“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2: 36).
The problems of the church corporately are due to the individual Christians’ failure to recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their personal life. Our texts called Jesus both “Lord” and “Christ” or “Saviour”. Jesus is never presented as either Lord or Savior. This is because the Saviorhood and the Lordship of Christ are inseparable.
Many think they can receive Christ as Savior to escape the flames of Hell, but reject Him as Lord so they may continue living in sin. But according to scripture He is both Lord and Savior, or He is neither one.
Paul declares that in salvation we must acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, God, and Master: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (that Jesus is Jehovah, God, and Master), and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom.10: 9). If there is no recognition of the Lordship of Christ and obedience to His word expressed in the life, then one should question if he has really accepted Christ as Savior in their heart.
A W. Tozer says, “The discredited doctrine of a divided Christ goes like this: ‘Christ is both Savior and Lord. A sinner may be saved by accepting Him as Savior without yielding to Him as Lord.’” The apostle James says, “Faith without works is dead”. So, our professed faith in Christ, as our Savior without works that show our obedience to Christ and express His Lordship in our life, means our faith is dead and we are not saved.
Commenting on Jn. 13:13, Edward Hindson says, “That God claims total lordship over His own is obvious in this passage. The concept of the lordship of Christ has often been greatly mistaken. Even in the face of immediate denial of and on the part of His disciples, Jesus said to them: ‘Ye call me Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am’. There is no passage or command anywhere in the New Testament asking the believer to make Christ ‘Lord of his life’ after salvation. The very experience of receiving Christ as Savior is looked upon throughout the Scriptures as acknowledging His Lordship and ownership. It is the fact that He is already Lord that makes our disobedience so serious. Our disobedience as a believer is an act of sin against His Lordship.”
Jesus Christ is our Savior because He shed His blood to save us from our sins and from Hell. He is also our Lord and Master because He bought us, redeemed us, and made us His own with that same shed blood (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet.1:18, 19). Recognizing the Lordship of Christ will bring about a much needed change in the church.
The reason there are so many problems in the church today is because “self” is lord rather than Jesus, and His Word (KJV) is not the final authority to so many.
Contentment
I finally found contentment,
When I found I wanted nothing.
When I saw that in Christ Jesus,
I already had everything.
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For Jesus Christ is all I need,
And there’s no need to covet.
My heart is full, my peace so sweet,
Since my Lord and Savior I met.
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I now can look all around me,
And do so without coveting.
All I need comes down from above,
From Christ Jesus Who’s providing.
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I could not find true contentment,
In the things of earth below.
They could not fill my emptiness,
Nor could they love, and peace bestow.
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Her toys are so expensive,
But not one brings fulfillment.
The worldling is fat and full,
But knows nothing of contentment.
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Money’s more trouble than it’s worth.
With just money men are so poor.
And in their abject poverty,
And rags they covet for more.
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They flaunt their gilded finery,
As their Judas smile they wear,
To hide their discontentment,
And all the misery they bear.
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There’s not a person has a thing,
That I wish I did possess.
Nor a king whose kingdom I’d want,
For I’d be settling for less.
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O the glory of this one thought,
That all I need is found in Jesus.
And every need He will supply,
So why should I fear, fret, or fuss?
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I now look out upon all things,
And say that everything is mine.
For I’m a joint heir with Jesus,
And all that He has is now mine.
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I finally found contentment,
When I found I had everything.
When I saw that in Christ Jesus,
I had no need of anything.
James H. Cagle ©️
