The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Jack H. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Research - Lordship of Christ
In the Old Testament, God reveals himself to the people of Israel through prophets and commandments. He is a strong and terrible in His wrath. The New Testament displays how Jesus becomes flesh and walks among us, and every person around Him has the ability to touch and talk with God at a much more personal level then what we see in the Old Testament. Can the loving Jesus really have same the power and wrath that we see from God in the Old Testament?
First, in Exodus 3:13-15 the Lord tells Moses to tell the sons of Israel that, "I AM has sent me to you." In the New Testament Jesus tells us that He is one and the same as the God we see in exodus. "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM" John 8:58. Therefore, Jesus tells us that He is one with the Father and holds the same authority that His Father in Heaven does.
In Genesis 15:2 refers to God as Adonai, which means Lord and master. The Old Testament often recognizes God as an individual, but in Isaiah He talks about himself in the plural, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'" The Lord refers to Himself as us. He is likely referring to Jesus which would mean that Jesus has the same authority as God, and also qualifies as Adonai, our master. There is proof of such authority and lordship in the New Testament. Philippians 2:10-11, "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus clearly commands the same authority as the Almighty God,and countless examples exist in the New Testament: John 10:30, John 1:1-5. Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth the Jesus is Lord... you will be saved." The word here for Lord is Kyrois, which means supreme in authority.
If the Lord God Almighty and Jesus are one and the same, and they are, what should be our response? It would be one thing if the Lord sent an emissary or an ambassador to die on the cross for us, but he did not do that. He sent Himself in the form of His son and actually died on the cross for us. We need to respond with undying and complete gratitude, submission to Him in all areas of our lives, and obedience to Jesus. Since Jesus is Adonai, He should be master over us in all areas of life, not just the ones we choose to give him. He gives us a lot of help in these areas: finances (Matt 6:19-21), relationships (Matt 7:12), time management (Eph 5:15-16), our attitudes (Phil 4:8), and our conversation (Eph 4:29). If Jesus is our master, then he must reign supreme in all areas in our lives. It is extremely hard to submit to this concept. The consequences to those who do not submit to Christ are perhaps the scariest passage in the Bible.
"On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." - Mathew 7:22-23
