For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
In the New Testament Jesus is called Savior less than ten times, while He is called Lord more than 700 times, clearly demonstrating the priority Jesus is to have in one’s life. Many people confess Jesus as Lord and Savior without having any knowledge of what that actually means.
When you confess Jesus Christ is Lord, you are completely surrendering to the reign and rule of His Lordship in your life, it is an acknowledgment of His total takeover of your life. You’re no longer free to live as you want.
Anyone who thinks they can superficially confess Jesus is Lord and Savior and still have the right to run their own life, needs to understand that the only thing you’re running is your life right into hell.
That’s why Jesus says the only way you’ll ever save your life is to “die to self,” to completely abandon your own will, your own desires, your own ambitions, and even your former relationships that are sinful by God’s standards.
The priority in your life is no longer what you want, and what pleases you, it’s giving all that up to live a life that is pleasing to God. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Jesus makes it clearer in Matthew 7:13-14 when He says “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 10:32-33:
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
The idea here is if you don’t deny yourself and confess My Lordship, you are not qualified as one who truly belongs to Me and I will deny you before My Father who is in heaven. Jesus doesn’t accept anything less than that.
Matthew 16:24-25:
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
The language is unmistakably clear, you cannot be saved and refuse to give up anything in your life, your friends, family, possessions, or sinful lifestyle. Anyone preaching another Gospel is preaching a perverted message that is authored by Satan and not God and is worthless for salvation.
Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “
Written by Brian Monzón
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Grandfather Magazine
Featured Image by Sash Margrie Hunt on Unsplash
[…] Open the full article on the kingdomwinds.com site […]