Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69

We don’t encounter the title Lord, much these days, aside from period English dramas or the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. But the word, Lord, is found throughout the Bible. When written in all capitalized letters, LORD is the English translation of the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, which is a respectful abbreviation of God’s name, “I Am Who I Am” from the book of Exodus 3.

Spelled without all caps, Lord in the Bible is the Hebrew word “adon” meaning master. Psalm 97:5 contains both words: “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.” The master of all the earth is one with power over all creation. Jesus is the master of death, having conquered the grave through His resurrection. But many of us struggle with the concept of masters and lords over people.

Human masters have historically exploited their slaves or laborers. We’re rightfully against that type of master, as is Scripture (see James 5:4)! But God is a different sort of Lord. God doesn’t force us to serve Him. Those who follow Jesus accept His authority in our lives, out of love. We recognize that He is God, and we are not, so we honor His will over our own. We obey Him as an outward profession of our love for Him; we love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:9) Unlike a master who punishes a slave for disobedience, our loving Lord calls “Come back,” with forgiveness.

 

Resource reading: James 5:1-6