Is Jesus Lord of your life?

This blog article has much from John MacArthur's books and study notes on this subject. Since Nancy and I spent this past weekend at a conference with him this is "hot" subject with me right now. A couple of years ago my seminary professor Dr. Don Howell lectured on the danger of Americans falling prey to the doctrine of a two-tiered model of salvation. It basically looks like this:
1. You believe Jesus as your Savior
2. You submit to Him as Lord
These two events may be years apart or they may never happen in the believer's life. In other words there are those in the "evangelical" church saying that a person can believe in Jesus as Lord but never submit to Him as Lord and be heaven bound with no problem. Are you kidding me or what?
It is sad to say but there are people within the church who have bought into this two-tiered model hook, line and sinker and maybe headed straight to hell. Is that too strong? Well take a look at Matthew 7:21 - “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Let me ask you a question, how can He be Lord if you don't submit to His will. The most stunning news in all the world will be those who stand in front of King Jesus only to hear Him say "DEPART FROM ME EVIL DOER FOR I NEVER KNEW YOU."

Here are the notes from our men's Bible study this morning.


Here are the notes on our discussion this morning regarding Jesus as Lord. I have not footnoted but have lumped everything together so just know that as you review the notes. We need to be careful in our language as we talk about and explain the gospel. Have you ever heard anyone say that you need to make Jesus Lord of your life? You don't make Jesus Lord of you life because if your are a genuine Christian, He is the Lord of your life!

As always I hope you will read carefully and examine everything that is written and that I said this morning against the word of God.

Listen to the typical gospel presentation nowadays. You'll hear sinners entreated with words like,
➢ accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior
➢ ask Jesus into your heart
➢ invite Christ into your life
➢ make a decision for Christ

You may be so accustomed to hearing those phrases that it will surprise you to learn that none of them is based on biblical terminology. They are the products of a diluted gospel. It is not the gospel according to Jesus.

The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer. Jesus' message liberated people from the bondage of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God's righteousness. It was in every sense "good news," yet it was anything but easybelievism.

Prior to the twentieth century, no serious theologian would have entertained the notion that it is possible to be saved yet see nothing of the outworking of regeneration in one's lifestyle or behavior. However, in 1918 Lewis Sperry Chafer published He That Is Spiritual, articulating the concept that 1 Corinthians 2:15-3:3 speaks of two classes of Christians: carnal and spiritual. Chafer wrote, "The 'carnal' Christian is . . . characterized by a 'walk' that is on the same plane as that of the 'natural' [unsaved] man."

That was a foreign concept to most Christians in Dr. Chafer's generation, but it has become a central premise for a large segment of the church today. Dr. Chafer's doctrine of spirituality, along with some of his other teachings, have become the basis of a whole new way of looking at the gospel. It is therefore essential to confront what he taught.

For example, Jesus is both Savior and Lord (Luke 2:11), and no true believer would ever dispute that. "Savior" and "Lord" are separate offices, but we must be careful not to partition them in such a way that we divide Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:13). Nevertheless, loud voices from some in the evangelical camp are putting forth the teaching that it is possible to reject Christ as Lord yet receive Him as Savior.

Lordship salvation, can be defined as "the view that for salvation a person must trust Jesus Christ as his Savior from sin and must also commit himself to Christ as Lord of his life, submitting to His sovereign authority.

The expression most often translated "Lord" in the New Testament is the Greek word kurios. It speaks of someone who has power, ownership and an unquestionable right to command. It overwhelmingly refers to the idea of rulership. The word was used in ancient times to refer to those who were not God, because they were rulers. Therefore the inherent meaning of the word is rulership.
The word began by meaning master or owner and was a title of respect and it became the official title of the Roman emperors. It became the title of the heathen deities.

Another Greek word for "Lord" is despotes, which is nearly synonymous with the word kurios. They nearly overlap in meaning but Murray J. Harris distinguishes that kurios signifies "sovereign Lord" whereas despotes signifies "absolute Lord."

Both words are extremely powerful. They were part of the vocabulary of slavery in the New Testament times. They describe a master with absolute domination over someone else – a slave owner. His subjects are duty-bound to obey their lord's directives, not merly because they choose to do so but because they have no rightful liberty to do otherwise. Therefore wherever there was a despotes and kurios, there was also a doulos. The one idea axiomatically implies the other.

A doulos was used to describe the lowest abject bond slave-a person who was literally owned by a master who could legally force him to work without wages. It was a person without standing or rights. The impact of this word has normally been translated in our English Bibles as servant has done much to cause misunderstanding of this word.

Doulos speaks of slavery, pure and simple. It is not at all a hazy or uncertain term. It describes someone lacking personal freedom and personal rights whose very existence is defined by his service to another. It is the sort of slavery in which "human autonomy is set aside and an alien will takes precedence of one's own. This is total, unqualified submission to the control and the directives of a higher authority.

Harris points out an important difference between a servant and a slave. A servant gives service to someone, but a slave belongs to someone.
1Cor. 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1Cor. 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

We have a Master who purchased us:
2 Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

To be specific, we were purchased for God with the precious blood of Christ.
Revelation 5:9 - And they *sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

As we study this particular aspect of "the gospel" turn to Philippians 2:9

In verse 9 – what is the name that is above every name?
This name will not only distinguish but it will also tell of His person and reveal something of His inner being. It will be a title that will rank Him above all other human beings and it will tell of His essence and identify Him as superior.
This name is not a comparative but a superlative!

Remember the man in the OT named Abram and he met with God.
What did God do with his name?
He changed it to Abraham?

Do you remember Jacob?
God changed his name to Israel after He entered into a unique relationship with him.

Do you remember in the NT a man named Simon?
When Jesus entered into a unique relationship with him then He changed his name to Peter.

Do you remember Saul?
Well after he entered into a relationship with God his name was changed to Paul.

A new name is given to indicate a new stage in the person's life. And God has done this uniquely through redemptive history.

God does that here by given Jesus a unique name. But here He receives a new name. It was not the new name Jesus because this was the name He received at His incarnation. But at His exaltation He receives a new name and what is it?
The new name is Lord.

This name Lord is equivalent to the OT name Yaweh which indicates sovereign ruler.
The name means rulership based on power and authority.

In verse 10 it DOES NOT say the name Jesus but rather it says "the name of Jesus!" This is the name that God has given to Him in His exaltation. And that is the name to which every knee will bow and every tongue confess.

Cross-reference; Isaiah 45:21-23 – and you have verses here that indicate the sovereignty of God.

Is. 45:21 "Declare and set forth your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
Who has announced this from of old?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the LORD?
And there is no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me.

Is. 45:22 "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.

Is. 45:23 "I have sworn by Myself,
The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

The name Lord implies Deity but also carries with it the power of sovereignty

The first basic Christian creed that was ever articulated said that Jesus Christ is Lord. And you need to realize that you don't make Him Lord, He is Lord!

Those who refuse Him as Lord cannot use Him as Savior.

The name Lord was coming to Him all through the NT – go to Luke 2:11
"for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
Even at His birth it was affirmed that Christ is Lord.

John 13:13 - "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

Acts 2:36 - "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

Christ is referred to as Lord 92 times in Acts
Acts 10:36 - "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
When we preach Christ we are to preach Him as Lord!

Rom. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Rom. 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Rom. 10:11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
Rom. 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

Lots of people that like to talk about Jesus do not like to talk about Him as Lord. And because they don't talk about Him as Lord they don't follow Him as Lord.

Rom. 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Rom. 14:10 ¶ But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Rom. 14:11 For it is written,
"AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,
AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD."

1Cor. 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

1Cor. 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

1Cor. 15:57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Cor. 15:58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

2Cor. 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.

Rev. 17:14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."

Rev. 19:16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

The Scripture never speaks of anyone making Jesus Lord because only God made Him Lord. (Acts 2:36)
A current Christian periodical reads:
It is imperative to trust Christ as personal Savior and be born again but this is only the first decision. The decision to trust Christ as Savior: and then to make Him Lord are two separate and distinct decisions. The two decisions may be close or distant as it relates to time. But salvation must always precede Lordship and one can be saved without ever making Christ to be Lord of your life.
What in the world are we saying if we believe this type of teaching?
Christ is not Lord unless we give Him permission!
That can't be true and be consistent with the Bible which says in order to be saved one must confess Him as Lord.

By the way Christ is called Lord no less than 740 times in the NT – isn't that significant?

Look at Acts 2:21 -'AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'
Checkout the cross reference in Joel 2:28-32

Acts 16:31 – Paul says to the Philippian jailer - "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

The Lordship of Christ is central to the NT gospel. One cannot separate Lord from Savior.

It is at the center of the Christian confession that Jesus is Lord.
➢ It is at the very center of the gospel message that Jesus is Lord.
➢ The source of the exaltation is God
➢ The title of the exaltation is Lord

How many people in the church today have never studied this, heard this preached or taught and yet this is so plain from Scripture. Fellows we are living in the most dangerous time for the gospel. Please don't think this kind of teaching (a two-tiered model of salvation) isn't prevalent in the church, maybe it is prevalent in our own families.

A genuine Christian according to the word of God not only believes in Jesus as Savior but he or she also submits to Him as Lord of their life!