Luke 6:46 New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Being a savior is only one of the characteristics of who Jesus is, according to the bible. But understanding who Jesus is to our lives through His words speaks way beyond a savior to us.

Due to the widespread influence of our society nowadays that focuses on self-centeredness which can be seen widely in books, advertisements, TV programs and movies, many Christians follow the same concept of God in their life. They only accept Jesus as a part of their life, part of their support system which they call on in times of need.

But understanding the key message in the new testament, Jesus is not mainly addressed in His Savior/Saving attribute character, but rather as Lord, the one who leads and directs our lives.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the meanings of Lord is “one having power and authority over others”. Thus, we cannot accept only part of Jesus’ character and neglect the rest, but rather we should fully accept Him or not at all.

 Romans 10:9 New International Version (NIV)

⁹ If you declare 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 clearly says that the main foundation of the saving power of Jesus is in His Lordship. When we are under His authority over our lives, we are also under his care and protection in our lives. To better understand this concept, let me illustrate it by comparing it to citizenship. When you are under one country’s citizenship, this country is the one that is responsible to protect and help you in time of disaster and need. This means that we cannot fully say that He is savior of our lives unless we acknowledge Him first as Lord of our lives.

Luke 6:46 New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

It is very difficult for us to say that we are Christian without following Christ in our life. We cannot address Jesus as our Lord, while living totally opposite to His will and direction to our lives. So Jesus’ Lordship demands obedience in following His Words in our life.

Let me just point out that obedience to Jesus cannot be equated to working for your salvation. Since working for salvation demands work prior to being saved by God, but obedience to God is following Him out of your love and gratitude to the one who already saved you by His grace.

Romans 5:8 New International Version (NIV)

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:1-2, 11-13 New International Version (NIV)

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10New International Version (NIV)

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Many Christians quote Ephesians 2:8-9, which focuses on being saved by grace through faith, but forget verse 10 which discusses that we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. So one mark of true people that have been saved by God is good changes to his/her character that result in good works.

James 2:17 and 26 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

A Christian that professes that he/she has true faith in God knows how to submit to Jesus’ Lordship. This act of submission to God results in a changed life and progressive holiness. Progressive holiness is due to continuous decisions to follow His will and commandments for his/her life.

Luke 6:46-49 New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸ They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

A Christian who submits to Jesus Lordship by following His will is being strengthened by the personal experience of how God works in his/her life. It is the only time when we can prove that God’s Word is trustworthy when we start doing it. Always remember that the power of God is in doing His Word. As you daily continue to put your trust in Him by obeying His Word, it deepens your foundation of understanding His heart, will, character and power which will help you withstand any test and trials in life may come your way.

Colossians 2:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him

Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior does not end after you have finished praying your acceptance prayer. It is just a beginning of a life of obedience and submission to his will and purpose. It is a continuous daily journey focused on God and not solely on ourselves.

Luke 9:23 New International Version (NIV)

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

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All quotations from scripture in this training material unless otherwise indicated are taken from the

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