Did you forget about me? I’m still alive, just on a different schedule, thus my blogging has been down. But in my devotions today, I discovered an interesting thought, compliments of the Fire Bible…
“That if y
ou confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” –Romans 10:9 (NIV)
“The earliest creed (i.e. statement of belief) or confession of the NT church was not ‘Jesus is Savior,’ but ‘Jesus is Lord.’” [1]
So how simple of a statement does that seem like? Savior? Lord? Ok…both great titles; both names we usually associate, at one time or another, with Jesus. So then I started to think about this more. To me, when I think of the word ‘Savior’ I almost think of a super-hero. The adored character who swoops in at just the right moment, saving the damsel in distress at the nick of time. I looked up the word ‘Savior’ on dictionary.com and here’s how it was defined:
Savior – a person who saves, rescues, or delivers. [2]
Now, granted, there are some instances, as we are only human and do make mistakes, that we do need to be saved more than once. Still, this definition implies an instance of saving: the person is rescued, the end. Yet, it’s not the end, for Jesus is not only a one-time (or two-time, or five, or ten time) Savior, but He is Lord.
Lord – a person who has authority, control, or power over others. [3]
‘Lord’ implies a constant, consistent force; One who stays in command, who sticks around. He is Lord. All powerful. Ever present. Always faithful and always near. How awesome is the fact that Jesus is not only Savior (as words cannot express how much we need just that!), but He is also Lord?
The Fire Bible continues on with this idea, in a way that I can’t sum up any better in my own words:
“No one can truly receive Jesus as Savior without receiving Him as Lord – and then continuing to follow Him as the ultimate Leader and authority in life.
‘Lord’ means having power, authority, control and the right to exercise ruling power as Master. To confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ is to declare Him to be equal with God and worthy of power, worship, trust, obedience, and prayer.
Jesus must be our Lord at home, church, school, and on the job. He must be the Lord in intellectual, educational, and recreational aspects of life – in fact, in all areas of life.” [4]
1. “10:9 Confess…’Jesus is Lord’.” Fire Bible: New International Version. Ed. Donald C. Stamps and Carey Huffman. Springfield, MO: Life International, 2007. 1601. Print.
2. “Savior.” Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dictionary.com>.
3. “Lord.” Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dictionary.com>.
4. “10:9 Confess…’Jesus Is Lord’” Fire Bible: New International Version. Ed. Donald C. Stamps and Carey Huffman. Springfield, MO: Life International, 2007. 1604. Print.
