The shepherds were informed of Jesus' birth by an angel from God, who identified Him as the "Savior, who is Christ the Lord." The Bible's Jesus is both Savior and Lord. Peter used the term "our Lord AND Savior" four times in his second epistle. Peter had been walking with Jesus for three and a half years and knew Him intimately. Peter highlighted Christ's Lordship with proper, eternal reverence and thankfulness to Jesus for saving us. And this biblical fact — Jesus' ultimate Lordship — is frequently overlooked in Gospel presentations.
As we mentioned in the introduction, Christianity will occasionally say things like, "I embraced Jesus as my Savior, then [months or years] later I accepted Him as my Lord." To be honest, I can see how this misunderstanding could occur, because the Gospel is chock-full of texts about Jesus redeeming us from our sins. "He will save His people from their sins," says Matthew 1:21. That's a fantastic idea!
We must never, however, lose sight of who this Jesus is who saves us from our sins. He is the "Savior, who is Christ the Lord," as the angel announced, and as the Scriptures continually confirm. Not only is he our Savior, but he is also our Lord. When Jesus says, "Come to Me," as in Matthew 11:28, to Whom is He referring? — to the "Savior, who is Christ the Lord." In fact, Jesus is referred to as the Lord Jesus Christ more than 80 times in the New Testament (or Jesus Christ our Lord, or Christ Jesus our Lord). One of the primary realities of the Bible is that Jesus is Lord.
Not to be critical of anyone, but to urge all of us to serve and tell about our Savior, who is also "Lord of all" (Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12) and so deserving of our relating to Him as such. Let's look at a few more verses to help us cement this reality in our hearts, minds, and spirits, and to inspire us to serve Jesus not only as our sin-forgiver, but also as the Lord who deserves our whole devotion and obedience.
Let's finish with this verse, which elevates recognizing Jesus' Lordship beyond our obligation (which it is) and into His love. Yes, we enter a relationship of unquestioned obedience to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when we come into a saving relationship with Him. When we perceive it in this light, though, that obedience becomes incredibly remarkable and even heartwarming. That is, Jesus genuinely cares about us. We shall keep His instructions if we love Him (John 14:15). In response to our deep, intimate love relationship with the Lord, we shall obey everything He asks us (Matthew 28:20).
Anyone "serv[ing] as a soldier... attempts to please his commanding officer," stated the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:4. Jesus Christ, the Lord, is our commander! We adore Him, and He adores us. Our highest desire should be to surrender completely to His Lordship over all aspect of our lives, always "seeking to please," to obey, and to honor the One who died and rose again for us in order that we could be saved.
Always look to Him as your Savior and Lord! That mindset will be fruitful for the rest of your life.
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