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Essay 53 (12-18-04)

JESUS IS LORD OF ALL

It was a daring proclamation – "He is Lord of all" (Acts 10:35)– especially to the Gentile world where only Caesar was so honored. Peter is addressing his Jewish brethren, and he is recounting the story of how Gentiles were brought to the faith at the household of Cornelius. The Jews were of course dubious about Gentiles coming to faith except through Judaism.

This was the occasion of Peter’s own "conversion" of sorts: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him" (v. 34-35). He went on to say that the same gospel God gave to Israel he had preached to the Gentiles, a gospel centered in the risen Christ. It’s in this context that he says, "He is Lord of all" – and he appears to go out of his way to say it, or to make it parenthetical.

On the day of Pentecost Peter’s reference to Jesus as Lord is more contextual. He concludes his message of the risen Christ with those ringing words: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). This conclusion is based on the great gospel fact that "This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses" (v. 32).

There appears to be a necessary connection between Jesus being "made" Lord and the resurrection. God "made" him both Lord and Christ (Messiah) – not just the Messiah but also "the Lord of all" or the sovereign Lord. When and how did God do this? By raising him from the dead. To be sure, Jesus is addressed as Lord by his disciples and others before the resurrection, but this may not have been more than a term of respect. Early on Lord meant little more than Sir. Angels and men alike were sometimes so addressed.

In time, however, Lord was applied to gods -- "lords many and gods many" (1 Cor. 8:5) – and finally to Caesar, who was at first reluctant to wear the title, but decided it to be a means of uniting the empire.

It is significant that the disciples of Jesus would select this politically-oriented term, one reserved for the emperor, to apply to Jeus. It became such a common reference that "the Lord Jesus Christ" frequently occurs in the apostolic writings.

It is my thesis that Lord took on a far deeper significance after the resurrection. In fact Jesus became "the Lord Jesus Christ" and "the Lord of glory by his resurrection from the dead. Paul now and again makes the point that the place God gives to Jesus is "assured" by his resurrection from the dead, as in Acts 17:31: "He has given assurance of this by raising him from the dead."

The apostle is even more direct in Rom. 14:8-9. Notice in these verses the frequency of the use of Lord and how it is related to the resurrection: "If we live we live to the Lord: if we die we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the living and the dead."

It is a reassuring gospel truth that whether we live on planet earth for awhile longer, or whether we die (depart), we are under the care of the sovereign Lord, who is Ruler of the Universe. Jesus died, rose, and lived again that he might be such a Lord. The apostle Peter says that we are given "a living hope" by "the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3).

This helps to explain why the early Christians chose execution rather than to honor Caesar as Lord. They only had to enter a temple and sprinkle a pinch of incense over the eternal flame and when the flame sparkled say, Caesar Kurios" – as every Roman citizen was required to do. They didn’t have to mean it, but just say it.

But to say it was to deny Christ as the risen Lord. Their profession was Iesous Kurios – Jesus is Lord! To laud him as Lord was to make him equal to God and sovereign over all creation. Those that remained faithful would not attribute such honor to Caesar. It became their creed, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord . . .," (Rom. 10:9) which became a life-threatening profession.

To accept Jesus as Lord has staggering implications for those of us who claim to be his followers. We are urged in 1 Pet. 3:15 to "Sanctify Christ in your hearts as Lord." It is one thing to believe that Jesus is the Christ – and not particularly demanding in itself – but something far more challenging to accept him as Lord, for if he is Ruler of the universe he is certainly to have dominion over our lives. If Jesus is our Lord, then all our thoughts, desires, ambitions, possessions are brought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).

To accept Jesus as Lord is to accept discipleship, which means to take Jesus seriously. It is the most serious problem the modern church faces – that our congregations are filled with people who have no intention of being serious disciples of Jesus. This means that while they sincerely believe in Jesus as Savior and Christ, they have no intention of enthroning him as Lord of their lives – of his having any significant impact on their lives. While they are professed Christians, they are not all that different from the world.

In reclaiming the apostolic proclamation that "Jesus is Lord" we must realize that it may be as applicable to the church as to the world. The greatest mission field today may well be the church, which has hardly "sanctified Christ in its heart as Lord."

Personal Notes

I appreciate all the expressions of concern over my macular degeneration. Your prayers will surely make a difference. Already I enjoy considerable improvement in that I can use the computer without Ouida’s help when I work with white type on black background. And under a bright lamp I can read even small type. But I still have a problem with detail in ordinary light.

At last exam the doctor said the clot behind the retina, which is the source of the problem, is gradually dissolving. He expects me to improve further.

I will remind you of our pre-publication offer of $46.00, including postage, for The Stone-Campbell Encyclopedia, a landmark publication for Churches of Christ and Christian Churches. We expect to have them in the mail early in January.

We have had positive response to my autobiography, A Lover’s Quarrel: My Pilgrimage of Freedom in Churches of Christ, which is about recent history of Churches of Christ as well as about me. $14.95 postpaid when you send check in advance. Make check to Leroy Garrett and send to 1300 Woodlake Dr., Denton, TX 76210. My history book, The Stone-Campbell Movement, nearly 600 pages, is still in print and we can supply it at $35.00 postpaid.

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