“…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”

Sometimes we forget.  Sometimes we simply never knew.  In the first case it’s our memory.  In the second it’s our ignorance.  Whichever it is, we can sometimes miss how radical and dangerous the New Testament was when writers first put pen to scroll.

God gave the second portion of the Bible, the New Testament, in a 50-year period (45-95 AD), give or take a few years, when the Roman Empire was rolling right along.  In contrast, the Old Testament — from Moses to Malachi —  took over 1,000 years to complete (1500-400 BC)!  So the speed at which God completed the canon is comparatively remarkable.  This only would further the suspicions of Roman emperors who worried about threats of revolution in their empire.

The empire was made up of an amalgamation of peoples conquered by Roman legions.  As they added new regions or territories, emperors learned over the years that it was best to allow a measure of controlled autonomy.  Thus, areas and peoples were permitted to have their own local officials, currency, and even religious traditions.  But the last category came with one qualifier, and a big one at that.  The one condition was that once a year Roman subjects were required to visit one of the numerous local temples dedicated to the emperor, bring a simple sacrifice and offer it to Caesar and confess their loyalty to him as lord.  After that, go home and return to status quo; believe whatever you want.  This began with the first emperor Augustus in 27 BC when the Roman senate voted him to have complete control and authority over all civil, military and religious matters.  Indeed, august means “dignified, honorable or exalted.”  This quality tapered off over time, however, when emperors behaved in ways anything but like a god, at least a god you would respect or admire.

But this august beginning for Roman Caesars didn’t make it just difficult for the fledgling Christian Church.  It made it impossible!  Even though Jesus was contrasting the spiritual with the material, he clearly said, “No one can serve two masters”, or lords (kurios in the Greek, Matthew 6:24).  Obviously, now there is a conflict of interest — or loyalties — afoot.  Emperors would see this new movement as a dangerous faction, a rebellion that, if not quelled soon, could undermine the unity and strength of the whole empire.  So to help prevent and minimize such rebellions, the annual trek to the Caesarean temple was obligatory where subjects confessed Caesar as lord.  Those who refused paid a heavy price.

So when Paul wrote in Philippians 2, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 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” (vs. 9-11), well, this was not just some private, sublime, heavenly meditation.  This was revolution!  This was insurrection!  This was radical to the n^th degree!  It struck at the heart of Rome, even to the emperor himself.  It proclaimed a higher authority than him.  And that simply would not be tolerated.

Thus, when one scans any complete concordance and notices how many times the title Lord is used of the Savior, one begins to understand the magnitude of the threat this was to Rome, and for that matter, any other ruler or authority not aligned under the Lordship of Christ.  Likewise, one begins to see the importance of this point in the lives of believers worldwide, and how in times past and present, the faithful have paid a tremendous price declaring loyalty to their Lord, and thus his lordship.  No doubt such sacrifices will continue in the future.  We can learn much from those who have paid dearly, some paying the ultimate price.  In stark contrast, we also see the utter stupidity of such inane statements made by some well-meaning believers who say, for example, “If he’s not Lord of all, he’s not Lord at all!”  Excuse me, but when did man become strong enough to undo what God has already done?  The Lordship of Christ has nothing to do with what man does; it has everything to do with the eternal counsels of the Almighty God.

If history gives us any sense of where the future is heading, “Jesus is Lord” may be the single most dividing line coming.  Jesus couldn’t have made it any plainer: there are only two lords, the true Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8) and any lesser lord.  You can’t serve both.  Which one are you serving today?