Day 46: Jesus is Exclusively Both Lord and Christ

“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” ACTS 2:32–36 ESV, EMPHASIS MINE

WHEN I WAS IN my late thirties, I decided that if I didn’t have a husband by the significant milestone of forty, I was going to get a Harley Davidson. I’ve been hooked on motorcycles for most of my life, beginning with a Honda 70 minibike my dad got me for Christmas when I was seven or eight, much to my mom’s chagrin. But I’d never housed a “Hog” in the garage (biker slang term for a Harley Davidson), which in some rider-enthusiast circles is the equivalent of saying you like to swim but have never been in water!

Long story short, no one I fancied asked for my hand in marriage in my pre-forty season, so I ultimately bought a super cool, chromed-out, anniversary edition Harley. And one of the first lessons I learned after becoming an official Hog owner is that a lot of folks who ride them are quite obsessive about the uniqueness of brand and don’t take kindly to non-Harley riders wearing the emblem on hats or T-shirts. The attitude of most Harley dudes and dudettes I know is: “Ours is the only kind of bike worth having and if you don’t ride one, don’t fly our flag!”

Which is basically the point Peter was making about Jesus, too, when he bellowed:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36 esv, emphasis mine)

This speech from Peter (the first of two, actually) is so packed full of amazing stuff, it’s like drinking from a fire hose of grace! In fact, before this former failure of a disciple even opened his mouth, Luke describes him as “standing” up (Acts 2:14 esv), a term in the original Greek which indicates not only the physical posture of rising, but a “rising up” in character.41 In other words, the very same man who threw Jesus under the bus after His bogus arrest in the garden of Gethsemane now bravely faces a massive crowd and preaches the first public, post-resurrection message!

Because, remember, that a week or so after the Prince of Peace was nailed to a tree on a hill outside of Jerusalem, the resurrected Christ appeared to Peter and forgave him for his betrayal (John 21). Furthermore, Jesus—who knew Peter would fumble the ball on the first yard line—still commissioned him to be the rock He was going to build the early church on (Matt. 16:18). And Pete must’ve sensed the Lord’s mercy and commissioning were sincere despite his mistakes, because out of the eleven apostles who were present at Pentecost, he’s the only one who chose to accept the challenge of addressing the gathering and then he preached a very bold, politically incorrect sermon about the supremacy and exclusivity of Jesus! In fact, Peter is the first human in history to assert that Jesus was both “Lord” and “Christ.” Prior to Acts 2, Lord was a title exclusively ascribed by Jews to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and Christ was a title exclusively used by Jews to describe the coming Messiah or “Anointed One.” And the Holy Spirit infused Peter’s radical claim with so much power and authority that thousands of people responded with repentance and launched themselves into the unconditionally loving arms of Jesus:

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”

Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. (Acts 2:37–41 nlt)

Contrary to culture’s claims that there are many roads that lead to God, Scripture makes it abundantly clear that there’s only One and His name is Jesus. It’s only through the narrow gate of a real relationship with Him that we can be reconciled with a holy God. Lord is not Jesus’s formal name, nor is Christ His last name. They are His royal titles and convey His supremacy. The gift of eternal salvation is exclusively His to offer.

• WHAT OTHER “WAYS” have you heard/been taught that you can find a path to God and spiritual fulfillment?
• READ JOHN 14:6. How would you respectfully paraphrase this to an unbeliever?
• HOW CAN WE better reconcile our belief in the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus Christ alone with the grace and respect He clearly calls us to extend toward those who don’t yet know Him?