Christian believers will often describe Jesus as both Savior and Lord. When we say that Jesus is our Savior, we are acknowledging that he has “saved” us from something.
As Savior, what has he saved us from? He has saved us from experiencing God’s wrath and eternal judgment against our rebellion and disobedience to God. As a sacrifice of atonement for us through his death on the Cross, Jesus saves us from the eternal consequences of our sin
But he saves us from more than that. Jesus saves us from Satan, a life of misdirection, a life of confusion, and a life without purpose. He also saved us for a purpose. By removing the obstacles that blocked us from having fellowship with the Father, he has “recruited” us to join him in advancing his kingdom. When it comes to conversion (salvation), you can’t have
“All who are called to salvation are called to discipleship, no exceptions, no excuses.”
-Bill Hull
As Lord, we have a new life, a new identity, and a new calling. With our baptism, we are dead to ourselves (Romans 6:1-6). We want Jesus to live in us and with us. Jesus is our Lord, our leader, and the one who determines the direction of our life. We have committed ourselves to be his disciple, and as his disciple, we are commanded to lead others to do the same. That is the heart of disciple making.
The last thing Jesus said during his earthly ministry was “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19-20). Notice the clarity and directness of Jesus’ words. There’s only one intellectually respectable way to interpret this statement: “Do with others what I’ve been doing with you.” We either do it or we don’t. He is either our Lord, or he isn’t.