2. Ibid., 55.
The Lordship of Christ
magazine article inveighing against lordship salvation began with the question "Must a person make Christ Lord as a condition for salvation?" No less than ten times in the brief two-page piece the author spoke of "making Christ Lord" of one's life.1 That terminology has become so familiar in our generation that some Chris tians are tempted to think of it as biblical. It is not.
Scripture never speaks of anyone "making" Christ Lord, except God Himself, who "has made Him both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). He is Lord of all (Rom. 14:9; Phil. 2:11), and the biblical mandate is not to "make" Christ Lord, but rather to bow to His lordship. Those who reject His lordship or give mere lip ser vice to His sovereignty are not saved (cf. 1 Cor. 12:3; Luke 6:46 – 49). We observed from Jesus' words in Matthew 7:22 that many who verbally or intellectually admit the lordship of Christ will be turned away from heaven because they do not do the will of the Father in heaven.
All who believe the Word of God will agree that Jesus is Lord. He is ever and always Lord, whether or not anyone acknowledges His lordship or surrenders to His authority.
Nevertheless, some contemporary evangelical writers have questioned the place of Christ's lordship in the gospel message. While not denying that Christ is Lord, they suggest that it is a truth best kept out of the good news we proclaim to unbelievers. The article I referred to earlier says this:
It is imperative to trust Christ as personal Saviour and be born again. But this is only the fi rst decision. Acknowledging Jesus as Lord is made by believers [sic]. . . . Th e decision to trust Christ as Saviour and then make Him Lord are two separate, distinct decisions [sic]. Th e fi rst is made by nonbelievers, the second only by believers. Th e two decisions may be close or distant in time. But salvation must always precede lordship. It is possible, but miserable, to be saved without ever making Christ Lord of your life.2
1. Rich Wager, "Th is So-Called 'Lordship Salvation,' " Confi dent Living (July – August 1987), 54 – 55. 2. Ibid., 55.
The Lordship of Christ
Does that sound like the gospel according to Jesus? It certainly is not. We have seen that Jesus frequently made His lordship the central issue with unbelievers. Everything He said to the rich young ruler in Matthew 19, for example, demanded recognition of His lordship. And in Matthew 7:21 – 22 and Luke 6:46 – 49 He challenged the bogus profession of those who called Him Lord but did not really know Him, and He made it clear that obedience to divine authority is a prerequisite of entry into the kingdom. Clearly, His lordship is an integral part of the message of salvation.
Scripture reveals a number of eternal attributes encompassed in the name Lord. Salvation has no meaning or efficacy apart from them.
Jesus Is God
To say that Jesus is Lord is first of all to acknowledge that He is almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Col. 1:16 – 17). This is a profound declaration of truth. There is little question that the Bible teaches that Jesus is God. Only cultists and unbelievers dispute this truth. Scripture declares Him to be God (John 1:1; cf. v. 14). God the Father addresses Him as God (Heb. 1:8). He displays the attributes of deity — He is omnipresent (Matt. 18:20), omnipotent (Phil. 3:21), and unchanging (Heb. 13:8). He forgives sins (Matt. 9:2 – 7), receives worship (Matt. 28:17), and has absolute authority over all things (v. 18). Christ encompasses the fullness of God in human flesh (Col. 2:9). He is one with the Father. In John 10:30 He said plainly, "I and the Father are one." Jesus' critics clearly understood He was claiming to be God on this (v. 33) and many other occasions (e.g., John 5:18; 8:58 – 59; Mark 14:61 – 64).
We are seeing God in action when we read of the works of Christ. When we hear His words as recorded in the New Testament, we are hearing the words of God. When we hear Christ express emotion, we are listening to the heart of God. And when He gives a directive, it is the commandment of God. There is nothing He does not know, nothing He cannot do, and no way He can fail. Jesus is God in the fullest possible sense.
Jesus Is Sovereign
As God, Jesus is our sovereign Lord. He claimed, for example, to be Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8), meaning that His authority as Lawgiver superseded even the authority of the law. In John 5:17 Jesus defended His right to violate the Pharisees' man-made Sabbath laws: "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." He thus claimed equal authority with God, and the Jewish leaders were so incensed at Him for it that they tried to kill