Our Savior Should Also Be Our Lord

OurSAVIORShould Also Be OurLORD

“You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17-18 NKJV

The apostle Peter closes his second epistle with the above admonition. He was teaching the saints about the day of the Lord; he reminded them that this present world will be destroyed, and that the saints were to look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13). He reminded the saints not to become attached to the earth that is corrupted and under God’s judgment. The saints were encouraged to behave themselves in a holy and godly way in terms of their conduct. The expression “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” is extremely precious. Christians may know a lot about the “Savior,” but what about the “Lord”? Notice in the above verses from Peter, the word “Lord” comes first. Let’s consider what these two titles should mean to the Christian.

Jesus Our Savior
It is extremely important that Jesus is our Savior. His very name expresses who He is, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21). Not only would the Lord save the Jewish nation, but the Gentiles as well. The Lord’s “earthly parents” were not even allowed to name Him; God did so, emphasizing that He would truly be Savior to all.

Further, we read in Acts 4:12, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” We Christians all over the world rejoice that Jesus is our Savior; it is precious to have our sins forgiven.

But what does it mean to be saved? Simply put, it means that we are saved from the judgment of God! We are saved from the lake of fire. This is “the second death,” eternal separation from God (Rev. 20:11-15). The thought of dying and going to hell is obvious to mankind. The smallest child knows about hell, as does the oldest adult. The thought of dying and going to hell spans race, nationality, class, gender, and intellect. In fact, the natural man even tries to work his way out of hell and into heaven.

Of course we Christians rest in the truth of Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Hell is to be avoided at all cost, and Jesus is the answer! Paul and Silas led the Philippian jailer to the Lord stating, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Eternal Salvation
Not only is Jesus our Savior, but He also provides an eternal salvation, referred to as eternal security. Christians don’t have to fear losing their salvation, because salvation is based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible does not teach that a true believer is saved today and lost tomorrow. Our salvation is neither based on our work nor our conduct once we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord.

The Lord Himself declared, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (Jn. 10:27-29). In the Lord’s hand and the Father’s we have double security!

Of course, after salvation believers should conduct themselves in a godly manner. Christians ought to let their lights shine, but their failure doesn’t revoke His salvation! What a marvelous benefit of knowing Jesus as Savior! Eternal security should give us the impetus to glorify God in our lives.

Sharing The Savior
All believers have a responsibility to share Christ; it is quite clear that the world needs to know about our precious Savior (Mk. 16:15). Each generation has had its horrific events. Each generation declares that its tragedies were the worst. Ours has experienced World War 2, the Cold War, the War in Vietnam, the Gulf War, September 11, the War in Iraq, the Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and other devastating events. Millions of people in the world lost their lives. Tragic events will continue. Those who do not know Jesus Christ need to hear about Him. But even if we didn’t experience tragedies, if things were going well, the world still needs to know about the salvation available in Christ.

In fact, the Lord has commanded us to “Go and tell!” The Great Commission given to His disciples states: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk. 16:15-16). Whether people are reeling from disasters, or are just experiencing the pain of life without Christ, they need to hear about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God gives us numerous opportunities to tell others about Jesus Christ. Are we?

Looking For Him
In his epistle to Titus, Paul reminded the young man about our blessed hope. It is a wonderful encouragement to us also: “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11-13).

We have a blessed hope! We know that the One who saved us from the judgment of God, the One who gives us eternal security, the One who desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, the One who loves us, is the same One who is coming back for us!

This blessed hope is called the Rapture – when Christ shall descend to gather His Assembly to Himself (1 Th. 4:13-18). What a glorious gathering that will be! The believers who have “fallen asleep” (died), and those who are alive shall meet the Lord in the clouds. We listen for the sound of the trumpet as we anticipate seeing His blessed face. And the Bible declares, “Thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:17). Faith will give way to sight.

But further, we look for His appearing; it is the time of His coming with His own. During the Rapture, He’ll come for His own; but at the appearing, he’ll come with his own, to establish His kingdom on the earth. He’ll come to glorify Himself. Are we looking for the appearing when the Lord will be honored? Are we looking for the time when He will reign on the earth and be glorified? During that time, not only will He be our Savior, but He will be Lord of all!

Our Savior And Lord
Is this great Savior also the Lord of our lives right now? Does He have complete control? Is the Lord Jesus Christ in charge of our lives? We recognize that He is a great Savior, but He also is a great Lord! Let’s give Him His rightful place in our lives. Let’s close with these few verses to challenge our hearts.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

“He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands, and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (Jn. 20:27-28).

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:17-18).

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

By Albert Stuart