Savior and Lord
Keaton Washburn
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18
One of my greatest joys in ministry is getting to baptize students that have been part of our student ministry. Over the past two weeks, I had the privilege of baptizing eight students at and after student camp. It was amazing! As I have gotten more comfortable baptizing, God has transformed the questions that I ask before and during baptism. When I began I always asked, “Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?” While there is some truth to that, I believe the biblical truth of following Jesus is about more than just asking someone into your heart. One of the clarifications that I now make is quoting Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I now always ask, “Have you confessed Jesus as your Lord?” The difference between these two questions is a matter of lordship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, in his book titled “The Cost of Discipleship,” talks about an idea called cheap grace. He defines cheap grace as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Cheap grace sounds nice, but it ultimately leads to death. Jesus talks about this in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
Cheap grace is the promise of eternal life without the cost of one’s earthly life dedicated to following Christ. Just two verses later Jesus reminds His disciples of His words in John chapter 13 that no servant is greater than their master. Another word for master is lord. If Jesus is your Lord and He was hated, you must expect to also be hated by the world.
If Jesus is your Savior, is He also your Lord? Are you willing to be hated by the world as Jesus was hated by the world? A lord is someone with power, authority, and influence over you. Would you define Jesus as having power, authority, and influence over you? Or is He just a nice addition to your Sunday routine and maybe the occasional Wednesday? The Greek word for savior is used 24 times in the whole New Testament. In contrast, the word Lord is used more than 600 times specifically referring to God or Jesus. Does your life emphasize the same things that the New Testament authors emphasized? Would others refer to Jesus as your Lord?
Keaton Washburn
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18
One of my greatest joys in ministry is getting to baptize students that have been part of our student ministry. Over the past two weeks, I had the privilege of baptizing eight students at and after student camp. It was amazing! As I have gotten more comfortable baptizing, God has transformed the questions that I ask before and during baptism. When I began I always asked, “Have you accepted Jesus into your heart?” While there is some truth to that, I believe the biblical truth of following Jesus is about more than just asking someone into your heart. One of the clarifications that I now make is quoting Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I now always ask, “Have you confessed Jesus as your Lord?” The difference between these two questions is a matter of lordship.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, in his book titled “The Cost of Discipleship,” talks about an idea called cheap grace. He defines cheap grace as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Cheap grace sounds nice, but it ultimately leads to death. Jesus talks about this in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
Cheap grace is the promise of eternal life without the cost of one’s earthly life dedicated to following Christ. Just two verses later Jesus reminds His disciples of His words in John chapter 13 that no servant is greater than their master. Another word for master is lord. If Jesus is your Lord and He was hated, you must expect to also be hated by the world.
If Jesus is your Savior, is He also your Lord? Are you willing to be hated by the world as Jesus was hated by the world? A lord is someone with power, authority, and influence over you. Would you define Jesus as having power, authority, and influence over you? Or is He just a nice addition to your Sunday routine and maybe the occasional Wednesday? The Greek word for savior is used 24 times in the whole New Testament. In contrast, the word Lord is used more than 600 times specifically referring to God or Jesus. Does your life emphasize the same things that the New Testament authors emphasized? Would others refer to Jesus as your Lord?
Posted in Upper Room
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