Confession And Consistency

By Joe Slater

    By confessing Jesus as Lord, we obligate ourselves to obey Him. “Lord” isn’t just a respectful title. It refers to a master, one who has the right to decide and control.

    Jesus asked this piercing question: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Calling Jesus ‘Lord’ acknowledges that He has the right to decide what we ought to do and to control our behavior. He has done so through His inspired word, the Bible. Do we recognize our own inconsistency when we call Him Lord, yet neglect to do what the Scriptures teach?

    An old cliché says, “Talk is cheap.” Truly, we can pay lip service to nearly anything. “You shouldn’t litter!” (Then I throw trash out of my car window.) “I love my family!” (Then I speak harshly, sarcastically, and rudely to them.)

    Confessing Christ as Lord certainly is a good thing! In fact, it’s essential to salvation (Romans 10:9-10). But Jesus demands more than mere lip service. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Moreover, we don’t get to pick and choose what parts of His will to obey. Those converted to Christ are to “obey all things that I have commanded you” (28:20).

    A servant who refuses to obey his master shouldn’t expect that master to be pleased with him. Do you expect Jesus to be pleased with you?

- Joe Slater serves as minister of the Church of Christ in Justin, TX. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://justinchurchofchrist.com