- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
THE LORD.
By J.C.Metcalfe.
In his Lexicon and Concordance of the New Testament, E.W.Bullinger points out that, “In the Gospels the title Lord usually signifies God, while in the Epistles it generally refers to Christ and denotes His position as Master in relation to His people, as One who has ownership and authority over them. Hence, all the social and natural relationships of life are to be regarded and performed as subject to His authority. It is the Lord’s Supper, not the supper of Jesus or Christ, because He who says, “Do this”, has the right and authority to institute and command.”
We will look at the Gospel of John and pick out a few significant places where the title Lord is explicitly applied to the Saviour. Chapter 4 v1-3 is striking because the title Lord and the name Jesus are used in the same verse, “The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptising more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptised, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee”. Chapter nine gives us another example. The man born blind has been healed and has been cast out of the synagogue. Then in verses 35-38 we read, “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.‘ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshiped Him.”
In chapter eleven the title is used on seven occasions. Verses 2, 3, 12, 21, 27, 34 and 39, and Jesus is declared as the Lord indeed, before whom death itself has to open its gates and deliver up its prey. Chapter thirteen also contains seven verses where He is spoken of as Lord, two of them appearing in verses 13-14, where the grand claim is so simply made and its implication stressed, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” In the two post-resurrection chapters, 20 and 21, there are thirteen verses in which the title Lord is used, ranging from Mary’s heart-broken cry, “They have taken my Lord away” v.13, to the joyous statement, “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” v.20, and the wondering awe of Thomas as he admits “My Lord and my God” v.28.
It is no simple task to select examples of the use of the title Lord from the Acts of the Apostles, but we will glance at some of the highlights. The declaration of chapter 2 v36 should perhaps be the first where Peter closes his witness on the day of Pentecost with the words, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”. Then the first recorded martyrdom in the Christian Church is vividly described in chapter 7 v59-60. “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this he fell asleep.”
In chapter 9 v5-6, we are startled to hear the proud, vindictive Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, ask, “Who are you Lord?”, and then as did Thomas before him, he made the revolutionary discovery of his Lord and God.
Listen again to Peter as he unfolds the Gospel to the household of Cornelius. “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all”. Then in chapter 15 v26 we have a description of Barnabas and Paul as “men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”, and after all were not those lives, as are ours, His to do with according to His will?
Finally we will turn to Paul’s farewell talk to the elders of the Church at Ephesus recorded in Acts 20. First of all in verse 21 he describes his ministry amongst them as, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. Then in verse 24, after touching on the opposition and suffering that lies ahead of him, he adds, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Now we will turn to the Epistles. Romans contains the significant declaration, “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10 v9). Also there is the wonderful description of what it means to live as a Christian, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom. 13 v14). Our union in spirit with the Lord in glory is the sole adequate answer to the pull of the world, the desire of the flesh, and the hostility and guile of the devil. Romans 14 v9 makes a great statement of faith, “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living”.
In 1 Corinthians 2 v8 the Saviour is called “The Lord of Glory”. Chapter 4 v5 then leads us forward and urges that we shall pronounce no judgment either on our own work or that of others “till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God”. What a solemn thing it is to be a Christian worker! Chapter 11 v23-32 deals fully with the central worship of the Church at the Lord’s table where we “proclaim the Lord’s death, until He comes” - see verses 23, 26, 27, 29 and 32. The contrast between truth and error is then dealt with in chapter 12 v3, “I tell you that no-one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed’, and no-one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit”. Finally this letter ends with the blunt dismissal, “If anyone love not the Lord - a curse on him. Come, O Lord” (16 v22). The ground upon which we as Christians stand cannot be that of good works or of mere belief, but of love for the Lord who has done so much for and is so much to us. “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4. 19).
We cannot now do more than review verses taken from the other Epistles, which seem specially significant. In 2 Corinthians 4 v5 for instance, the aim of the preacher of the Gospel is defined in these terms, “For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake”. In chapter 8 v9 we then have set out the certainty of His provision for the needs of His servants, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich”. When we go up to battle against the powers of evil, we are commanded, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph. 6 v10 & 2 Cor. 12 v7-9). Colossians 2 v6 places the beginning and continuance of the Christian life side by side with the words “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him”. In chapter 3 v23-24 we meet with the exhortation, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It it the Lord Christ you are serving”.
Moving on again we find the Church in Thessalonica being commended for two reasons, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord”, and “the Lord’s message rang out from you” (1 Thess. 1 v6 and 8). Turning after this to that great day which is the blessed hope of the Church, Paul writes, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever” (1 Thess. 4 v16-17, see also 2 Thess. 1 v7-10).
2 Thessalonians 3 v5 gives us a lovely prayer, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” and this is followed in verse 16 by the benediction, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. . . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (see also John 14 v27 and 16 v33, also Phil. 4 v4-6).
Next, 1 Timothy 6 v14-15 speaks of “the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time - God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords . . .” (see also Rev. 17 v14 and 19 v11-16). Then in 2 Timothy 4, the title is used six times in verses 1, 8, 14, 17, 18 and 22 and these verses make an illuminating study.
Hebrews 2 v3 tells of the “so great salvation. This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (see also Acts 1 v1). In chapter 7 v14 we find, “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah”. This identification of the Saviour as “The Lord” is again seen in chapter 13 v20 where the resurrection of “our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” is the theme. In the Epistle of James there are seven references to the Lord, most of which point to the Lord Jesus, (chapter 5, verses 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 and 15). In 2 Peter 1 v 2 God the Father and God the Son are spoken of together, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (see also John 17 v3), and this is followed in the same chapter by four more references to the Lord Jesus, verses 8, 1 1, 14, 16, which will repay study. Lastly Revelation 11 v8 speaks of “the great city . . . where also our Lord was crucified”.
I have purposely left one magnificent passage to the end, which leads us from the Cross to the Coming, from the suffering for sin to the glory which followed. We read of Him in Philippians 2 v8 as, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.
From ‘Jesus Christ our Lord’.