Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)
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, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.
There are so many
truths in the Bible and in God’s creation that are incomprehensible. Examples include His creation, His
forgiveness, His love, and His character (omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, etc.). The thought of someday every knee bowing and
every tongue confessing is incomprehensible in the sense of thinking of so many
people who today have nothing to do with Jesus in their lives. Yet, someday they will bow before Jesus and
confess Him as Lord.
What does it mean
to confess Jesus Christ is Lord? In the Greek, Lord is “Kyrios” that means
“legitimate authority”. In referencing
some Bible dictionaries, the word Lord has many meanings, but here are the main
ones that you should realize when you say Jesus is your Lord:
· You are confessing that Jesus is divine (He is God).
· You are exalting Him as your Savior.
· As the word Kyrios means, you are agreeing and acknowledging that He is
your rightful sovereign, that is, your supreme authority.
Again, it is
beyond our intellectual capabilities to understand how someday everyone will
bow to and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, but this is what the Bible says. There is controversy amongst scholars over
what the word “every” means (e.g. will this include atheists, Jews, other
people of other religions?). Also, does
this passage mean the same as what Isaiah 45:23 says? What do you think?
Nevertheless, if
you are an evangelical Christian, you can celebrate the fact that you believe
in Jesus for whom God exalted to the highest place and gave Him the name that
is above every name. As a result of this
belief, you are promised that Jesus loves you, cares for you, and will enable
you to live not only eternally, but also to live an abundant life while on this
earth. Amen!
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