Jesus as Lord

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.     —Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9 and 10, known by some as the TNT (Ten, Nine and Ten) of the Bible, conclude the Roman Road explanation on the plan of salvation. The Roman Road is a list of verses from the Book of Romans that describes our lost state without Jesus Christ (Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:12) and Jesus as our only hope (5:8, 6:23). Verses 10:9-10 then describe how a person receives forgiveness of their sins and Jesus as Savior, “confess with your mouth” and “believe in your heart.”

I often use only Romans 6:23 because in one verse it describes our helplessly lost state and God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The punishment or wages for our sin is death. Heaven, eternal life, and a right relationship with God through Christ is a gift.

I usually emphasize the need, according to Romans 10:9-10, to personally believe in Jesus as your Savior and to publicly declare to someone else that you are a Christ follower in order to be saved. I have underemphasized for years the confession of Jesus as Lord. The word savior is found around 26 times in the New Testament. The word Lord referring to Jesus as Supreme Ruler and King of our lives occurs over 650 times in New Testament, not counting over 6,000 times in the Old Testament.

Being an American living under democratic principles makes it difficult for us to grasp the fact that God is our Supreme Ruler more like a benevolent king or dictator than an elected official. When we confess Jesus as Lord, we are surrendering our lives to His Kingdom principles, His protection, and His plan. When speaking of Jesus as our Savior only, we may confuse the work of Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin with the position of Jesus as Lord of our lives. Jesus as Lord, King, and boss of our lives reflects His position. Jesus as Savior describes the benefit we receive when we make Jesus Lord.

My wife, Darlene, and I are currently away on vacation. My wife receives rest and re-creation by being very active: doing crafts, seeing sights, and shopping. I, on the other hand, am very content to sit on the beach, take a nap, and watch a movie. This past week, there have been times when I have sat idly by and waited for Darlene to prepare the meal, set the table, and serve me dinner. I usually do help where I can, but knowing her need to be active, I have done less than usual.

Darlene is my wife; that is her position. Darlene as an excellent cook, neat housekeeper, and babysitter of my grandchildren describes a few of the benefits we receive. Her position is my wife; her work is the many, many things she does for me, my family, and others.

Have you made Jesus Christ the Lord and Supreme Ruler of your life? Jesus becomes our Savior, forgives our sins, and gives us eternal life when we allow Him to reign over our lives. If you confess the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart, you shall be saved. God loves you and has the absolute best plan for your life. Trust Him as Lord.  Make Jesus the King of your life.