Thus far we have looked at Christ our New Covenant Prophet and our New Covenant Priest. With this chapter we begin to look at Christ, our New Covenant King. The kingship of Christ is the most controversial of all the three offices because it directly involves ones prophetic view. We need to define what we mean when we refer to Christ as “our King.” There are quite a few references to “Christ, the King of the Jews” in the New Testament, but there are only three direct references to Christ as “King” in the New Testament, and all three of those combine the word “King” and the word “Lord”. Christ is said to be “Lord of Lord and King of Kings.” Some dispensationalists insist that Christ is not presently King. They will speak of “Christ Our Prophet, Priest and coming King.” This grows out of their dispensational belief that Christ at his first coming offered the promised kingdom to the Jews, and they rejected it. The kingdom was “postponed” and will be established at the second coming of Christ. They insist that Christ is Lord over the Church and King over a future converted nation of Israel. I believe the promised kingdom has already come, and Jesus is presently seated on the throne of David as King. We will use the terms “King” and “Lord” as synonyms in this article.

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:16). 

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers (Rev. 17:14).

which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (1 Tim. 6:15 ESV).

We should note that some secular kings have called themselves “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” The title is meant to show that the one bearing it is the highest authority. He is Lord over everyone and all things. Only one person has the right to wear that title, and that is the one who was God manifest in human flesh. Jesus, our New Covenant King died, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is presently seated on a throne at the right hand of God the Father. Our Lord is not only the King of the Jews, but he is also the King of the universe and everything in it. Acts Chapter 2 is a very key section of Scripture dealing with our subject. Let me repeat a small part of it. 

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”‘
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:29-36).

The key verse is this quotation is verse 36. His Father in heaven raised the “same Jesus,” the son of Mary, which the Jews crucified from the dead. The Father rewarded his Son for his redemptive work by exalting him to the highest place of authority. He made him, that same Jesus, son of Mary, to be the Lord of the universe and the Savior of God’s elect. One of my favorite choruses is “He is Lord.”

He is Lord, He is Lord, He has risen from the dead and He is Lord.

Every knee shall bow, Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We should note that preaching the Gospel involves preaching that Jesus Christ is Lord and calling sinners to bow to Christ as Lord in repentance and faith. The important thing is to see that the Lordship we are talking about is an earned Lordship. Christ was always the Son of God or second person of the trinity just as he was always Lord of all creation; however, the Father rewarded his redemptive work as the Messiah with the new authority described in John. 

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do (John 17:1-4). 

Our Lord, in his humanity, was a man under specific orders. He came into the world with a specific job description (John 17:4) that culminated in the cross. Christ was born for the express idea of dying under the wrath of God as a sin offering. It was the Father who put him on the cross, and it was also the Father who raised him from the dead and “gave him all authority”(John 17:2). Several things must be noted. 

1. “The work” our Lord was commissioned to perform was the work of redemption. It was to provide for the elect all they needed to stand fully justified in God’s holy presence. It involved the “doing and dying of Christ.” It included keeping the Law and earning the righteousness it promised and then dying under the curse of the Law and fully paying our debt of sin. 

2. That redemptive work was finished when Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished.”

3. The Father was satisfied with that redemptive work and rewarded Christ for performing that work by raising him from the dead, seating him on a throne at his own right hand and giving him authority over all flesh. The “all flesh” included all men without exception.

4. The authority that was given to Christ was the legal authority to justly forgive sinners. He could only forgive sinners because he had offered to God his Father an acceptable sacrifice for sins and a perfect sinless life of obedience.

5. We keep insisting that Christ’s Lordship, or authority, which we are discussing is an earned authority. We are not saying or in any way suggesting that this reward in any way adds to Christ’s deity. We are not talking about Christ’s deity as opposed to his humanity. Christ’s atoning work on the cross added nothing to the deity of Christ. That redemptive work did give Christ, acting in his humanity as our substitute, the legal right to forgive sins. That work satisfied the holy character of God. No one, including God, can arbitrarily forgive sins without a righteous basis. Paul, in Romans 1:16-17 and 3:24-26, makes it abundantly clear that the Gospel “justifies God in his justifying sinners.” The Gospel shows that sin must be paid for before a holy God can forgive them. The death, resurrection and ascension of Christ provide the essential work of redemption that make it possible for God to be both “just and the justifier” of those for whom Christ died. Paul insists that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God (Rom. 1:17). Christ’s “work” on the cross is where “righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10).

6. Christ earned the Lordship, or authority, to forgive sinners in his humanity. Christ’s redemption involved both his deity and his humanity. Evangelicals have a tendency to forget that both Christ’s holy life that earned righteousness and his obedient death that paid for sin were both performed in a human sinless body. Our Redeemer and Savior is not only the Son of God, but he is also the son of Mary. Our substitute is both deity and human. The work of our salvation involves both the Son of God and the son of Mary. It involves both of these, and both are vital. 

We believe and preach both the humanity and deity of Christ. If we lose either the deity of Christ or his sinless humanity, we will have a heretical view of Christ’s person and work. Hebrews 4:14-16 would lose its power to help us in time of need if Christ is not one with us in his humanity. Romans 8:28 would be a mere sentimental platitude if Christ is not both a sovereign deity and our human brother. Sometimes both Christ’s deity and his humanity are emphasized in the same passage.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:37-41).

Why was Jesus sleeping? The answer simple, he was sleeping for the same reason we go to sleep. He was tired and his body needed rest. He was a man, a human being. But wait a minute. How could a mere man calm the raging sea with nothing but a verbal command? Because he was more than a mere man; he was the Son of God. He was deity made flesh. He was the God-man.

We are not talking about “deity versus humanity.” We are talking about an earned Lordship that was given to Christ Jesus the God-man as a reward for finishing the work his Father gave him to do.

Nearly all Christians agree that the three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King set forth in the Old Testament Scriptures are types of the work and ministry of the Messiah which are fulfilled in the past and present ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30 is one of many texts.

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 

Wisdom refers to his work as Prophet to teach us about God and ourselves. Righteousness is his work of Priest to remove our guilt and justify us in God’s sight. Sanctification is his work through his office as King, or Lord, to rule over us and conquer sin in us. Redemption is the full and final work of a complete salvation that involves all three offices of Christ’s work. That work accomplishes a deliverance from the penalty, power, and finally even the presence of sin. This whole work of a complete and eternal salvation is “of him” and not of us.

In our booklet, Christ, Lord and Lawgiver over the Church ^[1]we discussed four things about the Lordship of Christ: (1) Its NATURE; (2) Its EXTENT; (3) How It Is EXERCISED or Mediated; (4) Modern Examples of Denying Christ’s Lordship. It is most helpful in understanding the subject under discussion. The Lordship of Christ that we are discussing in this chapter is an earned Lordship and is part of the nature of the Lordship of Christ. I emphasize again that this is not part of his deity as such. This is the authority and power given to “the man Christ Jesus” by the Father to save or damn whom he will. John’s words cannot be understood any other way. Notice two texts:

For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him (John 17:2).

Jesus alone has the authority (legal right) to justly and righteously forgive sins because he has paid for those sins. Jesus Christ is the only man who can forgive sins, and he is also the only man who can send anyone to hell! And he must do either one or the other with every person. All people, without exception, are in the hands of Jesus Christ the judge. See Acts 17:31.

I am often amazed at how preachers can so grossly misuse a text of Scripture. This is especially true when they butcher texts that deal with the sovereignty of God. The short dialogue between Pilate and Jesus is a classic example. This is one the favorite passages for Arminian evangelists. They use it as part of an altar call. They say, “Jesus is in your hands to do with as you choose. What will you do with Jesus?” I have yet to hear a single Arminian preacher quote verse 11!

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (John 19:10-11).

It is true that God one time put his son into the hands of sinners; however, it is also true that these sinners shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (John 19:6b). Men put Christ to death but God raised him from the grave and gave him all power and authority. Christ also was given a new name (cf. Philip. 2:9-11). The Father made his Son to be Lord. The real question is not what sinners will do with Christ, but the question is what will Jesus do with the sinner? He is not in our hands; we are in his hands. All men are in the hands of God’s appointed Redeemer to do with as he chooses. Romans 1:1-4 helps us understand this point.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (KJV).

John Murray’s comments on Romans 1:1-4 are most helpful.

By his resurrection and ascension the Son of God incarnate entered upon a new phase of sovereignty and was endowed with new power correspondent with and unto the exercise of the mediatorial lordship which he executes as head over all things to his body, the church.^[2]

In no sense whatsoever is Murray suggesting that Christ is more sovereign after the resurrection and ascension than he was before. Nor is he saying that finishing the redemptive work his father gave him added anything to his person. He is talking about the redemptive authority the man, Christ Jesus, earned in sufferings. The NIV in its translation of Romans 1:4, as it often does, gives an interpretation of the text instead of an accurate translation. Notice the difference between the KJV and the NIV:

Romans 1:4-KJV

And declared to be the Son of God WITH POWER, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Romans 1:4-NIV 

And who through the Spirit of holiness was DECLARED WITH POWER to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

As you can see, the NIV makes the resurrection to be a powerful demonstration of Christ’s deity, and the KJV sees the resurrection as giving Christ a new and earned power or authority. The resurrection of Christ certainly is a “powerful demonstration” that “proves” the deity of Christ, but Paul in Romans 1:4 is not trying to prove that Christ was both human and deity. I grant that is the most common interpretation, but I think it totally misses the point taught in the text. Paul is saying that the resurrection declares that Christ has been given a power of Lordship as a reward for his successful atoning work. This is a redemptive Lordship that belongs to the Son of Mary as the successful Redeemer. It is not an innate Lordship that belongs to the Son of God as a member of the Trinity. 

The man Christ Jesus is declared to be “Son of God with power because he is glorified and enthroned humanity. A true man, the God-Man, has been given the right to exercise both the role of Savior and the role of judge over all men. This Man earned that right. This truth is seen every time the “man Christ Jesus” is mentioned in the New Testament Scriptures. Note the following examples:

“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you (Acts 13:38).

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).

Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself  (Heb. 3:3).

but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives [as a true man] to intercede for them (Heb. 7:24-25).

This fact explains why the sermons in the Book of Acts emphasize both the resurrection and ascension of Christ. It is those events that prove Christ has been given a new authority. 

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:22-24).

The point of this passage is the resurrection, but Peter does not stop with just the resurrection. The heart of his sermon is verses 30-32. 

But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact (Acts 2:30-32).

The application of the sermon is in verses 33-36. 

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”‘
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:33-36).

There was a point in time when God the Father made Christ to be both Lord and Christ in a new sense. When did that happen? It took place at the resurrection and ascension. What is the peculiar authority that the Father gave the Son when he made him Lord over all flesh? The Father gave the Son the legal authority of Lordship to forgive and justify sinners. The ascension to the throne at the Father’s right hand gave the man Christ Jesus the mediatorial rights to dispense the gifts he earned by his obedient life and vicarious death. The message of the Gospel to be preached is, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” The man Christ Jesus, Son of God and son of Mary, is the judge of all men, and he is the Messiah who saves the sheep his Father gave him.

What must poor sinners do to be saved? They must bow in repentance and faith to the exalted Christ of God. 

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:37-47).

What is God’s controversy with the people living in your town? The following quotation is taken from my booklet, Christ, Lord and Lawgiver over the Church. 

The first denial [of the Lordship of Christ] is seen in The Diluted Evangelistic Message Preached Today. We clearly see Christ’s Lordship denied when we see him preached as anything less than Lord. To imply that a sinner may receive Christ as anyone less than an enthroned Lord is equal to denying that he is Lord. Making salvation to be anything less than full and grateful submission to Christ as Lord, as well as Savior, is as wrong as denying that He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. The present day controversy arising from John MacArthur’s book entitled The Gospel According To Jesus is more than a discussion on how to preach. The bottom line is the person, dignity, and authority of Jesus Christ as Lord. Who is the person that we tell sinners to look to alone for salvation? What kind of salvation is freely offered to sinners by this Person? Dare we say to a sinner, “Jesus Christ is Lord, and he alone can save you. However, you really need not actually treat him as Lord in order to trust him as your Savior?” I honestly wish I were caricaturing, but you know I am not. 

It is essential that we keep the focus on “who He is” and on “what He did.” We need only look at the way Christ was proclaimed by the early church to prove our point. When Christ was born, His Lordship was emphasized: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the LORD” (Luke 2:11). It is true that Christ is here presented as a Savior, but the message declared that he could be the Savior only because he was the Lord. Christ’s Lordship cannot be separated from his Saviorhood. To even imply that a sinner can trust Christ as Savior and deny him as Lord is equally as bad as saying a sinner can trust Christ as his Lord and, at the same time, ridicule and mock his priestly work of blood atonement. We must declare a Savior who is the Lord, or we are denying his Lordship. This is surely the pattern in the entire New Testament Scriptures: “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ…Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both LORD and Christ…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus” (or “that Jesus is Lord”) (Acts 16:31; 2:36; Rom. 10:9).^[3] 

The Gospel presents a whole Savior. He is Prophet, Priest and King. We insist the Gospel affects the whole man, mind, heart and will. Nowhere in the New Testament Scriptures are sinners told to “accept Jesus as your personal Savior.” That phrase enshrines the totality of modern orthodox theology. We could just as well say, “Accept Jesus as your personal Priest or accept Jesus as your personal King.” The emphasis is never on the office but on trusting the person who holds the office, and that person is always the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s salvation is in a living Lord, and we receive him in all his fullness and not merely his offices or his benefits. Bowing in repentance and faith to the risen and enthroned Lord is the gospel message of the early church.

This emphasis on Lordship does not end with the sinner’s conversion. Holiness and following after Christ were also couched in terms of Lordship: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,” (Col. 2:6). Notice that believers were urged to follow Christ as Lord because they had received him in conversion as Lord. There is no other kind of gospel or conversion.

Someday every person who has ever lived will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. 

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 (Philip. 2:9-11).

The new name given to Christ at the resurrection is not “Jesus;” that is the human name given to him at his birth. Mary was told to call her unborn son Jesus—”… and you are to give him the name Jesus …” (Matt. 1:21). The new name given to him as a reward for his redemptive work is “Lord.” That is the name he earned and which was given to him by his Father at the resurrection. 

God’s controversy with sinners is not merely their refusal to mentally believe that Christ was really born of a virgin. Nearly our whole society confesses that fact at Christmas time. Roman Catholics have built their whole pagan system of Maryology on a gross misuse of that truth. Nor is God’s controversy with sinners their refusal to accept by faith that Christ rose from dead. Again, our churches will be packed on Easter Sunday with people confessing they believe the resurrection of Christ actually took place.

What then is God’s controversy with sinners? What is his controversy with the people in your city? It has nothing to do with faith, as a mental assent, in the historic reality of the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. I repeat, Christmas and Easter give ample proof of such faith. God’s controversy with sinners is their refusal to bow in repentance and faith to the one who God has made to be Lord. It is the rejection of the Lordship of Christ over their life that is the sinner’s problem, and we are called to face sinners with that problem by pressing the claims of Jesus Christ as Lord. We must demand that the sinner lay down the weapons of his warfare and rebellion and totally and unconditionally surrender to a gracious King. 

God the Father says that Jesus is Lord. What say ye?

---