Who Is The Lord?

 

Have you ever considered what Jesus asks in Luke 6:46? Our Lord laments and wonders, why does mankind bother calling Him Lord if we have no intention of obeying Him? It is a fair question, and one that should infiltrate our minds as we consider our Christian walk, or for some of us, the absence of a Christian walk.

To be one’s Lord can mean a number of things. Oxford defines the word, among other ways, as “a master or ruler.” Simple enough to understand. Jesus says of Himself, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am,” John 13:13. Jesus owns the title of Lord. He is our Master and Ruler. Now that we have context, we move to our next consideration.

 

If we, those of us living in America, defy our leadership by breaking a law, what will happen? There is punishment of various types, according to the severity of the crime. But if we truly hearkened to the Pledge of Allegiance, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands,” then we would obey the laws, and by doing so, honor the law makers.  The law and the lawmaker are indivisible. The former is a prohibition put in place for the protection of the commonwealth. The latter represents the commonwealth that elected him, and governs by creating and enforcing said laws.

 

To convey this imagery more forcefully, consider a monarchy. The king had absolute power, and his word was law. One swore allegiance, not to a flag or government, but to a singular potentate that wielded the power of state. We are a little closer to the point Luke 6:46 makes.

 

Jesus asks why go through the bother of naming Him Lord if we have no intention of obeying what He says? Such a man is not the Lord’s subject, but His enemy. We are rebels in the Lord’s domain. How many live within the Lord’s dominion, pretending at being His, but whose hearts devise all manner of contrary machinations? We are all, without exception, guilty parties. The question is, does our rebellion disjoint our fellowship occasionally, mended by confession and repentance, 1 John 1:9, Proverbs 28:13? Or is it a lifestyle, and we name the name of Christ while we hold the title of personal lordship?

 

What Jesus taught, what the Bible states, is our truth. It speaks to origins, to morality, to relationships, marriage, sex, children, liberty, language, drunkenness or addiction, and especially to salvation and proper worship. But do we, His professing subjects, believe this? Jesus said He is our Teacher, as well. Are we taught of God? Or has the world been our proxy god?

 

What do we believe about origins? Was there an Adam and Eden? Or is the earth billions of years old? Is marriage for one man and one woman for a lifetime? Or is the slogan “love is love” greater than God’s word? He who IS love (1 John 4:16) surely knows more about the subject (which He authored) than we do. What of self-control, our language, and addiction? Do we decry the only selfism in the Bible (save for self-sacrifice) that is commended? Do we run into the flood of carnal gratification and forsake the words of our Lord; that we are not to be drunk on wine, but filled with the Spirit, to put away coarse language, or to practice monogamous matrimony as our only situation in which sex is to be enjoyed?

 

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” John 10:27. The subject or disciple follows the Master by example and doctrine. This is how He knows us; we follow Him. There is no other way by which to follow the Lord than by simple obedience to His revealed will. It begins with believing the gospel of our salvation, and then permitting the Holy Spirit to work in us, as we study the word of God to understand His will for us. Do we follow Jesus? Do we obey His words? Do we even know His words well enough TO obey them?

 

Many will be self-deceived, thinking that the “good works” they do in Jesus’ name cancels out the absence of actually having known and followed Him. Jesus warns such people that “doing” is not the same as “knowing.” The works they performed were clearly of a meritorious sense, trying to curry grace, Matthew 7:22. Yet the Lord separates simply doing works from knowing Him, and being known BY Him. Because He did not know them to begin with, they were never His; He was never their Lord, Matthew 7:23. Again, it bears repetition, why call Him Lord if we are not interested in obeying Him?

 

It is like calling Him Savior while we’re still busy going to church, getting baptized, speaking in tongues, going to Mass, tithing, et al., in an effort to earn salvation. If Jesus is Savior, then such things can NEVER save. Either Christ saves us, or our works do. Decide which we actually believe, and pursue that more honestly. But cease the doublespeak of naming our Lord Savior while simultaneously trying to save yourself. If it is not the shedding of blood, sin cannot be remitted, and we cannot be saved, Hebrews 9:22. Christ’s death qualifies; no other act previously mentioned involves meritorious death, so it is disqualified as salvific.

 

If any reading this are convicted by our lack of submission to the Lordship of Christ in our lives, the remedy is very simple. Listen to Him through His word, and obey. The Holy Spirit will give us clarity to understand, wisdom to apply it, and strength to bring out conviction. The power is of God, but we must in faith submit to Him. If He is Lord, bow the knee. Let Him reign in your life, and through our lives may He pour out a blessing to all around us, that they may saved as well, enraptured by the graceful Lordship of the One that holds our lives in His hand.

 

On all matters it speaks to, the Bible is our guide. And it speaks of much. The Christian is not to go farther than his Master. We are not to be more liberal, more progressive, or more open-minded than God’s word. God’s word creates boundaries for individual and societal protection. We break down those hedges at our own peril. In America we are seeing it first hand, and it isn’t pretty. Nor is it something to be proud of. Paul commended Timothy and Titus to study Scripture, specifically doctrine. The Bible contains our Lord’s commands and intentions. We must read, and from the heart obey. God will provide us with anything we lack; just do not be found a false professor, harboring an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God.