I wonder if we [the church] have fallen into the trap of making salvation too easy. Is it possible that in the rush to fill pews [and perhaps offering baskets] we have lowered the bar for becoming a Christian to a dangerous level? Is it possible that we have begun to preach an easy form of salvation with an emphasis on grace, but the absence of any concept of commitment? Are we selling fire insurance policies with important details in the “fine print” that may leave some policyholders high and dry when they attempt to cash in? When I say “we”, I certainly don’t mean ALL churches or all Christians, but I’ve been around church long enough to see some things that make me go, “hmmmm”.
Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Today the term “Lord” has lost some of it’s linguistic clarity because there is little use of the word outside of the religious context. So now we tend to interpret the term as being a synonym for “God”. However, in the ancient world, the term was used in a couple of different contexts. Like today, it was used to refer to a divine being (gods). It was also used to refer to a human being in authority – from a head of household to a national ruler. So it bore the connotation of a person having the legal and/or moral power to dictate the actions of others. A Lord was someone that was to be obeyed. Therefore, when Paul speaks of the confession, “Jesus is Lord”, he is saying more than that Jesus is God. The confession includes the understanding that the confessor is putting himself under subjection to the Lord. The confessor is making a public statement of devotion and willing submission to the one who he now calls, “Lord”.
The question for today is, have we watered down the term “Lord” to the point that we deceive those who respond to the call to become Christians? By not specifically divulging that becoming a Christian entails committing one’s life to Christ as Lord, have we misled prospective believers? On a personal note, perhaps we should ask ourselves if we have truly committed our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord. Do we accept His Word as the guiding force in our daily lives? Selah.
The ELL Word 