The term “Lord” is used 6699 times in 7915 verses of the Bible. Sometimes it refers to a person, like when Sarah called Abraham lord. On those occasions it is a term of respect and reverence to another person, acknowledging that they are greater than you, as in the case of Saul of Tarsus using it for Jesus in Acts 9:5. 

But the understood use of the term is to describe the God of heaven, Jehovah God in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament, but it refers to the same person. The Savior’s ministry on earth did not begin with His birth. He is “the eternal I AM,” the Lord God Omnipotent who appeared to the patriarchs and prophets of old, who delivered Israel from Egypt, who gave the law on Sinai, and who guided and inspired the righteous prophets, priests, seers, judges, and kings of the Old Testament.

Jesus is the one that tells us “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus is the John acknowledged as Lord in Revelation 22:20, 21, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

It is the name that the disciples in Ephesus were baptized into, “And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:3-5). 

Jesus should be our sweet Lord, the one we show reverence and respect to, the One that is over our lives, and the One that we give our allegiance to, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32, 33). 

By: Justin Odom