By Ben Swift

Who’s in charge? Who calls the shots?

This is not a question of who wears the pants in your house but who holds ultimate authority in all things? If we as Christians confess Jesus as ‘Lord of our lives’, we must consider what this really means.

Generally speaking, the word lord (κύριος) refers to one with power and authority, a master or ruler.

I wonder when we hear, speak and digest this little word ‘Lord’ in reference to Christ, do we really comprehend how it is to shape our very being? Or does the word ring hollow with little effect on the way in which we live and see others?

In Ephesians 5:15-16 Paul urges us to take seriously the concept of Jesus being Lord over our lives.

Therefore, pay careful attention to how you conduct your life – live wisely, not unwisely. Use your time well, for these are evil days. So don’t be foolish, but try to understand what the will of the Lord is.

But this is difficult.

We know that the will of the Lord is foolishness to those who don’t know Christ, but those who are in Christ have been transformed to seek his will. When through the Holy Spirit we encounter the Living Lord Jesus in our lives, nothing can separate us from his truth and the overwhelming assurance that comes from knowing he alone is in control, not humanity and certainly not us.

In the years immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection, the early Christians composed their first creed. Interestingly, this creed is not one frequently used in church liturgies such as the Apostle’s or Nicene Creeds. This creed consisted of three simple words: Jesus is Lord!

This creed, although quite simple, is very profound. It brings forth a very challenging teaching.

Theologian, John Stott, raises the following thoughts in relation to the question of Jesus being the Lord of our lives:

‘Our common way of avoiding radical discipleship is to be selective; choosing the areas in which commitment suits us and staying away from those areas in which it would be costly. But because Jesus is Lord, we have no right to pick and choose the areas we will submit to his authority.” Just contemplating this is enough to create discomfort in a world that promotes the ‘self’ as being ‘Lord’.

Jesus’ warning concerning the master we serve is clear. ‘No one can be a slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first.’ (Matthew 6:24)

It’s clear, when it comes to Christ, there can be only one Lord. It is either God or ‘self’. It is for this reason that we must ensure that Jesus is not only Lord over our personal lives, but also Lord over ‘The Church’ as a body. John Stott understood this well when he expressed the following concerns in his book, The Radical Disciple:

‘So the fundamental question before the church is who is Lord? Is the church the lord of Jesus Christ, so that it has liberty to edit and manipulate, accepting what it likes and rejecting what it dislikes? Or is Jesus Christ our Teacher and our Lord, so that we believe and obey his teaching?’

Let us not forget the challenging words of Jesus, ‘Why do you call me, “Lord! Lord!” but do not do what I say?’ (Luke 6:46) This is the question he poses right before warning us about building our lives on shifting sands. Surely anyone who attended Sunday school would recall how that story ends.

Living according to the will of Jesus, or completely subjecting ourselves to his Lordship over our lives, is not easy in our complex world. For those who long to live this Christ-like life, it can be demoralizing to contemplate the array of issues that seem inseparably intertwined with our culture. We question what can be done about issues such as climate change, sexuality, child abuse, slave labour, poverty and consumerism to name a few. The complexities involved in each of these issues can be frustratingly difficult to escape when striving to make the right choices.

Thankfully, in the end, we have the assurance that we can do nothing to earn the favour of God. As we’re transformed to be more Christ-like, it is important to strive to live according to what Jesus teaches. It is also important to understand that no matter how many times we fall short, we have been made acceptable in what has been achieved by God through Christ, and not through ourselves.

So let us embrace Jesus as Lord, always feeling secure in the knowledge that we are and always will belong to him. And in our failings, let’s remember, the grace of our Lord never fails.   

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  (2 Corinthians 13:14)