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Lordship Required
OUR COMMITMENT TO HIM AS LORD
The very understanding of "believing" as a commitment of oneself to another implies service of one's self to another, or Lordship. I would like to here quote from http://www.bereanpublishers.com/ Sermon, Jesus is Lord.
"How many times do you think the title Savior is used in the New Testament? It is 24 times. You may say, "Hmmm, 24 times it speaks of Jesus as Savior." NO. Only 15 times it speaks of Jesus as Savior; 9 times it speaks of God the Father as Savior. How many times is Jesus referred to as Lord? 618 times. Yes, 41 times as often he is referred to as Lord. Do you think God is trying to show what he is emphasizing for us?
Perhaps even more surprising, two-thirds of the books of the New Testament do not refer to Jesus as Savior. Even Romans and Colossians, the two theological books of the NT do not refer to Jesus as Savior.
Nevertheless, in our carelessness I most frequently hear Jesus spoken of as Savior. And that is often true with respect to salvation. How many times have you heard it said, "If you accept (or receive or believe in) Jesus as your (personal) Savior, you will have eternal life." Would you agree that such a statement is true? That statement is not found anywhere in Scripture. Nowhere. Then what does Scripture say?
Did God Authenticate Jesus as Lord? Beginning with his birth, God began to authenticate Jesus as Lord and Christ. Authentication is a legal term for proving something to be what it is claimed to be. A lawyer does this when he enters the courtroom and seeks to prove a document is what he claims it is. He has to authenticate it.
God authenticated Jesus as both Lord and Christ. He announced his birth supernaturally with angels who told shepherds:
A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! (Luke 2:11). Then he proceeded to authenticate him through a myriad of miracles. The magnitude of the miracles, from casting out demons, healing all diseases, raising Lazarus from the dead after four days, feeding thousands from a few loaves and fish, stopping a storm, walking on water, all established that Jesus is LORD , that he has all power and authority.
The Apostle John confirmed that God had authenticated Jesus through the miracles: "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31).
Did Jesus Claim to be Lord? He did indeed. Jesus said to his disciples, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am." (John 13:13).
When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven he told us the extent of his Lordship: "All power and authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18).
Is it important that We Believe Jesus Is Who He Said He Is?
Indeed it is. Jesus told the Jews, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24).
What did the First Century Church Preach? Peter, in the first sermon after Pentecost, explained "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21). He concluded: "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).
Paul said, "We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord!" (2 Cor. 4:5).
Peter exhorted, "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord." (1 Peter 3:15).
In writing to the Colossians, Paul said, "Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord," (Col. 2:6).
Paul told the Thessalonians, "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Paul taught the Romans, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23. See also Romans 5:21).
Salvation is through faith of the LORD Jesus Christ! Story. When Paul and Silas were thrown in prison in Philippi, an earthquake freed them, and they rescued the jailer from taking his own life, the jailer asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe in (commit,command-epi, accus.=with intent to) the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household," they replied. (Acts 16:22-31).
Paul taught: If you confess with your mouth, "Lord Jesus," and believe (aorist active subj.=might commit) in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
And, " For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:12-13). ***Important: When summing up his ministry to the Ephesian elders, Paul said, "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in (eis, for purpose or result of) our Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:21).
Paul taught the verses at Ephesians 2:8-10. Combining it with the summary of his teaching at Acts 20:21 we get a more complete statement: "For by grace are you now being saved (periphrastic passive participle= emphasizing a present tense, now being saved), through faith, and that (the grace and faith) is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Himself), not of works (of self), unless anyone might boast; for you are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus in the way of God Good Works of God, which God has before appointed that we should walk in them. ***Important: Paul said, "For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living" (Romans 14:9).
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