Lord then there will be evidence. Jesus said “By their fruit you will recognize them(Matthew 7:16). ” In other words, If Jesus is my Lord I will obey him. When I obey him, lives around me are going to be impacted. God uses my life to make a difference. Because he is my Lord I am always where he wants me to be doing exactly what he wants me to do. If Jesus is our Lord, we will follow him.
Can you call him Lord?
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Jesus in Luke 6:46)
