“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36 NKJV). Consequently, “Jesus is Lord, my redeemer. How He loves me! How I love Him!” There are tremendous biblical truths embodied in the beautiful words of this song. The Lordship of Jesus implies several important essentials in regard to the relationship that He maintains to each Christian and to the church.
The word “Lord” has among its many meanings, “a person having great power or authority; owner; ruler; master.” As used in the Bible, “Lord” means the relationship found between master and servant, between the king and his subjects, and between the head of the family and each family member (1 Peter 3:6). Jesus plainly defined the practical implications of the term when He said, “But why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as “Lord” ought to manifest itself in obediently doing what He commands.
Those listening to Jesus the Lord while He was upon earth had the same difficulty that plagues our lives. They were willing to give Jesus this title pointing to honor, respect, competency and power, but they still wanted to live as they chose and not be accountable to Him as their Lord. They felt it should be enough to elevate Him without having to then subject themselves to Him. They desired Him as their Savior but were not obediently making Him Lord of their lives.
Many people may be admired, deeply appreciated and considered in some ways superior to others. However, they will only influence our lives, not have complete control over them. We reserve the God-given right to the final decision regarding who will be our “lord.” This is how it was with many who listened to Jesus. They saw Him as a great teacher, a good person, a thought-provoking man, a compassionate person and one whose authority influenced them, and yet, not one who controlled their lives. Because of this, Jesus was not their Lord.
Jesus as Lord implies loving obedience and that His Word will have the final say in our lives. Our purpose becomes the overwhelming need to know His will in precept, principle and practice. It is our total aim to please Him. We will desire to honor what He has said, not simply what others are saying about Him (Matthew16:13-16).
Jesus is Lord! We must place Him in our hearts. We must not be ashamed and hide from others the One to Whom we owe complete allegiance. We must let others see He is our Lord, and not just by words spoken (Matthew 7:21-22) but by deeds in our lives. May our thoughts, words, lives and actions be pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ! When we call Him Lord correctly, it means we belong to Him because of the price He paid, realizing He bought us with His blood.
