“Jesus Is Lord”

By Ken Chumbley

     I saw this phrase recently on the bulletin board outside a church building recently.
    There is nothing wrong with the statement, in and of itself for indeed, “Jesus is Lord.” Peter called Jesus Lord: “Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias” (Matthew 17:4). John also called Jesus Lord: “Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea” (John 21:7). The apostle Paul also called Him Lord: “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
    Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). Indeed, all Christians should glory only “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
    We are also told that there will come a day when every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord: “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). However, for those who will wait until the Judgment to confess “Jesus is Lord,” it will be too late as regards to there eternal salvation.
    However, all need to remember the pointed words of Jesus Christ: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Sadly, too many want to use expression “Jesus is Lord” but who “do not the things which I say.” Jesus makes it clear that it is useless to call Him “Lord” while being unwilling to keep His commandments. If one truly recognizes Jesus as Lord, he will show his submission to the Lordship of Christ by their obedience to His will. Note what Paul writes to Timothy: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness” (I Timothy 6:3). How can one “consent not” to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and His doctrine and still, legitimately, say “Jesus is Lord?” Remember also what our Lord, Himself, stated: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John. 14:15). Do we love the Lord? Is He truly our Lord, if we are do not keep His commandments?
    We rightly point this out with respect to those involved in denominationalism who “teach for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9), particularly as it relates to their teachings regarding how one becomes a Christian. However, there are those in the Lord’s church who are also teaching doctrines that are no more than the commandments of men. The words of Jesus: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46), are equally pertinent to those who teach such doctrines. Each one of us needs to examine ourselves and the doctrine that we teach to ensure that we are teaching the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ that we might legitimately say “Jesus is Lord.”

- Ken Chumbley preaches for the Belvedere Church of Christ, Belvedere, SC.  He may be contacted at their website: http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org