I have known and believed that Jesus is Lord (Kyrios), for many years. I have read, heard, sung, and talked about this truth many times. However, a recent study in the book of Philippians gave this truth a new, deeper meaning in my life. In this article, I want to pass along some things I learned and hopefully encourage the reader.
Jesus, Lord
“The lordship of Jesus Christ is the very essence of Christianity. Nowhere does Scripture speak of ‘making Jesus the Lord of your life’ “.1 In this quote from John MacArthur, he is summarizing what the scriptures tell us. We don’t make Jesus the Lord, He already is! The scriptures declare that Jesus is the Lord whether we are His followers or not. This idea that Jesus is Lord, is seen in the following passage out of Hebrews, even though the term ‘lord’ is not used.
Hebrews 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things,2 and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.3
The scriptures demonstrate that Jesus is the true Lord. We learn in this passage from Hebrews that all things are for Him (emboldened section), and that for a short time He was in human form (a little lower than the angels). Then, after His death and resurrection, He was crowned with glory and honor! Please see my article titled The Deity and Humanity of Jesus for thoughts about Jesus being both God and Man.
The Greek word Kyrios
Kyrios (koo’-ree-os) -Used in several ways in the New Testament:4
-a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master, as in Matthew 13:27,
“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'”
Sometimes kyrios is translated Sir as it is here (emboldened), and other times it is translated lord or master.
Another way Kyrios is used in the scripture is:
Kyrios -he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
Using this second definition, we could conclude this: Jesus is the Lord to whom His followers belong. True followers of Jesus also give Him the power of deciding in their lives. Because they know that He is their Lord and creator, they also know that they can trust Him with those decisions.
Kyrios is given as a title to the Messiah since by His death He acquired a special ownership in mankind. We see this in 1 Corinthians 7:22-23, addressed to slaves who are also Christians:
“22 For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.”
In New Testament times, a slave’s freedom could be purchased for a certain price. The picture here is that the price paid by Jesus was enough to set the slave free spiritually. Therefore, as the writer points out, a slave who became a Christian, became free in Christ. But as we will see, everyone, slave or free, are all under the lordship of Christ.
He is the Lord
A few of the many passages confirming Jesus’ Lordship are given below, where the Greek word Kyrios is used.
- Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”
- Acts 10:36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)–
- Romans 10:9 & 12 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; … 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
- Romans 14:8-9 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
From these four passages we can conclude the following:
- Jesus is both the Lord and Christ (Messiah)
- He is not just the Lord of some, but of ALL
- His Lordship is part of salvation
- He is the Lord of the living and the dead
Name Bestowed
In Philippians, it could be that the name kyrios (Lord) was bestowed upon Jesus because of His great sacrifice. In chapter 2:5-11 is the following:5
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. But emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed upon Him the name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
He was already Lord as the creator for whom and to whom all things are made. But, with His sacrifice, He ‘earned’ the name, position, and title of Lord. The second paragraph in the Philippians passage above starts off by telling us that God the Father exalted Jesus highly and bestowed a name on Him which is above every name. The ‘therefore’ at the beginning of the sentence points us back to the preceding verses as reasons for God giving this honor to Jesus. Then, the response by everyone, is to bow the knee in honor of Him and say that he is Lord. Because Jesus was, and still is, a common name, it is not the name Jesus that was bestowed upon Him, but it could be that the name bestowed is the name/title/position of Lord. (Another thing we learn from this Philippians passage is in an article titled, Jesus’ Self-Emptying.)
Conclusion
Jesus has demonstrated that He is worthy of being the Lord of all creation, both of the living and the dead. God has bestowed the name Lord (Kyrios) upon Jesus because of His sacrifice for us. Everyone will pay homage to Him by bowing the knee and confessing His Lordship. As our Lord, He lets us make our own choices, yet we still belong to Him. We honor Him when we willingly submit to His choice.
In every area of life and in whatever season we are in, Jesus is still Lord. Therefore we should endeavor to see how we can submit our lives to him as our Creator and Lord.
I write about some other aspects of Jesus as Lord in the post, Jesus Identifies Himself as Lord.
1 John MacArthur study guide on Philippians -44
2 Emboldened sections are to emphasize the point -(throughout the article).
3 The author of Hebrews is talking here about those who put their faith in Jesus for salvation.
4 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
5 Verse numbers omitted for easier reading.