I have sometimes referred to my wife Lisa as my “little gourmet chef.” I may have called her this a dozen or so times throughout our marriage, but more properly, in the past thirty-four years I’ve referred to her thousands of times as my wife. Why? Because that declares the position she holds in my life. The other title conveys a benefit I’ve received from her being my wife.
Just because Lisa cooks for me doesn’t mean I belong to her. It was the covenant I made to give my heart solely to her as husband that solidified our marriage relationship. Our relationship with Jesus is similar to this. In order to receive His work of salvation, we must submit to His lordship, ownership, and reign.
The word savior is found thirty-six times in the Bible. The word lord occurs over 7,800 times. Where do you think God places the emphasis? Lord declares the position He holds in our life, whereas Savior describes the work He’s done for us. We cannot partake of the benefit of His work unless we come under His position as Lord and King.
As you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. -Colossians 2:6–7 NLT
Paul doesn’t state, “As you accepted Christ Jesus as your Savior.” To confess Jesus as merely Savior doesn’t bring freedom or new life. I realize this is a strong statement that cuts against the grain of our accepted appeals to the lost, but it is true to Scripture:
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. -Romans 10:9–10 NKJV
When our lives are submitted to and built upon His position of lordship, we live in Him. We deceive ourselves when we only focus on His work as Savior. My hope is that as you come to know Him as Lord, you feel more intimate with Him than ever before.
