Only one Lord

Geoff Thomas

‘Who is he in yonder stall
At whose feet the shepherds fall?
'Tis the Lord, O wondrous story,
'Tis the Lord, the King of Glory.
At his feet we humbly fall,
Crown him, crown him Lord of all.’

The basic definition of a Christian is someone who believes in his heart and confesses with his lips that Jesus Christ is Lord. In the Acts of the Apostles, from the very origin of the Christian church, Jesus of Nazareth was referred to as 'the Lord' and 'the Lord Jesus.' This was not a title men began to give to him fifty years later. You can see it in the earliest New Testament writings, for example, the letter of James which is one of the first Christian writings, and an epistle deeply rooted in the Aramaic-speaking Jewish community which was led by James, the brother of Jesus. In the opening words of his epistle he refers to Jesus as 'Lord,' and he exhorts them in the opening words of that letter's second chapter, ‘My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism.’ James had shared his life with Jesus in Nazareth for almost thirty years in the most intimate ways, and yet he calls Jesus Lord. What does this title mean?

We belong to him

Firstly, it means ownership. Christ has absolute dominion over us without restraints. We are to forsake all and follow him, even though it means leaving the dead unburied, forsaking houses and lands, abandoning father and mothers, brothers and sisters, and at last, taking up our crosses and laying down our lives. His demands take precedence over all other commitments. He addresses us in terms of categorical imperatives. We are intent on giving him total obedience - this Lord who became the servant and humbled himself even to the death of the cross. He is our Master. So 'Lord' means ownership.

We are taught by him

Secondly, it means teaching. The title 'Lord' and the title 'Rabbi' are used interchangeably in the gospels. The teacher is a figure with authority telling us how we should live, what is right and what is wrong, and Jesus Christ is the supreme teacher. For us he can say nothing wrong. In Galilee and Jerusalem he repudiated, innovated, clarified and stipulated in his own name speaking by his own authority - But I say unto you… . What he did before his death he continued after his resurrection still communicating his words to his apostles. I deliver to you what I also received from the Lord, Paul says. The risen Christ is the author of the gospel, but he is also its content. He is both subject and object. So Lord means teacher.

He has a place of absolute authority over us

Thirdly, it means authority. Jesus is the cosmic Lord. All authority in heaven and on earth is his. He possesses authority over all flesh. He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty; he is in the midst of the throne. He is the head of the church and head over all things to the church. He has supremacy over all spiritual powers; he has disarmed the principalities and powers. He has bound Satan. As Lord he is King of his own kingdom. The resurrection is his investiture at which he is appointed Son of God 'with power.' He is seated in the very midst of the throne. He is at the heart of God's providence; he is the one who is continually working all things together for our good. If we have seen Christ then we have seen the Sovereign of the Universe; the sovereignty of God is incarnate in Jesus. God's love as we see it in him is not fragile, vulnerable and indecisive.It is in a position of dominance. It is the love of the Lord. He moves heaven and earth for man's salvation. Every demon is at the end of his chain. So the Lordship of Christ involves his ownership, teaching and authority. 

He is God

Fourthly, it involves deity. The pagans called their gods 'lord.' Rome called its Caesars 'lord.' The Jews called their God 'Lord', that is 'Jehovah.'

‘When we say that Jesus Christ is Lord we are saying exactly that Jesus Christ is Jehovah. That may startle us by its very novelty, but it is the truth, and there is nothing more remarkable in the whole history of human psychology that monotheistic Jews of the first century, men like Paul and James, should ascribe to a human being the title 'Lord' and go on to apply to him Old Testament verses which in their original context referred to Jehovah, the God of Israel. Let us never forget this simple fact, that when we say "Jesus Christ is Lord", we are saying, "Jesus Christ is Jehovah". When we sing, "The Lord's my shepherd", we are singing, "Jehovah-Jesus is my shepherd." ’ (‘A Faith to Live By’, Donald Macleod, Mentor, 1998, p112. I am indebted to this book for much of the material in this article).

John's gospel begins with Jesus presented to us as the one in the beginning who was with God and was God. It ends with Thomas falling before him saying, My Lord and my God. What glory the title 'Lord' gives to Jesus of Nazareth, but what enrichment to the title 'Lord' has Jesus brought to it. Jehovah Jesus took our nature, shared our experience, bore our sins, ever lives to pray for us. No one else ever has or ever will. There is only one Lord.