Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. ACT 2:36
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ACT 5:30-31
Lordship is one of the central messages of the Bible. Jesus is referred to as Lord 100 times in the book of Acts and 622 times in the whole New Testament, while being referred to as Savior only twice in Acts and twenty-four times in the New Testament. The biblical emphasis is overwhelmingly on the concept of Lordship. Lord means master, the one who calls the shots, the one who makes the decisions.
Lordship and salvation
The starting point of salvation is the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. Confessing Jesus is Lord implies a submission to his Lordship in every area of life. If Jesus is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. We do not have the option of receiving him as Savior and not as Lord. Salvation is an all-or-nothing proposal.
. . . because, 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. ROM 10:9
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. MAT 10:32-33
Lordship demands obedience
Anyone who claims Christ as their Lord is expected to do what he says. Intellectual faith and empty confession are not enough. If we say Christ is our Lord, our lifestyle should back up our claim.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. MAT 7:21
John Gill
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”—Not every one that calls Christ his Lord and Master, professes subjection to him, or that calls upon his name, or is called by his name; or makes use of it in his public ministrations. There are many who desire to be called, and accounted Christians, and who make mention of the name of Christ in their sermons, only to take away their reproach, to cover themselves, and gain credit with, and get into the affections and goodwill of the people; but have no hearty love to Christ, nor true faith in him: nor is it their concern to preach his gospel, advance his glory, and promote his kingdom and interest; their chief view is to please men, aggrandize themselves, and set up the power of human nature in opposition to the grace of God, and the righteousness of Christ. Now not everyone of these, no, not any of them,
Will enter the kingdom of heaven—This is to be understood not of the outward dispensation of the gospel, or the gospel church state, or the visible church of Christ on earth, in which sense this phrase is sometimes used; because such persons may, and often do, enter here; but of eternal glory, into which none shall enter,
But the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven—This, as it may regard private Christians, intends not merely outward obedience to the will of God, declared in his law, nor barely subjection to the ordinances of the gospel; but more especially faith in Christ for life and salvation; which is the source of all true evangelical obedience, and without which nothing is acceptable to God. He that looks after the Son, looks to him, ventures on him, commits himself to him, trusts in him, relies on him, and believes on him for righteousness, salvation, and eternal life, he it is that does the will of the Father, and he only; and such an one, as he is desirous of doing the will of God in all acts of cheerful obedience to it, without dependence thereon; so he shall certainly enter the kingdom of heaven, and have everlasting life; see Joh 6:40 but as these words chiefly respect preachers, the sense of them is this, that only such who are faithful dispensers of the word shall enter into the joy of their Lord. Such do the will of Christ’s Father, and so his own, which are the same, who fully and faithfully preach the gospel of the grace of God; who declare the whole counsel of God, and keep back nothing that is profitable to the souls of men; who are neither ashamed of the testimony of Christ, nor afraid of the faces of men; but as they are put in trust with the gospel, so they speak it boldly, with all sincerity, not as pleasing men, but God, and commend themselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God: such as these shall have an abundant entrance into the kingdom and glory of God. The Vulgate Latin adds this clause, “he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven,” and so does Munster’s Hebrew edition of the gospel according to Matthew.
1 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and who came from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord
and confess the God of Israel,
but not in truth or right.
Rashi
Hear this—The two tribes destined to go in exile to Babylon.
O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel—That is the tribe of Benjamin, who are not called by the tribe of Judah, but by the general name of the tribes of Israel.
And who came from the waters of Judah—And the tribe of Judah who emanated and ran from the waters of Judah’s pail, as Scripture states (Num 24:7): “Water shall run out of his pails.”
But not in truth—As Jeremiah said, (5:2) “Though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ surely they swear falsely,” i.e., you were unworthy of being redeemed, but since they were called as being from the holy city, and that caused them not to be exiled with the ten tribes in the time of Sennacherib, to Halah and Habor, for they have no redemption.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,
and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name. ISA 48:1-2
Rashi
And stay themselves on the God of Israel in the days of Hezekiah, about whom it is written (2Ki 18:5): “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel.” That caused them not to be exiled except in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, who exiled them to Babylon, and they had a redemption through Cyrus.
Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and not do what I tell you? LUK 6:46
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. GAL 6:7
Lordship begins in the heart
Submitting to Christ as Lord is not about following a set of religious rules and traditions. Rather, Lordship is a matter of the heart. Lordship begins as an internal submission of the heart. If it is genuine, it will eventually manifest itself in outward obedience.
. . . but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect . . . 1PE 3:15
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
Rashi
To the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar”—Why is his name mentioned? But this is what they said to him: “If it concerns taking upon ourselves to pay taxes, either the tax from the crops or the head taxes, you are king over us, but if it concerns denying the Holy One, blessed be he, you are merely Nebuchadnezzar. In our eyes, you are a lowly person and the most despised of the people. You and a dog are equal.”
We have no need—We have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
Rashi
Is able to deliver us—Is able to deliver us from all our troubles.
From the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king—From the furnace and out of your hand he will deliver.
18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” DAN 3:16-18
Rashi
But if not—But if he will not wish to save our bodies, be it known to you, etc.
Lordship is a continuous walk
We begin our Christian life by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. We must continue to walk under his Lordship for the rest of our lives. Lordship is not having a one-time experience with God, but developing a lifetime walk with God. The more we know him, the more we submit to him.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him . . . COL 2:6
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord. ISA 2:5
Rashi
O house of Jacob . . .—The nations will say this to them, and this verse refers back to the verse commencing with, “And many peoples shall come . . .”
Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord—They will say this to them. Jonathan, however, renders: And those of the house of Jacob will say, “Come, let us walk in the teaching of the law of the Lord.”
10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the voice of his servant?
Let him who walks in darkness
and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
John Gill
Who among you fears the Lord? Not with a slavish fear of the awful majesty of God, or of his tremendous judgments, or of wrath to come, but with a filial fear, a fear of the Lord, and his goodness, which is an internal principle in the heart, a reverential affection for God, a godly fear of him; is attended with faith in him, and joy of him; which makes holy, and keeps humble, and takes in the whole worship of God: of men of this character there are but few, and especially there were but few among the Jews at this time which the prophecy refers to; the greatest part were rejecters of Christ, before spoken of, and to; and from whom the Lord turns himself, and addresses these few. There are none that naturally fear the Lord, only such who have the grace bestowed on them; their number is but small, but there are always some in the worst of times, and these are taken notice of by the Lord (Mal 3:16-17, 20),
And obeys the voice of his servant—Not the prophet, as the Targum adds, and as it is commonly interpreted by the Jewish writers, and others; though some of them say this is “Metatron,” a name of the Messiah with them; and indeed he is meant, before spoken of as the Lord’s servant, and represented as an obedient one, and afterwards as righteous; see Isa 49:3; 50:5-6; 53:11 and by his “voice” is meant either his gospel, which is a soul quickening and comforting voice, a charming and alluring one; and which is obeyed, heard, and listened to, by his people, externally and internally, when they receive it by faith, and in the love of it; or else his commands, precepts, and ordinances, which love constrains his people to an obedience to; and where there is the fear of God, there will be hearing of his word, and submission to his ordinances:
Let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord—Not in himself, nor in any creature, but in the Lord himself; in the perfections of his nature, his mercy, grace, and goodness; in the name of the Lord, which is a strong tower, and in whom is salvation; in Christ, in whom the name of the Lord is, and whose name is the Lord our righteousness; and to trust in him, when in the dark, is a glorious act of faith; this is believing in hope against hope.
Who walks in darkness—Not the Lord’s servant, but the man that fears the Lord, and obeys his servant’s voice, such an one may be in darkness, and walk in it; or “in darknesses,” as in the original; not only in affliction and misery, often expressed by darkness in Scripture, but in desertion, under the hidings of God’s face; and which may continue for a while:
And has no light—Or “shining”: not without the light of nature, nor without the light of grace, but without the light of God’s countenance shining upon him; without the light of spiritual joy and comfort shining in his heart; and this must be a very distressing case indeed.
And rely on his God—Covenant interest continues in the darkest dispensation; God is the believer’s God still; and faith is a staying or leaning upon him, as such; a dependence upon his power to protect, on his wisdom to guide, and on his grace, goodness, and all sufficiency, to supply.
Rashi
The voice of his servant—The voice of the prophets.
Who walks in darkness—Even if trouble comes upon him, let him . . . trust in the name of the Lord, for he shall save him.
11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
who equip yourselves with burning torches!
Walk by the light of your fire,
and by the torches that you have kindled!
This you have from my hand:
you shall lie down in torment. ISA 50:10-11
. . . to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace. LUK 1:79
John Gill
To give light to those who sit in darkness—God’s elect among the Jews, who were not only in a state of unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief; but in the darkness of the legal dispensation, and at this time under more than ordinary darkness and ignorance; having lost the knowledge of the righteousness of God, and of the spirituality of his law, the true sense of the Scriptures, and right notions of the Messiah; being led by blind guides, the scribes and Pharisees;
And—Were as it were also,
In the shadow of death—In a state seemingly irrecoverable, when Christ, the great light arose, and shone upon them; and communicated spiritual light, life, and heat to them; see Isa 9:3 compared with Mat 4:13-16 though Christ is also a light, to lighten his chosen ones among the Gentiles (Luk 2:32), but the Jews seem chiefly to be intended here:
To guide our feet into the way of peace—Which we knew not: not that he came to teach us how to make our peace with God, but to make peace for us, by the blood of his cross; and so by his Spirit and word, lead us into the true way of enjoying spiritual peace here, and eternal peace hereafter.