Jesus Christ is Lord

My whole life and ministry hinge on the touchstone truth that Jesus Christ is Lord over both the temporal and the eternal. To paraphrase Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper, there is not a square inch in all the universe that Christ doesn’t claim as his own.

 That means Jesus Christ is Lord over our salvation, our theological, philosophical and ethical views, our thoughts, words, behaviors, attitudes, values, family life, work, checking account, priorities, political views, what we watch on TV and the Internet, what we read, our friendships, our service and witness, and on and on and on. He is Lord over it all. That means he has the right to exercise authority over all of it and may properly expect our obedience (joyful obedience) in every sphere of our lives. In fact, Jesus asks us what’s the use of calling him Lord if we’re not going to do what he commands (Luke 6:46).

 To be sure, he is a loving, gracious, good, patient, compassionate, and merciful Lord… but he is our Lord nonetheless and we may not rebel against him with impunity. Amazingly, once we come to know him and relate to him as our Lord, he invites us to go deeper in our relationship with him and know him as brother and friend. The paradox is that only as we submit to his Lordship in every sphere of our lives that we become free enough to pursue all that he has created, redeemed and called us to be.

 This view of Christ’s Lordship informs the way I see the world in which I live. Like a pair of eye-glasses with the proper prescription, I can only see things aright as I look at the world around me through the lens of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  I love the way C.S. Lewis put it. He wrote,

  I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

 My fallen nature prevents me from seeing everything perfectly, but I know beyond a shadow of doubt that because Jesus is my Lord, I am able to see the world much more closely to the way he desires me to see it. The truth is, he is Lord over heaven and earth whether or not I choose to recognize his Lordship. However, I am able to live far more faithfully when I’m living in harmony with who he is. Things just don’t seem to work out as well when I’m trying to be the Lord of my own life.

 Part of my calling is to serve others by helping them come to a place where they too will bow before Christ, confess him as their Lord, and live in joyfully harmonious submission with that reality. I deeply desire to help folks understand what it means to submit to Christ’s Lordship in every sphere of their lives, beginning with their salvation. It’s vital to realize that the Christian faith is not a self-help program that will be of use to anyone (or even make sense) apart from a person dying to himself or herself and becoming a new creature in Christ. Only then can a person live the life that God calls them to live. Only then is Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, living in and through them by his Spirit (Romans 14:9).

 Have you recognized Jesus Christ as your Lord and responded in faith to his claims on your life? If you haven’t or are unsure of how to go about it, please don’t hesitate to contact me at DaleTedder@yahoo.com. I will be honored to help in any way I can.

Grace and Truth,
Dale

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