3.4.6.2 Lord

In the Old Testament, the designation "Lord" is mostly used when speaking of the God of Israel. In the New Testament, this majestic title is also used in reference to Jesus Christ.

In the epistle to the Romans, we read "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10: 9). From this text is derived the statement Kyrios Iesous (from the Greek: "Jesus is Lord"), which is among the oldest professions of early Christianity. Here the term "Lord" is not to be understood as a respectful form of address, but as a designation of the divine authority of Jesus Christ.

That Jesus is "Lord" became an irrefutable certainty for His disciples after His resurrection. Apostle Thomas addressed the Risen One with the words: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20: 28).

Whenever Jesus is called "Lord", it is also intended to express that it is none other than God Himself who has become incarnate in Him.

Apostle Paul wrote that the rule of Jesus Christ eclipses all other sovereigns–including the Roman emperor who claimed divinity for himself: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2: 7-8).

Since Jesus is the Lord of glory, great significance is accorded to the invocation of His name and to His worship (Philippians 2: 9-11).