I heard a statement in my heart the other day when I was praying for someone: “They have surrendered to Me as Savior, but they have not surrendered to Me as Lord.”
Wow. I have never thought of that before – yet it explains so much. All of us who are born again have surrendered to Jesus as our Savior, but have we all surrendered or submitted to Him as our Lord? This is a riveting question.
The word savior means savior, deliver, and preserver.
Savior – God sent Jesus to be our Savior
1 John 4:14 says, And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Deliverer – Jesus is the only one who can deliver us from sin
Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)
Preserver – Jesus preserves us for our home with Him in heaven.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil 3:20)
One thing is abundantly clear when I look at Jesus as our savior. As our savior – it is all about us. He saved US. He delivered US. He preserves Us. However, when we submit or surrender to Jesus as Lord, it becomes all about Him.
The word Lord means master, one to whom someone belongs, about which he has the power of deciding. It also means the possessor and disposer of a thing, the owner who has complete control of the person.
Once you have committed your life to Jesus as your Lord, it signifies that you are part of His kingdom. He holds the power to guide your life, has ownership over you, and exercises complete authority over all aspects of your life. That being said, is Jesus your Lord?
We have been given free will – we can make our own decisions. There is no question about it.
However, if we fully surrender to Jesus as our Lord, we will actively seek His guidance in every aspect of our lives. Our deepest desire will be to align our actions with His will, seeking His direction for decisions like marriage, finances, and family relationships. When we are indeed submitted to Jesus as our Lord, our lives will reflect His teachings and principles.
The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36)
Jesus is Lord of all, but is He Lord of our lives? We need to ask ourselves that question.
As I continued to glean through scriptures about Jesus as Lord, I noticed a thread through many of them. Here is only a small portion of them.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1) Does true peace come when we submit to Jesus as Lord?
And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Rom 5:11) Does Jesus being our Lord bring forth rejoicing and reconciliation?
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:11) Are we fully alive if Jesus is not Lord in our life?
I had to ask myself these questions concerning these scriptures. I don’t know about you, but this is another statement that caused me to examine my life and my heart deeply. Does Jesus have complete control over me? Do I allow Him to have the final say in my decisions, or do I go my own way? Is He truly my Master in every aspect of my life?
My friend, we must surrender to Jesus, not only as our Savior but also as our Lord. For in Him alone is the fulness of God, and only in Him is true life found.
