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Jesus as Lord The title “Lord” is the second most frequent designation
for Jesus in the New Testament. And it’s title that we
need to understand. Why? Because the title, “Lord”
surely is the most exalted title that is conferred upon
Jesus. Because it is the title “Lord” that is probably
the most difficult for God’s people to grasp. And this
particular title that we as American’s today, in the
United States have trouble with, because none of us have
ever had a flesh and blood king who sits and rules over
us. This very idea of having one “Lord” to set and
govern us is something that we have never experienced. I
mean the whole concept of “Lordship” being invested in
only one individual is foreign to us in our American
culture. But beloved this is the bold claim that New
Testament asserts for our Saviour Jesus Christ. That He
alone is the Sovereign authority and imperial power over
the entire universe.
In our New Testament we use the Greek word kuris, which
is translated as our English word “Lord.” This Greek
word was used in several ways, but its most common usage
was as a polite way to say sir. Like in our English word
sir, it can be used in an ordinary way, that’s the way
it was with the Greek word kurios. There is a common
everyday use of the word, and there is a less common, or
special use. In England, men were knighted and they were
given the title sir, showing that they were now elevated
from the common use of the word to its special formal
use. So it is with the Greek word kurios, in its special
formal use in the title if “Lord” was given to men who
were in the higher aristocrat class. The title was used
in a figurative way to indicate the Jesus in the New
Testament was Kurios or Lord. Jesus was called “Master” by His disciples, the Apostle
Paul would often open his epistles saying, “Paul, a
servant of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word, which Paul
uses here to describe himself as a servant, is the Greek
word doulos. Now there can’t be a servant, or doulos
without there being a “Lord,” kurios. Paul said, “ye are
not your own, for ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor.
6:19-20. We can plainly see that God’s people are the
possession of Jesus Christ; He is our Master, and our
“Lord.” Jesus owns us, but He is not a “tyrant lord,” as
is often the case with worldly lords. No, unlike the
nature of the world, our “Lord” sets us free in our
natural earthly servitude, which is the bondage of our
sinful nature, setting us free to serve and glorify Him.
It’s only in Christ that we are free. For he says, “If
the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed” (John 8:36). Its only by and through our
relationship in Christ Jesus our Lord as His servants we
are truly liberated from the bondage of the world! And the third important meaning of the title “Lord” is
its Imperial use. It is given to kings that have
absolute sovereign ruler over a people. We see it used
that way in a political way today. When we look at the
Greek Old Testament title of “Lord” we find the word
kurios, which was translated from the Hebrew word adonai,
which is a title for the Lord God Himself. This word
Adonai is used in the place of the Hebrew word “Yahweh”
which is the sacred name for God, of which the Hebrews
believed, was too sacred for sinful man to even speak,
so they used Adonai in the place of the unspoken word
“Yahweh” to call attention to God’s absolute
power and authority over the entire universe. When we
find the adonai in a passage it is always printed as
“Lord.”
Just Like in Psalms 8:1, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent
is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory
above the heavens.” In Hebrew it would read, “O Yahweh,
our adonai, how excellent!” The Hebrews would use the
word Yahweh for the name of God and adonai is used as
His title. Look at Psalms 110:1, which is quoted more than any
other Old Testament passage, “The LORD said unto my
Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine
enemies thy footstool.” Here we find Yahweh speaking to
adonai, who is seen as being David’s Lord and He is
seated at God’s own right hand. So in the New Testament
(Matt. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:43; Heb. 1:13) where
this title is given to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is
seen as being “above every name.” Thus, we have Jesus being seated at the right hand of
God, elevated to the seat of cosmic authority, having
all other authority in both heaven and earth given into
His hands! Now He rightly receives the exalted title of
Adonai, which formerly only belonged to God the Father.
When we refer to Jesus, as being “Lord of lords” there
is absolutely no doubt about what is meant! We are
saying along with sacred scripture, that all other
authority is set under His authority.
The title of “Lord” is used so often in the New
Testament Church that the English word for church is
taken from it. The Greek word ekklesia comes from the
word ecclesiastical, which in the Greek Septuagint is
used to designate the gathering of Israel, summoned for
the purpose of worshiping God. Thus we see that the word
ekklesia used in the New Testament translated as
“church” describes the whole body of Christ (Matt.
18:17; Eph. 1:22; 5:23). Jesus says in Matt. 16:18,
“upon this rock I will build my church’ (ekklesia); ‘and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” So we
find that the word church is the “people who belong to
Adonai, or the Lord.” Also look at the passage in 1 Corinthians 12:3,
“Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man
speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed:
and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord’ [Adonai],
‘but by the Holy Ghost.” No man can even declare in his
heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, except the Holy Ghost
reveal it to him from heaven. In the early church, God’s people were considered to be
criminals by the Roman government because they refused
to honor the emperor with the exalted title Kaiser
kurios which means “Caesar is Lord,” even at the cost of
their own lives. When they were called to do so, they
would instead say, “Iesous ho Kurios” or “Jesus is
Lord.” They believed in being good citizens, they would
render “unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and
unto God the things that are God's” (Matt. 22:21). They
refused to give to Caesar the title Lord which only
belonged to Jesus Christ, and they were willing to give
up their very lives to maintain that assertion.
Elder Thomas McDonald |
