March 19 I Friday

Joshua 1-3

Mark 16

“For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”  —Romans 14:9

Some people think there are two kinds of Christians. The first kind is the “average” Christians, who know Christ as Saviour, whose sins have been forgiven and who will go to heaven when they die. The second kind is the “super deluxe” Christians, who have Christ not just as Saviour, but as Lord. There has been much preaching that exhorts those who have already received Christ as Saviour to equally acknowledge Him as Lord, but this overlooks that Jesus’s ability to save is actually a consequence of His role as Lord.

       Christ’s lordship is not something we determine. The apostle Peter concluded his explanation of the gospel on the Day of Pentecost by stating, “Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). The result of Jesus’s life, work, death, resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of God is that He has been made Lord. His lordship is an objective truth that remains true whether we believe it or not and whether we surrender to Him or not.

       Suppose we are not prepared to submit to the government over us. Would that make its laws invalid? Of course not. If we were to drive 70 kilometres per hour in a 40 kilometre per hour zone, the police would have every right to pull us over and write us a ticket. We could argue, “But officer, I did not vote for this government and do not agree with their laws,” yet the law of the land would stand nevertheless. The government and the law it imposes is an objective reality, and the issue we must come to terms with is not whether we voted for that authority but whether we are prepared to submit to its authority.

       A time is coming when all will recognize Christ’s objective authority. Philippians 2:9-11 states, “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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” All of history must at some point come to terms with the lordship of Christ, but God invites us to do so now, freely and voluntarily, rather than waiting until the day when there will be no choices.

       There is no “average” or “super deluxe” Christian, but a normal experience for every Christian to recognize the sure blessing that Christ has saved us, and to submit willingly to His lordship over our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me, for forgiving me and for being the Lord of my life. Reveal to me anything that is keeping me from making myself wholly available to You.