No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:3
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" - Luke 6:46
Obviously, not all who call Jesus "Lord" do so by the precious Holy Spirit. So, what differentiates between some who call Him Lord and others who also call Him Lord, and how is one group disillusioned?
Does this expose a contradiction between Paul and Jesus, or does this show the dichotomy at work within humanity?
Whether young or old, male or female, free or slave, this dichotomy plays out within each soul that God has ever created. We each stand in the presence of overwhelming evidence and validated truth, and we each decide (choose) how we will either handle truth as the world does or yield to it as Jesus taught and displayed.
To either love Self by hoarding God's love to the neglect of others, or to love God through loving others as the Greatest and Newest Commands instruct.
Jesus being Lord is the obvious TRUTH, validated by overwhelming EVIDENCE, which manifests the DICHOTOMY within every soul. It is the way each person interacts with this truth that distinguishes between being in ONE of only TWO groups...
Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?" - Matthew 25:37-39
The others also will answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?" - Matthew 25:44
There is an obvious contrast between these two groups, each declaring Jesus as Lord, yet having lived out their confession in contrasting ways, under differing motivations, and with totally opposing destinies.
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. - Matthew 25:46
The mind of Adam:
When Eve presented her husband with the fruit which God had told him (Adam) to not eat of, he experienced the dichotomy for the very first time in human history. The very Source of truth (God) had told the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." - Genesis 2:17
The man had been presented with truth from the Creator of (and Authority over) all of Creation. Will the man yield to and become conformed by this Truth, or does the man conform God's truth to his own inclination?
Obviously, all of creation now groans under the choice which Adam made and looks forward with anticipation to the restoration which God has promised to His own (Romans 8:22-23).
The mind of Christ:
When Satan spoke to Jesus in the wilderness, he (satan) presented Jesus with this very same dichotomy. How would Jesus react to TRUTH?
"If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."
"If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for the angels will protect You"
"All these kingdoms of the world I (satan) will give You if You will fall down and worship me." - Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus knew the truth, "It has been written..."
But unlike Adam, Jesus was conformed by it instead of conforming it to benefit self. Jesus could have easily made bread to satisfy His hunger or jumped fearlessly from the spire to validate His identity or have painlessly acquired the kingdoms of the world without sacrificially atoning for mankind's sin.
Instead, He continued walking by FAITH in God's promised provision and continued to faithfully meet OUR greatest need.
"We look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2
Jesus was perfect in loving God with ALL His heart, soul, mind, and strength, by loving (meeting the needs of) others; accomplished by receiving God's loving and promised provision (God meeting His needs) by FAITH, then faithfully GLORIFYING God by reflecting this love to others. Being actualized (learned) and proven (manifested) through how He lived, especially while sorrowed or suffering. Jesus perfectly showed us the Great Command, then offered to cleanse and shape us (conform us) by the New Command.
Just as with a mirror, when they looked at Jesus... they saw the Father (John 14:9); just as when people look at His disciples, they are to see the reflection of Christ in them (John 13:35).
Dichotomy:
Jesus spoke, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:34-35
Does God want His people to be aligned with (obedient to) the Great Command?
Would Jesus ever command His followers to do anything which varies, even in the slightest, from the Great Command?
Obviously, the New Command moves us towards and in compliance with the Great Command.
Unadulterated Truth... Loving others is loving God, loving self is not loving God.
"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for ME." - Matthew 25:40
HYPOCRACY is not only when a person's actions contradict truth, but also when people's actions conform the perception of truth.
SINCERITY is when our actions are conformed by unadulterated truth.
"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord' yet do not do what I command?" - Luke 6:46
God gives all humans the ability to reason and to decide for ourselves, and He presents truth in such a way that it cannot simply be changed or dismissed.
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires... They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness..." - Romans 2:14-15
Our hearts and conscience were prepared to bear witness to our motives and actions. And our motives and actions are to be governed and conformed by God's desires as given through Scripture... when rightly divided. But how can we discern between rightly and wrongly? Some errant deductions are based on assumptions, some derive from emotions, while some are simply mishandling of actual truth.
"But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews (religiously astute) and folly to Gentiles (religiously adverse). - 1 Corinthians 1:23
In our culture that is more than willing to take cashback, subsidies, and handouts, which has been saturated in entitlement, why would Almighty God saying, "I will do this for you", be a choice which causes any of us to stumble or be considered ridiculous?
Jesus is the embodiment of truth (truth incarnate); but He did not merely expect people to accept whatever He said. Jesus validated His teachings by showing signs (evidence) that ONLY could be done if God be with Him. TRUTH stood in our midst to teach and to demonstrate.
Jesus declared, "I have the testimony weightier than that of John (the Baptist). For the works that the Father has given Me to finish - the very works that I am doing - testify that the Father has sent Me." - John 5:36
Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about Me..." - John 10:25
The STUMBLING BLOCK is not in Jesus being King, being Lord, or even being God; the stumbling block is Jesus being CHRIST.
By Jesus having set aside His glory (radiance) and becoming a servant to many; by being obedient to Loving God with ALL His heart, soul, mind, and strength (reflecting), all while denying any retribution for SELF (thus forevermore becoming "the Christ"), HE became enabled (bought with a price) to preset a choice to a deluded and wayward people.
And choice presents a dichotomy.
KING Jesus makes sense; we bow a knee to Him.
LORD Jesus makes sense; we say that He is in control.
CHRIST Jesus dumbfounds us; why did He live a life like that and then call me to follow His example (just as I have loved you, so you must also love one another)?
How did God incarnate learn OBEDIENCE and achieve RIGHTEOUSNESS?
"Although Jesus was the Son of God, He learned obedience from what He suffered..." - Hebrews 5:8
GOD has always been self-existent, in complete holiness... Never had the Father, Son, Spirit ever had to consider SELF. Pure and Beautiful radiant love has always flowed from each for the others. This pure undefiled love is God's GLORY.
God is the SOURCE of love, a RADIANT love (HOLY).
"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come." - Revelation 4:8
So how does the SOURCE and PROVIDER of LOVE cause any to stumble or laugh?
If me, my, or mine deserve something, we all know (through experience) we'll fight for it. And when we acquire or build something, we will cling to and defend it. To deny self and live sacrificially (take up your cross daily) makes no sense at all.
Jesus forever earned the title of being the CHRIST, by living the exact opposite of what we do.
The SELF righteous has already conformed God's truth into a way that justified self. For them to acknowledge being wrong would diminish all their hard work, knowledge, and stature. Nobody was more dedicated than Saul of Tarsus, yet when he yielded to truth (instead of conforming it) he declared...
"I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake i have lost all things..." (Philippians 3:1-14).
The SELF sufficient had already dismissed God's truth as foolishness in their understanding of what truth was... survival of the fittest. For them to acknowledge being wrong would make themself look like the fool (1 Corinthians 4:10).
"Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry." - Luke 12:19
"Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." - Romans 1:22
The SELF deceived, as they proclaim God's truth were still loving as the world loves.
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot." - Revelation 3:15
"Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof... Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 2 Timothy 3:5-7
The SELF denying, as they take up their cross daily and follow their Lord experience the joy which defies all understanding.
"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master's happiness!" - Matthew 25:23
To actually follow Christ eliminates any dichotomy within our being, because there is no choice. One either acknowledges God's sovereignty and faithfulness as they sojourn through this valley, or they rely upon their own resources for safety and security as they cling to this world and the things in it.
Jesus provided our object lesson in what obeying God means. An obedience motivated only by sacrificial love, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. A walk of faith and faithfulness, through a wilderness in which the enemy of our soul calls out, "consider self, protect self, enjoy self."
Jesus said to His disciples, "Anyone who wishes to follow Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." - Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23
"TRUST in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
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