Is Jesus Truly Your Lord? Obedience, Lordship, and True Faith
Many call Jesus “Lord,” but do we truly live under His authority?
Luke 6:46 challenges us to examine obedience, surrender, and true discipleship.
We live in a time where the loudest voices in society consistently echo the same refrain: human rights, equality, entitlement, opportunity, and personal freedom. While many of these conversations have legitimate places in public discourse, there is an underlying spirit driving much of it—a spirit that relentlessly centres on SELF.
Modern culture disciples us daily with one message: “It’s about me, my needs, my rights, my dreams, and my desires.”
Sadly, this mindset has not remained outside the Church. It has subtly seeped into the hearts, language, and lifestyles of many who profess to be followers of Christ.
We hear Christian language everywhere. We see Christian banners, slogans, and declarations at public gatherings and mass movements. Yet, while watching one such event on the news one evening, I found myself speaking quietly to the Lord—pondering these things. Almost immediately, the Holy Spirit brought a piercing question to my heart from the gospel of Luke.
Luke 6:46 (NKJV):
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
That moment felt like being struck with a bucket of cold water. The question was not aimed at the crowds on the screen—it was aimed directly at me. And therein lies the danger: it is remarkably easy to call Jesus Lord while subtly resisting His Lordship in the way we live.
What Does It Truly Mean to Call Jesus “Lord”?
The word Lord is not a religious title—it is a declaration of ownership and authority.
To call Jesus Lord means to acknowledge Him as Master. It means He has full rights over our lives. It means we no longer belong to ourselves—we belong to Him.
Scripture reminds us:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV
(19) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
(20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
If Jesus is truly Lord, then our time, choices, relationships, ambitions, finances, opinions, and desires all fall under His authority. Lordship is not selective. We cannot crown Jesus as Savior while refusing Him as Master.
A verbal confession alone is insufficient. True faith and genuine love for Christ are revealed through obedience. If we do not do what He says, we must honestly ask ourselves whether we truly believe Him—and whether we truly love Him.
Jesus Himself said:
John 14:15 NKJV
(15) “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
A Sobering Reflection
Geoffrey O’Hara captured this tension powerfully in his well-known poem:
Ye call me the “Way” and walk me not,
Ye call me the “Life” and live me not,
Ye call me “Master” and obey me not,
If I condemn thee, blame me not.
Ye call me “Bread” and eat me not,
Ye call me “Truth” and believe me not,
Ye call me “Lord” and serve me not,
If I condemn thee, blame me not.
These words are sobering because they expose the gap between profession and practice, between confession and submission.
A Call to Honest Self-Examination
I believe the time has come—urgently and unmistakably—for every person who calls themselves a Christian to allow the Holy Spirit to examine their heart honestly.
Not to compare ourselves with others.
Not to measure ourselves against culture.
But to stand before God and ask:
- Does my lifestyle reflect the Lordship of Christ?
- Do my decisions align with His Word or merely my preferences?
- Am I obeying Him fully—or only where it is convenient?
The real question remains, and it is deeply personal:
What am I still holding onto as my own that I have not fully surrendered to Jesus as my LORD?
True Lordship begins where self-rule ends. And freedom in Christ is not found in asserting our rights—but in yielding our lives.
Luke 9:23 NKJV
(23) Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
May the Lord grant us grace—not merely to call Him Lord—but to live as those who are joyfully ruled by Him.
Grace and peace to you, until next time.
