What does the resurrection of Jesus tell us about God?
Jesus has the position and title of Lord. Let’s think about the significance of that.
A position and a title
We begin with a comparison. I have a position and title within an organization: pastor of Lake Shore Church in Chicago. With this title and position, the church gives me responsibilities and authority. I must preach the Bible in weekly meetings, organize and plan, minister to individuals, and so on.
My position gives me the ability to make decisions within certain limits.
I cannot hold the position of pastor unless I know certain things, most importantly, the Bible and how to have a relationship with God.
Moreover I must have the power and ability to do certain things, most importantly, to talk.
My position and title matter to the people in this organization, and it affects them in important ways. How I carry out my role affects their faith and their understanding of God. It affects the health of their souls.
I obtained this position in 1995. The church was without a pastor, and the presbyter in charge of overseeing the church asked me to preach on Sundays until they found a replacement. One thing led to another, and eventually the people in the church and the presbyter decided to make me the pastor.
For people inside our church, my position and title are important.
But for people outside our church, my position and title usually mean nothing. They don’t care who the pastor of Lake Shore Church is. If I stopped being our church’s pastor, they wouldn’t know it, and if they did they wouldn’t care who filled the position after me. As far as they are concerned, the pastor of Lake Shore Church has no more effect on their lives than the mayor of a small town in Siberia.
Jesus is Lord
My position and title tell us important things about why the position and title of Jesus—the Lord—matters.
First, according to the Bible Jesus is not merely a Lord, that is, one of many, but rather the Lord, the one Lord.
And he is not merely lord, that is, lowercase lord, merely a human lord, but rather he is the uppercase Lord, the divine Lord, the deity: God.
This title and position give Jesus authority over certain things. According to the Bible, Jesus is not merely Lord of Christians and churches, but of nonbelievers, in fact Lord of every person high or low who has ever lived. He is Lord not just of people, but of nations. He is Lord not only of every nation, but of all the earth, and every planet and star and galaxy.
Jesus is Lord of every single thing, every thing on earth, every dog and every cat, every tree and every flea, every river and every sea, every ocean, every notion. He is Lord of every molecule, atom, and element. He is Lord of every raindrop and snowflake, Lord of every cloud and puff of wind, Lord of every sunbeam. His Lordship affects and directs literally everything.
Jesus is Lord and acts like it
The title and position Jesus has as Lord gives him authority to do certain things with what is under his rule.
Because he is Lord, Jesus assigns the boundaries, territories, and domains of people, companies, and nations.
Because Jesus is Lord, he has authority to save, to heal, to deliver from evil and sin, to rescue from peril and harm.
Since Jesus is Lord, he has authority to create and destroy.
Because he is Lord, he decrees what is lawful and unlawful, what is right and what is wrong.
Because he is Lord, he can require obedience. Jesus holds every person and people accountable for whether they follow these laws. He judges. He vindicates. Jesus condemns. He justifies. He punishes. And he rewards.
He is Lord. His title and position is an inescapable reality for all people everywhere.
And how did he get this title and position and power?
Jesus is Lord because of the resurrection
The Son of God, who created all things, has been Lord from all eternity. He has never not been Lord.
But at a point in history he became the man Jesus, and at a point in history his Lordship took on new meaning within the counsels of the triune God. The apostle Peter describes that point in history:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it…. [King David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.
“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:22–24, 31–36, ESV)
The unavoidable Lordship of Jesus
This is the third implication of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (see previous two articles: one, two). He is Lord. This is the gospel. He does not have a meaningless title or an irrelevant position. Someday every person will come face-to-face with him, to their utter sorrow or everlasting joy depending on whether they have honored or ignored his lordship.
Our way and God’s way
Our way: Humans want to think: I am lord. I control my life. I do what I want. Or they call some other god Lord, or treat the world as Lord, or some other person or money or sex or some other thing in this world as Lord.
God’s way: Jesus is Lord. He is not the mayor of a small town in Siberia. He is not one option among many legitimate options for who is in charge. Every knee will ultimately bow to Jesus.
“God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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” (Philippians 2:9–11, ESV)
After his resurrection Jesus told his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)
Life principle: Scripture says, “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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9–10 ESV)
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)