When I have the privilege of baptizing a new believer in Christ, I have counseled with the person in some way prior to the baptism and I ask the person to confess his/her faith. The short response I have instructed them to give is always the same: “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Jesus Christ is Lord. As Christians, He is our Lord, as we have surrendered our lives to Him. But He is Lord over everybody, whether anyone likes it or not. Philippians 2:9b-11 says, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” A person can receive Jesus as Lord, or reject Jesus as Lord, but the fact remains: He is Lord! But what does that mean? And what are the implications of His Lordship?
The word “Lord” means “King,” “Master,” “Sovereign,” “Ruler,” “Authority,” “Boss.” Jesus Christ is the King over all of creation. Colossians 1:16-17 says, “by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Jesus rules the world. Jesus rules over space and time. Jesus rules over all living things, and Jesus is coming again to judge the world – and at that moment the opportunity for repentance and belief in Him will have passed.
Revelation 19:11-16 says, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Likewise, Revelation 20:12-15 says, “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The fact that Jesus is Lord means that Jesus is the One Who is in absolute control. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Daniel 7:13-14 says of Christ’s ascension, “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” Jesus is in absolute control of all creation, and therefore you and I are subject to Him. We will answer to Him. We will give an account to Him, whether we’ve received Him as Lord or not. Our knees will bow, our tongues will confess (either willingly or by force) that Jesus Christ is King.
And the implications of that are this: anyone who would desire salvation has but one option: repent and believe on Jesus. Turn away from your sins and trust in Christ for salvation. Turn away from your sins and believe the gospel message that Jesus conquered sin and death by dying for your sins and rising from the dead in triumph. If you are to be saved from the coming judgment of God, you must confess Jesus Christ as your Lord. And that means giving your life to Him. Every aspect of your life – mind, body, and soul – must be forfeited to Christ. You must die to self and you must live unto Christ. There is no other salvation, there is no other lifeline, you will either receive Christ as your Lord or you will die in your sins – the terms are not yours, the terms are His.
And anyone who rejects Him in this life. Anyone who turns their noses up at Him and mocks Him and rages against Him in their hearts and in their lives like the toddler thinking that his raging tantrum can somehow stop the changing of the seasons, will come face to face with Him one day in great humility. Anyone who rejects that Christ is Lord will one day bow before Him, confessing that He truly is Lord, before they are cast into the horrible, eternal flames of Hell.
Jesus Christ is Lord, whether you like it or not. Nothing stops His Lordship. Nothing stands outside of His Lordship. There is nothing you can do to hide from His Lordship. You can either throw yourself at His merciful feet, giving your entire life to Him, or you can be absolutely destroyed in His wrath and in the torment of your foolish sin forever. The choice is up to you.
Chase Thompson 