There is a false doctrine that is gaining strength among Evangelicals which I believe must be challenged. Simply stated, it teaches that a person is saved when he acknowledges Jesus as his personal Savior. I know what you are thinking; what is wrong with that? The problem is, we have preached what Jesus has done without preaching who Jesus is! Salvation is the result of faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10), not simply believing in the historic event that occurred two thousand years ago on a cross.
This false gospel suggests that at some time later, the saved individual will recognize that Jesus is supposed to be his Lord, and at that time, he may or may not decide to surrender to His Lordship. Proponents of this view insist that those who choose not to submit to Jesus as Lord are born again, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and eternally secure as children of God. They see a clear distinction between believing in Jesus and being His disciple. Well, let's look at what the Word of God says about Him.
The identity of Jesus was announced by the angel of the Lord to lowly shepherds attending their flocks. He said, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord" (Lk. 2:11). Who is this Savior? He is Christ the Lord!
Jesus is called "Lord" over seven hundred times in the New Testament, and of those, over two hundred appear in the four Gospels. In contrast, Jesus is only called "Savior" twenty-four times in the entire New Testament.
When a person is saved, who is the Person in whom he trusts? Luke wrote, "And they said, Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). When you put your trust in Jesus, who is Lord, you are saved. You become a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus was identified as “Lord” before His death, after His Resurrection, and after His Ascension: The thief on the cross next to Jesus said to Him, "LORD, remember me when Thou comest into thy kingdom" (Lk. 23:42). Following the Resurrection of Jesus, the Apostle Thomas, upon seeing Jesus, said, "My LORD and my God" (Jn. 20:28). The Apostle Paul's response to Jesus was, "LORD, what wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6).
In addition to the use of the term in the Gospels, Jesus is called "Lord" over one hundred times in the Book of Acts. In the Apostle Paul's epistles, Jesus is identified as "Lord" more than one hundred fifty times. The writer of the Book of Hebrews describes Jesus as "Lord" sixteen times, and in the small epistle written by James, he calls Jesus "Lord" thirteen times. In his two epistles, Peter calls Jesus "Lord" twenty-three times, while tiny Book of Jude identifies Jesus as "Lord" six times. In his three epistles, and the Book of Revelation, John calls Jesus "Lord" twenty-four times.
The title "Savior," on the other hand, appears three times in the Gospels, twice in Acts, twelve times in the epistles of Paul (six of those are in the Book of Titus), five times in Peter's epistles, once in the epistles of John, and once in the Book of Jude. Based upon how the writers of the New Testament present Jesus, I have to come to the conclusion that He is LORD, and being the Savior is the role He played in God's plan to redeem mankind. And, since repentance was a part of the Gospel message (Lk. 24:47), it is clear that those who receive Christ are to turn from doing their own will, and begin doing His!
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