Accepting Christ as Savior AND Lord

For some people, it seems as though baptism is a destination. What I mean by that is that we seem to expend most of our energy on leading people to make the commitment and decision to be baptized. It also seems that we focus so much on the idea of Jesus as Savior that we discount the idea of Jesus as Lord.

Let’s consider what Peter said as he offered his sermon on Pentecost:

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:36-39)

We love Jesus the Messiah, the Savior. We want to be forgiven. We want to punch our ticket for eternity. That’s the part of Jesus that we embrace the most easily.

But the Lord part? Sometimes, not so much. We want Jesus to take away our sins, but we want to keep our place on the throne. We want to continue to be the master of our lives and make our own decisions.

But in baptism, our sins aren’t the only thing that Jesus washes away. Jesus also removes our lordship. When we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, someone new has moved in to sit on the throne, God. He will be the one calling the shots and guiding our lives. God, through the Holy Spirit will lead us and guide us.

And, in addition to that, we become a part of a family. Our baptism into Christ makes us a member of the body of Christ. We become a part of a family filled with people just as imperfect as we are. We join a community who should collectively be following Christ as he saves us and leads us.

Family can be messy, but when we all follow the same Lord, it can be much easier. I believe that one of the reasons so many churches struggle to make an impact is because they have forgotten who is Lord. Instead of one Lord that everyone follows, we have churches full of lords who want things their way. Each person sits in their pew demanding things be done the way they want or they’re going to leave.

Is that how family works?

Granted, there are times that family needs to part ways. However, I think that there are too many times that we part ways or drift apart over things that aren’t that important. We fail to form tight family bonds because we serve other lords. We miss out on the rich life that God has for us because we don’t fully embrace the commitment we have made.

When we are baptized into Christ we are accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. Not only are we having our sins taken away, we are giving up our lordship and independence. We are committing ourselves to God and the community of God. We are submitting ourselves to something bigger than ourselves.

 

shine!
Jason