Articles
What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus (3)
What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus (3)
Mike Willis
One of the most common titles given to Jesus is “Lord.” The phrase “Lord Jesus” appears in 115 verses and on many other occasions the word “Lord” is used when speaking about Jesus. The Greek work translated “Lord” is kurios. It is defined as follows: It is used of human relationships to designate the one who is control “one who is in charge by virtue of possession, owner” (BDAG, 577). In this sense, it is frequently used in contrast to the slave; it is used of “one who is in a position of authority, lord, master” (ibid.). More importantly, it is used as a designation of God in many NT passages. Significantly, the same word is used of Jesus. The word kurios raises Jesus above the human level and treats Him as deity.
The Gospel of John opens with a declaration that Jesus is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).
The significance of Jesus’s position has practical application. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:21-23).
A person who says that he believes that Jesus is the “Lord, Jesus Christ” faces a crossroads in His life when he wishes to do something that Jesus prohibits or does not want to do what Jesus commands him to do. At this juncture, one can see who is truly lord of one’s life—self or Jesus. One who refuses to do what Jesus commanded does not accept Jesus’s lordship over His life. I noticed this point when I was rearing my children. If I said, “Get in the car, we are going to get ice cream,” there was immediate obedience and no complaining. If I say, “Mow the yard,” there was more protest and resistance. Which of the two commands required a greater test of one’s submission?
Let’s get down to the brass tacks. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28). A person who seeks out pornography and looks at it is not accepting Jesus’s lordship over his life. Any other commandment that Jesus gave works the same way as what He said about sexual lust. You can apply this to what Jesus said about what one must do to be saved, what is acceptable worship, what is necessary for one to do in mending broken relationships, etc.
That having been said, this question is appropriate: Who is your Lord (or lord)? Are you lord over your life or is Jesus your Lord. The next time you refer to Jesus as Lord, think about this.
