Drakos7

Why would one make a distinction between the concept of Lord and Savior when referring to Christianity? Aren’t they the same thing?

Well, let’s see what Jesus said, considering He is the cornerstone of Christianity. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”(Matthew 7:21 nkjv) He goes on to state that doing miracles or prophesying in His name (typically the ‘ultimate’ in spirituality) is not good enough either. He will “declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”(v23).

So, let us think this out. When I was in high school I asked Christ to be my Savior. I wanted Him to bear the penalty of my sins like He promises to all those who come to Him. I began to read the Bible and pray, yet I never applied the Scriptures to my life. I never sat and listened to God’s answers. I did not know Him, nor did I do His will.

I never gave thought to how my life fit into His will. Asking “what is God’s will for my life” is a rather pointless exercise. A better way to look at it is “how does my life fit into His will?” We can know God’s will by reading the scriptures and applying them to our lives. God wants us to be filled with His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). He wants everyone to come to Him instead of running toward hell. He wants us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8).

So, my freshman year at Cornell University is when I started to wonder how in the world could Christ be my savior when His saving influence was not evident in my life. External obedience to a set of laws is easy. There was no change internally. Besides, obeying a system of rules could never merit salvation If it could then Christ would not have needed to die. Jesus warned the Pharisees over and over about this. I did lots of things, but I did not know Him, and He was not my Lord.

Words and external religiosity are easy to come by now-a-days. Anyone can do it. But the question remains, does He know you? Is He your Lord and Savior? Are you seeking to know Him more daily? Is He your friend? Is He the one you confide in above all others? Do you seek to know His will for the world and then work out what God works in?

Lord does not imply here that He ‘lords it over us’. On the contrary, Christ was the most humble person to walk on the earth. A human lord would use force to keep us in line. God loves us so much that He even gives us the ability to walk away from His love. Yet, He waits patiently for us to run back into His arms. That is a Lord and Savior worth knowing and following forever.

What difference has God made in your life?

Personally, He has made me more focused, caring, joyful, patient, and gentle. Many who have known me only superficially might say that I have not changed, but they can only see the outside. Truly, only a man knows his own thoughts, and I was rarely joyful, kind, focused, or patient. I was usually plotting how to take revenge upon those who had wronged me, but my conscience and governmental laws prevented me from seeing those plots through (the king does not bear the sword in vain after all). BUT, I do not seek the gracious gifts, but rather I seek the Giver of those gifts. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”(Matthew 6:33).

I have had an abundant life. I have come to understand what ‘real life’ is really about. Not running around from job to job, not getting through the work week, not reaching for one more goal in the hopes of being satisfied.

Real life is knowing God. Do you know Him? Does He know you?