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| Photo b y Paciana 2011 |
Our Savior, Son of God, has many titles, but in Scripture,
and particularly in the writings of the apostle Paul,
three of His Names often appear together: Lord Jesus Christ. These three titles
help to describe His relationship to mankind, to the world, and to God’s
perfect plan of salvation.
“Lord” refers to His relationship to mankind.
He is One Person of the triune God, often referred to in the Old Testament as
“LORD,” all in capitals to emphasize His supreme power and preeminence.
He is “Lord” to all who have been born again (John 3:3-8) by trusting in His
death, burial and resurrection (1
Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). In this mysterious transformation, we are changed from God’s enemies (Romans 5:10)
to God’s children, as well as joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:14-17) and ambassadors
for His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Should we not fall to our knees in awe and gratitude to our Lord for His
unspeakable gift? (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Yet those who pray the sinner’s prayer wanting
to escape eternal punishment in hell, but unwilling to surrender their lives
completely to Him, may want Him to be their Savior but fail to follow
Him as Lord. He is not just our “get out of hell free” card, but our Master
Whom we should reverence in total submission and holy fear (Hebrews 12:28).
He is not our “buddy,” even though He is the Friend Who
sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs
18:24). He is not some glorified version of Santa to whom we bring our
wish lists, even though He is the source of all blessings (James 1:17). We should never refer to Him casually as “the
man upstairs,” even though He is seated at the
right hand of God the Father, making intercession for us and defending us from
Satan’s accusations (Colossians 3:1;
Hebrews 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22).
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord, without Whom we are
nothing, have nothing and can do nothing (John
15:5). He deserves our utmost respect; our time, talent, and treasure;
and our very life presented to Him as a holy, acceptable, living sacrifice,
which is our reasonable service (Romans
12:1).
If we honor Him as our Lord, we will trust in Him and not in our own “wisdom” and acknowledge Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). We will love Him
with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). How dare we call Him Lord if
we do not obey Him? (Luke 6:46)
Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ in their earthly
life of course do not recognize Him as Lord, but the day is coming when He returns
in victory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). At that time every knee
shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord, whether they
are in heaven, on earth, or in hell (Philippians
2:9-11). There is no escaping or denying His omnipotence and Lordship!
But sadly, the unsaved world does not realize that He is
God, the self-existent One Who spoke the worlds into existence (John 1:10), present as part of
the Trinity since before the beginning of time (John 1:1; Revelation
1:8; 22:13). They refer to Him merely as “Jesus,” which was the
name He had in His earthly ministry, as proclaimed by the angel Gabriel to the
Virgin Mary (Luke 1:31).
Some despise the Name of Jesus, even though it is the Name above all names (Philippians 2:9) and the only
Name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).
Others accept the historical presence of Jesus as a man who lived two millennia
ago, and may even agree that he was a good man, prophet and teacher (Matthew 16:14). They may believe
that he was crucified, but for them the story stops there, falling short of His
resurrection giving victory over sin, death and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:12-57).
Interestingly, the disciples of Jesus never referred to Him
by His given Name, but always as “Lord,” “Master,” “Teacher” or “Rabbi,”
appropriately emphasizing His Lordship and absolute authority over their lives.
The third part of our Savior’s appellation, “Christ,” helps
explain His essential role in God’s perfect plan of salvation. The Greek word “Christos”
means “Anointed One of God,” and it is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word
Mashiach, or “Messiah.”
In Scripture, “God’s anointed” also refers to a king chosen
by God (1 Samuel 24:6), and as
it pertains to Christ, it foretells the day when He will rule over all nations
while seated on David’s throne in the Millennial Kingdom (Genesis 49:10; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Psalm 72:
10-11; Zechariah 9:9; 14:9; Matthew 2:1-12). Christ is
God’s anointed King, foretold in prophecy to deliver His people as well as to
reign over them (Daniel 9:25; Isaiah
32:1).
Kings were anointed with oil to symbolize their holy
calling by God (1 Samuel 10:1),
and two women anointed Christ with precious oil and ointment during His time on
earth (Matthew 26:6–7; Luke 7:37–38).
God Himself anointed Christ with the oil of gladness to demonstrate that He is
King of Kings, holy and without equal (Hebrews
1:9), and with the Holy Spirit and with power to do good, for physical healing, and for casting out evil spirits
(Acts 10:38).
Isaiah prophesied that Christ would be anointed by the Holy
Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and set free the prisoners of sin, proclaiming liberty (Isaiah
61:1). This deliverance from the power, the penalty, and ultimately
even the presence of sin (Luke 4:18;
Romans 6:23) is only possible through our Messiah, the One Who came
to this earth to reconcile sinful man to Holy God (1 Timothy 1:15).
By taking on human flesh (John 1:14), He could experience all our sorrow, weakness and
frailty, including physical, emotional and spiritual suffering, epitomized by
His agony on the cross (Hebrews 4:15).
Yet He was without sin, so He was the perfect Sacrifice, the only Lamb of God
Who could take away the sins of the world (John
1:29) by paying in full the price demanded by our sin debt (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).
In this Christmas season, church celebrations honor the
baby Jesus. But let us not forget that His mission did not begin in Bethlehem
nor end at the cross. He is not only Jesus, but the Christ Who saves all Who
ask Him (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13)
and Who will return victorious to rule over all nations. May we honor, obey and
serve Jesus Christ as our Lord, for He alone is Lord of Lords!
© 2017 Laurie Collett
