he word “lord” has a variety ofmeanings and a number of defini-tions. However, as Christians, we con-fess that Jesus Christ is Lord because

we owe him our total allegiance, lovingservice and faithful obedience becauseof who he is and what he has done.

All Christian groups hold to the truth thatJesus is Lord, but Baptists have a specialemphasis that they give to this truth.Baptists believe that Jesus is theexclusive Lord of life. They acceptno person or institution as lord ofindividual Christians or of churches.For this belief, Baptists, like the earlyChristians, have suffered persecution byboth government and religious authori-ties.

The Bible Teaches theLordship of Christ

The Bible gives a number of reasonswhy Jesus is Lord of all. He is divine, oneof the three persons of the Trinity. Jesusdeclared, “I and my Father are one”(John 10:30). Concerning Jesus, the Biblestates that in him “all the fullness of theDeity lives in bodily form” (Colossians2:9 NIV).

Jesus died on the cross for the sins ofthe world and as such is worthy of allpraise and honor as Lord: “Worthy is theLamb that was slain to receive power,and riches, and wisdom, and strength,and honor, and glory, and blessing”(Revelation 5:12).

Jesus rose from the dead, indicating hispower over deathitself. When wemeet the resur-rected Christ, weexclaim as did the

disciple Thomas, “My Lord and myGod!” (John 20:28).

Jesus ascended into heaven, sits at theright hand of the Father making interces-sion for us, and is coming again to bringa new heaven and a new earth. Beforesuch a One we stand in awe declaring,“Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

The Extent of theLordship of Christ

The Bible sets forth the extent of Christ’slordship in several ways. The Bible statesthat Jesus is the Lord of all creation:“That at the name of Jesus every kneeshould bow, of things in heaven, andthings in earth, and things under theearth; and that every tongue should con-fess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gloryof God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

The Bible teaches that Jesus is Lord ofevery person. Many deny or fail to rec-ognize that lordship, but for Christians,the lordship of Christ is central. In fact,the Christian life begins with theacknowledgment that Jesus is Lord:“That if you confess with your mouth,‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heartthat God raised him from the dead, youwill be saved” (Romans 10:9 NIV).

The Bible emphasizes that Jesus is Lordof churches. Jesus declared, “I will buildmy church, and the gates of hell shall notprevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). AndPaul wrote concerning Jesus, “And Godplaced all things under his feet andappointed him to be head over every-thing for the church, which is his body”(Ephesians 1:22-23 NIV).

The Lordship of Christ andSoul Competency

The Bible teaches that Christ’s lordship isdirect. No person or institution is toattempt to usurp the authority of Jesusover a Christian. Of course, persons cangain insight and understanding from oth-ers, but only Jesus has ultimate authorityover a Christian.

The call to be a disciple of Jesus assumesthe ability to know and follow the will ofJesus Christ as Lord. The Bible’s teachingon soul competency indicates that per-sons have the God-given ability to knowand to do God’s will. Persons are notpuppets. Their Creator has given themfreedom and responsibility of choice.

Baptists have resisted efforts by individu-als, government officials and religious

organizations to dictate what the will ofJesus is for his followers. Baptists insistthat each person has the competenceand the responsibility to find and followthe will of Jesus as Lord. As the early dis-ciples declared, “We must obey Godrather than men!”(Acts 5:29).

The Lordship of ChristMandates Religious Freedom

The lordship of Christ means that per-sons and churches ought to be freefrom coercion by government or reli-gious organizations in spiritual and reli-gious matters. Baptists have alwaysdenounced such coercive efforts,declaring that only Jesus is Lord. For thisresistance Baptists have often paid a highprice.

For example, in the early 1600s KingJames I of England claimed to be thehead of the Church of England as well asof the government of England. He

demandedthat all church-es conform tohis will.ThomasHelwys, aBaptist pastor,wrote a booktitled A ShortDeclaration ofthe Mystery ofIniquity inwhich heinsisted thatthe king hadno right to dic-

tate to persons and churches what tobelieve.

Helwys sent a copy of thebook to KingJameswith apersonalinscrip-tion inwhich hedeclared,“The king isa mortalman and notGod andtherefore hasno power overthe immortalsouls of his subjects, to make lawsand ordinances for them and to setspiritual lords over them.” For hisstatement of this Bible truth, the kingimprisoned the pastor, and he died inprison, refusing to recognize anyoneother than Jesus as Lord of the churches.

The Lordship of Christ anda New Testament Church

are Inseparable

What does it mean for individualChristians and for the churches of whichthey are a part to be under the lordship

of Christ? For one thing, it means thatthey should acknowledge Christ as Lord.The church belongs to Christ, not tothem. He is the head of the church; theyare not. They are not to rule the church;Christ is.

Furthermore, each member of thechurch should recognize that he or shehas opportunity and responsibility tomake decisions regarding the churchunder the lordship of Christ. This is theNew Testament model of a church.Persons make decisions about thechurch of which they are part, such aswho the deacons and pastor will be,how the tithes and offerings will bespent, and what sort of building they willoccupy. Yet each of these decisionsshould be made in light of the fact thatJesus is Lord of the church.

Also, all of the members of the body ofChrist are responsible for the decisionsof the church. There is no hierarchy in aNew Testament church. No pastor, dea-con body, or any other individual orgroup is to lord it over the church (I Peter 5:3). Only Jesus is Lord, ofeach person and of the church as awhole. Through prayer and respectfuldiscussion as part of a loving fellowship,the members of the church are to seekto know the mind of Christ.

In Summary

The lordship of Christ is a basic Christiandoctrine. For Baptists, it has specialmeaning and is related to other keyBaptist beliefs, such as those about theauthority of the Bible, soul competency,religious freedom and the nature ofwhat a church modeled after the NewTestament churches is to be.

For further information on Baptists and the lordship of Jesus Christ,see www.baptistdistinctives.org.

“Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”Philippians 2:11

The Importance of theBaptist Commitment tothe Lordship of Christ

Why have Baptists held so stronglyto the exclusive lordship of Christ?We have taken our stand on severalbasic convictions, including the fol-lowing: (1) The Bible teaches the lordship

of Christ, and Baptists look tothe Bible as their sole writtenauthority for faith and practice.

(2) The biblical teaching about soulcompetency demands thateach individual Christian bowto no ultimate authority otherthan God—Father, Son andHoly Spirit.

(3) The biblical emphasis on soulcompetency flows from thelordship of Christ.

(4) The New Testament model fora church is founded upon thelordship of Christ; he alone isthe head of the church.

T

Wanting to share information about Baptist distinctives, Noble Hurley, shortly before his death in 2004, established the Jane and Noble Hurley Baptist Identity Fund for thepurpose of publishing this series and asked William M. Pinson Jr. and Doris A. Tinker to prepare the articles. (Article 3)

“Christ only is the king, and lawgiver of the church and

conscience.”John Smyth (b.1570? - d.1612)

An Englishman, he was the foundingpastor of the first English Baptistchurch in Amsterdam in 1609.

The quote is from a confessionalstatement that he played a major role

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