I was recently listening to Willowdale Chapel Pastor Johnny Johnston preach on Revelation, and he spoke about the fact that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Pastor Johnny emphasized that Jesus is not just our Savior, but our Lord as well.
“Lord and Savior” is a phrase that I’ve heard my entire life…spoken in church services and mentioned in scripture numerous times. That day I heard it differently. The amazing thing about the inerrant Word of God is that it “is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)
That day was no exception. There I was, unsuspectingly listening to a sermon about Revelation, and wham! The message that Jesus is Lord and Savior came through in a fresh new way.
It struck me that Lord and Savior are both who Jesus is: They are two sides of the same coin. When you accept Jesus as Savior, you are acknowledging that He is also Lord over you. Romans 10:9 says “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Which one of us doesn’t want to be saved? But the Lord part–that can be the sticking point for me.
Salvation often comes when we are humbled enough to admit that we can’t do this thing called “life” alone. Perhaps we have been busy at work for our own brand of salvation – salvation through a limited scope of reality formed by the opinions of those around us and, regrettably, sometimes by the spirit of the age. That kind of false salvation doesn’t require surrender to Jesus as Lord over our lives and begs the question: Whose version of salvation are we seeking? Ours or His?
When Jesus saves, He also gives us a plan for living that involves our complete surrender. When He speaks of denying self, taking up our cross and following Him in Luke 9:23, Matt. 16:24 and Mark 8:34, Jesus is establishing His Lordship while acknowledging our very basic human desire to rule and to set ourselves up as little gods. We come to salvation and get to know Jesus as Savior because, frankly, we cannot be trusted with our own lives. My own story involves a roller coaster of good decisions and bad decisions, swerving in and out of God’s will, like a race car driver trying to maintain traction under caution.
Jesus our Savior takes away the sins of the world and leads us to eternal life with Him. We need to preach this salvation message to ourselves and the world around us on a daily basis. However, the surrender of one’s own will doesn’t stop at the first acknowledgment of Jesus’ saving grace but rather is a consistent submission that we make with EVERY SINGLE DECISION.
To be honest, I don’t like that word: Submission. Ugh. Why? Why can’t Jesus lead me and guide me when I’m at the top of my game, in girl boss mode, setting up the pins and knocking them down, flaunting all my knowledge, using my abilities and displaying all my awesome talents I’ve worked so hard to develop? (Dear reader, I hope you’re chuckling!)
Why?
Because:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a
Our own might is no help at all to a Mighty God. Our part is humble surrender to His Lordship. He doesn’t need our strength and abilities to accomplish His work, but He lovingly enables us to use them in His service, by preparing good works in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10)
The world will tell us that we are enough on our own; that our strength and tenacity and grit will achieve accolades and reward. Sometimes we receive the false message that we can have a cursory and arm’s length relationship with Jesus the Savior and that will be sufficient to save us “good” people.
However, the treasure of God’s saving light and knowledge of His glory resides in our frailty, “in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” Ongoing submission to His Lordship will bring the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
Not just my Savior,
But also my Lord.
I give myself over to His Lordship. I submit to His leadership.
Salvation and submission.
They are not separate.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
2 Peter 3:18 NIV
ABOUT THE BLOGGER:
Sarah Flowers lives in idyllic Chadds Ford, where she is steeped in beauty and connection to the land and its history. She loves coffee and flowers and getting to know Jesus. A lifelong learner, she seeks to follow God’s plan to bring hope to His children. Sarah is a self-declared serial optimist and melodiphile; there’s always a path to the sunny side and a soundtrack for the journey! She is a mom and wife and a grateful alumna of Northwood University. Her former iterations include automotive professional and shoe diva. Sarah is one of the co-hosts of the podcast Trustworthy and is “most likely to ride bikes in the woods!