Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days the disciples were again inside and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here and look at My hand; and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord, and my God!” John 20: 24-28, NKJV (Emphasis provided).
Heavenly Father, we rejoice in what we are learning! Your acceptance of us, even when we resist Your pleading, is so foreign to the way we deal with each other. Therefore, I pray that You will continue to teach us today, for Christ’s sake!
And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord, and my God!” We have come to the third part of our three part study. Thomas’ faith conquers his questions, and apparent, doubt! Some of the most faithful Christians that I have ever seen, are those, who after much struggle, and a lot of questions asked, have accepted Christ as the Lord of their lives. I had never separated the concepts of Jesus as Savior, and Jesus as Lord, until I heard my son-in-law, pastor Archibold, preach a sermon on the topic. I do not remember much more about the sermon (this was more than ten years ago), except, that accepting Him as Savior is not the same, as accepting Him as Lord!
As I thought about that, it made all the sense in the world! Most people do not mind having a savior. A savior, as the word implies, saves us from something. A savior comes to our rescue! He or she spares us some anguish, or pain, usually by putting him or her(self) in danger. When Jesus became our Savior, He went so much further than a regular rescuer! He not only rescued you and me; He took our place. Most people would not refuse such an offer.
But the role of lordship is quite different. A lord rules over you. He basically orders the way you live. You owe him service. A lord is someone in authority, having much power. Now Jesus has all the right in the world, to be Lord of our lives, according to this definition of lordship. He created us, then He turned around and became our Savior. So He has every right in the world to tell us how to live, and to exact service from us. But He does not (Read Mark 10: 42-45)! People do not appreciate having lords over them. They prefer to live life according to their own rules!
In Isaiah, chapter 4: 1, we find a rather interesting description of the way many Christians feel about Jesus, as Lord of their lives. This description fits the mindset of many people bearing the name of Christian, today. We gladly accept Jesus as Savior; but few of us accept Him as Lord. “Seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, ‘We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes; just let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace.’ ” It is sort of a social requirement in some circles today, to be able to claim the title of Christian. So, it serves the purpose of “[taking] away our disgrace.” Just do not tell us how to live our lives. You can be: Savior, Yes! Lord, No!
After Thomas had had some time to reflect over all that he had heard from the other disciples; after he had taken the time to think about what he had seen in Jesus’ life; when he remembered the words he had heard Jesus speak, he was convinced that “this same Jesus,” was not only His Savior – He was His Lord! Therefore, he would gladly accept Him, and confess Him before the world. He would serve Him, as His Lord, and His God!