"Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts4:12
The three words, “Jesus is Lord” were death sentences to many Christians in the 1st century. According to Feddes, these three words “Jesus is Lord” changed everything.[1] People are kind of finicky about the way they die. Most want to pass on in their sleep, or from some tragedy that is so abrupt that they don’t feel anything, they are just alive one second and dead the next. So why did the first Christians willingly put themselves in danger of crucifixion, torture, being fed to lions or beheaded? They could have just denied Christ. They could have pretended to worship other gods. They could have lied about their new faith. So why didn’t they?
The 1st century Christians and Christians to this day believe that Jesus is the one and only Lord. Dr Feddes says, “They were confident, as the Bible puts it, that “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.“ (Romans 10:9).[2] That confidence and steadfastness to the truth that Jesus is Lord is what compelled them to know and vehemently profess that Jesus is not only Lord, but God Himself.
Significance of Jesus is Lord
JESUS - The name Jesus is significant because he and he alone is being proclaimed Lord and God. According to Dr Feddes, the Romans were very tolerant of other gods. If a new god was being preached, they just added that god to their pantheon of gods.[3] Jesus was different though. Jesus was being proclaimed as completely sovereign over everything, everyone, and every god. This was something that the Romans couldn’t tolerate. They felt that all gods were pretty much equal and that all of them deserved to be honored. Sound familiar? That’s whats being taught and touted in liberal and new age churches, “all religions lead to heaven” “there are many paths to god” which is utter nonsense. The Romans also considered their emperor a god, so someone saying that Jesus and only Jesus is Lord, ruler of everything and God, could not be tolerated.
IS - The fact that Jesus “is” is also significant because it emphasizes that he was not only present in the past while performing His ministry here on earth, but that He is present now and forevermore. He is eternal and self-existent. He is the I AM, of Exodus 3:14. The almighty God.
LORD - The significance of the word “Lord” is that the word Lord means owner, master, ruler, God. Those that accept Jesus as Lord, accept Him as the God that owns them, is their absolute master and ruler. They will not accept any other ruler, because Jesus is God and absolutely sovereign. As Christians, we obey the rules and laws of man because we are told to in scripture, but we are also called by God to know that His laws supersede the laws of man. If a man-made law contradicts the Bible, we are compelled to reject that law. That’s what terrified the rulers in the first century and what terrifies the rulers today. We are willing to die for our faith, because we know that heaven is waiting for us if we get killed for professing Jesus as Lord. We have no fear of death, because we know where we’re going.
We, as Christians, are not our own. We belong to our Lord and Savior Jesus. We are constantly aware that Jesus is Lord, and that we are not. We need to constantly be aware that Jesus is our ever-present God, owner, master and ruler. Not because I said it, but because God said it through His precious, inspired, inerrant, infallible Word – the Bible.
JESUS IS LORD!
[1] David Feddes, "Back To God Hour," Back To God Hour, last modified June 23, 2002, https://btgh.reframemedia.com/programs/three-words-that-change-everything.
[2] Feddes, "Back To God Hour," last modified June 23, 2002
[3] Feddes, "Back To God Hour," last modified June 23, 2002