Todd asks,

/// What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord?  ///

I have always been moved by this scene from The Robe.  Below is the dialogue between Marcellus, the Roman who crucified Christ. And Peter the fisherman.

Marcellus... I crucifed him.

Peter... I know. Demetrius told me.

Marcellus... You can forgive me?

Peter... He forgave you from the cross. Can I do less? Now is there anything standing in your way? Can you be one of us?

Marcellus... From this day own. I'm enlisted in his service. I offer him my sword, my fortune, and my life. And this I pledge you on my honor as a Roman.

Though only a scene from a movie. (And I might add one of the great Biblical movies of the 1950s.) The last part of the dialogue carries great substance.

Remember Paul is writing to Romans. Romans would have understood what it was to confess Caesar as their lord. Basically every Roman would have sworn allegiance to Caesar offering him everything.

But when a Roman came to Christ  a new lordship took place. To the Romans. To confess Christ as Lord would mean that everything is surrendered to him.

Marcellus the Tribune would have understood this. He would have understood the lordship of Caesar. But in the dialogue above he now understands the lordship of Jesus Christ.

So this should be that we understand the lordship of Jesus Christ in all areas of our life. That we like, Marcellus, will pledge everything to be enlisted in his service.

Someone will say brother Blaine you're taking too much theology from a movie. But sometimes movies can bring out the biblical truth we read in Scripture.

I do believe Marcellus best captures what it is to confess Christ as Lord.

Todd I hope this answers your question brother. For it surely answers mine.

By the way I saw the movie The Robe sometime back. Great movie. They don't make them like that anymore. I would commend it.

Blaine

Hey Bear-

I have also always been struck by the confession of Marcellus and have used it many times as an example of repentance and forsaking all, which of course is required.

His confession is imperfect in knowledge (eg Jesus likely does not want his sword) but it is clear he has shifted allegiance from Rome to Christ on pain of death. As we know that is exactly what he gets later on.

There is far too much mamby-pambyism when it comes to “conversions” these days. People are led to believe they can still run their life as they see fit and have Jesus thrown in for good measure.

However, the truth is that you can have Jesus, but it will cost you the world; or you can have the world, but it will cost you Jesus.

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Todd

Todd writes...........

"However, the truth is that you can have Jesus, but it will cost you the world; or you can have the world, but it will cost you Jesus."

Amen brother...........bro Frank

I personally don't like going down this road, the salvation of God, instrumental by God's grace and mercies finds us in places we should never be.

I don't doubt for a minute there are saved folk in all kinds of cults...all kinds of lifestyles, all kinds of human endeavor, all kinds of mindsets and ideologies.

I think Frank pinpointed what we do when we meet true brothers and sisters in Jesus who are still involved in cults or lifestyles that are contrary to scripture and that is to acknowledge them as such and I would also include exhort and encourage them toward living as genuinely biblical and as closely as they can in fellowship with Jesus personally.

As I posted in another place, our doctrines are clearly expressed and held so that those who are in error have a clear path in which to take. The doctrine is condemned, but my brothers and sisters are not condemned if they will 'come out from her'...being separate is part of what it means to be Christian.

We are not inviting people to join the "we've got it all figured out" group, we are inviting people to walk with us in a clear conscience, devoid of hypocrisy whereby we walk in agreement about who Jesus claimed to be, what Jesus did upon that cross, what the law is for, what grace is meant to accomplish and what future is in store for the faithful.

Errors abound in our time, it's not our job to pretend we can read hearts and know the thoughts of men, we are to read the scriptures and know the will of God. In doing the later we avoid the pitfalls of saving that which should die and killing that what should live.

Dealing with the errors of those in cults is really not much difference than those of lifestyle, Satan does not care if he can destroy you with false doctrine or with a candy bar, both are simply tools which he uses to dishonor God and bring sin into peoples lives.

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Marvin

A VOM medical missionary wrote about the precious saints in Nigeria. He said these simple believers could not articulate the doctrinal finer points of the Calvinist / Arminian debates. But when a jihadist comes upon them swinging a machete and says repeat the shada. And this precious believer says, "No! "Jesus is Lord." The missionary remarked. "Suddenly their theology becomes very deep."

Is our doctrine the amount of theology we have stored in our mind. Or is our doctrine Jesus dwelling in our hearts by his Holy Spirit through faith in him.

Blaine

So I have been praying some radical stuff here lately.

I have realized that my theological structure is like a castle--full of mazes and twists and turns and facets that I don't even realize. But as a whole, largely indefensible. More like a theological monstrosity than a well protected home. So I have been praying for simple faith. Keeping my eyes on Jesus and living practically from doing that. When trouble hits, going to the Lord and to the scriptures than to that castle. I have been more successful in fighting against sin, the enemy, or anything else that lifts itself against God when I allow Jesus to be my defender, my shield, and my strength.

At that point, I have found this--rather than building my own theological structure, I just get to go live in Jesus' castle and simply discover what is there. Instead of taking pride in what I've built, I get to experience joy in what the Lord has allowed me to discover.

I'm done with taking all the mystery, all the glory, all the awesomeness of God out of theology. If I can't walk away from truth in absolute awe of God, then I haven't done anything. Period.

Havok writes...

/// So I have been praying for simple faith. Keeping my eyes on Jesus and living practically from doing that. ///

Eph. 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.  I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God's love, and to know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us--to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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Bro imagine praying this radical prayer above. The prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians. If we would pray this simple radical prayer above. Would our lives not be radically changed for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now the above prayer by Paul is doctrine that definitely enlarges my heart.  It speaks of faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ. To know him more intimately. This is stuff that I can cut my teeth on.

Bro Blaine

I gotta say, brother. That was probably one of the best employments of that verse I've ever seen. Appreciate it!

It seems the best doctrine is Jesus dwelling in our hearts? Do we possess Jesus? Does Jesus possess us? Is not the heart of unity having Jesus in our hearts?

Blaine

There are certain things I look for in someone's life that indicate they are born from above. For one, godly sorrow for sins and a desire to be holy; another is wanting above anything else to be with Jesus, to hear His voice, to feel His presence; another is love for lost people. I don't think there is any one denomination that has one hundred percent born again people as members. You can go to any church and find tares.

SDA? I would say there are likely born again people in their ranks, the same as there are born again catholics; it just seems to me the members of these groups who are saved don't follow the official doctrine of their denomination (like catholic works righteousness).

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Nigel Holland