<\/p>\n
\u201cLet all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified\u201d (Acts 2:36).<\/p>\n
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE TITLES ASSOCIATED WITH THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT? In particular, what are we to make of the fact that at least sixty times He is referred to as the \u201cLord Jesus Christ\u201d? To see fully who He is in the gospel message, we need to understand all three of these designations.<\/p>\n
Jesus.<\/em> If you had lived in Nazareth where Jesus grew up, you might have known several Jewish men with this name. It was a common name, but it was highly regarded because in ancient Israel the Hebrew name Yehoshua<\/em> joined the name of God with the word for salvation<\/em> (rescue, deliverance). It meant God is our Salvation.<\/em><\/p>\n Christ.<\/em> The Greek for Christ<\/em> is equivalent to the Hebrew for Messiah,<\/em> and both refer to the \u201canointed one\u201d foretold by the Jewish prophets. To say that Jesus is \u201cChrist\u201d affirms nothing less than Jesus\u2019 identity as the coming King, the One who would vanquish every foe and rule over God\u2019s glorious kingdom forever.<\/p>\n Lord.<\/em> This was a designation of authority, but in Jesus\u2019 case, the authority goes far beyond any human rule. He is the \u201cLord of lords and King of kings\u201d (Revelation 17:14). He has the authority to rule every person\u2019s life. But here is the point: if Jesus Christ is<\/em> the Lord, we need to submit<\/em> to His lordship. It is a mockery to say the words \u201cJesus is Lord\u201d if it is not His will that actually governs us (Luke 6:46). Jesus is not our Savior (providing our forgiveness) if He is not also our King (receiving our obedience).<\/p>\n In the text above, Peter said that \u201cGod has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.\u201d So Jesus Christ is the rightful Ruler of the universe whether we give Him permission to rule over us or not. But if we refuse His rule in this world, we will not dwell with Him in the next. When He sits in judgment, the King will banish from His realm every disloyal subject \u2014 \u201cAnd then will I declare to them, \u2018I never knew you; depart from me\u2019\u201d (Matthew 7:23). Now is the time to be reconciled to Him and yield ourselves to His loving reign. But we should weigh our decision carefully. If He is truly going to be our Lord, there must be nothing about us that we won\u2019t let Him govern.<\/p>\n \u201cJesus Christ will be Lord of all or he will not be Lord at all\u201d (Augustine of Hippo).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n