There is One Lord

By Brian Mitchell     One of the most challenging and most offensive of Paul’s 7 ones is that – there is one Lord. Why would I call it the most challenging and offensive of the “ones”? Because while everyone in Christianity might agree that there is one Lord, they often want the one Lord to be them, not someone else, and for many, certainly not Jesus. Jesus is the one Lord and that means He’s in charge; He’s the Master; He’s the King.     The apostle Paul clarified this truth clearly when he wrote to the Corinthians about eating food sacrificed to idols, he wrote: 4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him” (1 Cor. 8:4-6).     I like the way that Paul contrasts the many “gods” and many “lords” (lower case) with the one “God” and one “Lord” (upper case). In truth, there are many lower case “gods” and “lords.” These lower case “gods” and “lords” include everything from the government, to our bosses, our parents, our spouses, ourselves, and our addictions.     Bob Dylan was right when he famously sung “you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” The chorus of his song says: But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, you’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” If the only choice were between serving God and serving the devil, then most of us would quickly choose God.     But Satan, the great deceiver and the father of lies, has convinced many that we don’t have to serve anyone, and that we can do as we please. But make no mistake about it, if we don’t choose to serve God, then we are serving Satan. If we are self-serving, then we are ultimately Satan-serving. Here’s the other thing that makes this truth so offensive to some.     Jesus is Lord whether I believe in Him or not, or whether I think He is the Lord or not. My lack of belief in Jesus or my failure to acknowledge His lordship has no impact on the fact that Jesus is Lord. Similarly, I might refuse to believe that Joe Biden exists as a human being or refuse to acknowledge that he is the President of the United States. But my lack of faith and acknowledgement doesn’t change the truth that he exists and that he is president—at least for another couple of months.     Similarly, I might refuse to believe that gravity exists or that it is in control of things on our planet. But my lack of faith in gravity doesn’t change the truth that when I jump off the roof, gravity will bring me crashing to the ground. In addition to the fact that this truth is offensive to many, it is also challenging for all of us. What makes it so challenging is our struggle to allow someone else to be our Lord or boss. One of the most important issues that must be settled in every person’s life is the question of “Who’s the Boss?” And the truth is that God is “the boss” and the sooner we allow Him to be our boss the better off we will be.

- Brian Mitchell served as a minister with the Jackson Church of Christ in Jackson, MO. Visit the congregation's website at https://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net