When you turn from your sins, you do so by confessing and believing that Jesus Christ can save you from a life that is apart, or separated from God. If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ve seen a couple confess to live devoted to each other, and only each other. This same type of confession is what is involved with acknowledging and confessing Jesus as Lord, and thereby beginning your relationship with God. In essence, you are confessing to live a life devoted to Jesus, and nothing or no one else.

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Now, be careful not to base this confession on a feeling. You need to base this declaration and confession simply on the fact that God’s word says it.

Well... what does it mean to know Jesus as ‘Lord’ of your life? Good question. ‘Lord’ can mean “ruler, king, boss, one in control of someone's life”. Now, you are a physical and spiritual creation, and so confessing Jesus as Lord is a confession over the physical and spiritual parts of you, because Jesus is a deity. And so by confessing Jesus as Lord, you are confessing that Jesus is God.

When Jesus walked on the earth, Caesar, the ruler, demanded that his subjects make a confession that ‘Caesar is Lord.’ The early Christians refused to make this confession that Caesar was the ultimate authority whom they obeyed. Instead, they knew that it was Jesus who is Lord, and this was the confession that they made. As a result, many of them were thrown to the lions, or publicly burned as a human torch to provide lights at Caesars evening garden parties. Those early Christians understood Lordship. It required a total commitment on their part.

In the Bible, the word ‘Savior’ is mentioned 37 times. The word ‘Lord’ is mentioned 7,736 times. In the New Testament, ‘Savior’ is found 24 times and ‘Lord’ is found 717 times. Are both important? Yes. But the emphasis is on Jesus as the ‘Lord’ of your life.

Today, you have the privilege of confessing Jesus as Lord because you can choose to do so. Honestly... you don’t have to. But on judgement day, when Jesus returns, everyone will acknowledge His Lordship and kneel before Him, according to Philippians 2:10-11:

“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.”

Question before you continue:
Why is it important to accept Jesus as your savior AND confess Him as your Lord, rather than just one or the other?