"My Lord and My God!" | 3 Truths Your Eternity Depends On
Summary: The apostle Thomas had seen Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, and more. Then he saw Him crucified and buried. Thomas was absent when, on His resurrection day, Jesus appeared to the other apostles. Thomas doubted when they claimed, “We have seen the Lord!” (John 20:19-25). A week later the risen Jesus appeared also to Thomas, who saw and then believed and “said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (vs. 28). This great declaration — “My Lord and my God” — should be in the heart and on the lips of all who seek eternal life from the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's focus on three all-important truths in Thomas's words.
1. Jesus Is LORD
Acts 2:36 is the first of over 100 occurrences in the King James Version of “Lord Jesus Christ” or “Jesus Christ our Lord” or other linkages of “Lord” with Jesus Christ. In fact, the very last sentence of the entire Bible gives one final declaration of Jesus’ Lordship: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelation 22:21).
Peter declared it boldly: “Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36, NKJV). Paul too: “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church” (Ephesians 1:22), so that “in everything He might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18). Jude (1:4) exposed the false teachers who “deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again from the dead — This is the essence of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Then He ascended to heaven, to the right hand of God the Father, from which place, by the Father’s will, Jesus reigns over all creation as the Lord of all!
2. Jesus Is GOD/DEITY
Jesus, God the Father’s “one and only Son,” left heaven for earth 20 centuries ago to seek and save the lost of this world (Luke 19:10). As the apostle John wrote, Jesus, known as “the Word” before coming to earth, “became flesh.” He was born into humanity by a virgin birth from His mother Mary. He did this so that He could die as the only perfect sacrifice for our sins, so that those who believe in and accept Jesus’ gracious death on our behalf might be forgiven and be reconciled to God and spend eternity with Him.
But Jesus taking upon Himself a human nature must never cause us to lose sight of His eternal Deity. He always was, still is, and ever shall be fully divine — one of the three divine Persons of the one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, known theologically as the trinity. For those who desire an in-depth Bible study of the Deity of Jesus Christ, I have written on this at “Is Jesus God?” The three Scriptures just above are but a few of the many dozens of Bible verses clearly revealing the Lord Jesus Christ as fully divine, while at the same time possessing a human nature since His birth through Mary some 2,000 years ago.
In Romans 9:5 Paul spoke of the Messiah, the Christ — that is, Jesus, “who is God over all.” The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus the Son is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being! That explains why He said to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus never said that He was God the Father (He is not). Hebrews 1:3 explains what Jesus meant: He is the “exact representation of [God the Father’s] being.” As the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), Jesus perfectly, exactly revealed the heavenly Father.
John’s 1st chapter, especially verses 1 and 14, makes Christ’s divinity crystal clear. In the very beginning Jesus (known as “the Word”) already existed “with God.” The prophet Micah (5:2) told us that His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” John wrote further in vs. 1 that not only did Jesus the Word exist “with God,” but He also “WAS God”! The Holy Spirit-inspired writer was telling us that the “Word of God” (who was given the earthly name Jesus) eternally pre-existed His coming to earth. Throughout eternity past He existed with God the Father, and also He Himself was God, was full Deity, full divinity. At His Incarnation, at His coming to earth and “becoming flesh,” He also took on a human nature. Many theologians describe Him as “true man and true God.”
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 of his having been “caught up to the third heaven,” where he received “revelations of the Lord.” Just imagine the glory and splendor of what He saw in heaven, including the Lord Jesus, from whom he received revelations. We can put full confidence in Paul’s bold declaration of Jesus’ full Deity when the apostle said, “For in Christ all the
3. Is Jesus YOUR Lord and YOUR God?
We read in John 20:28: “Thomas said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Notice that Thomas said that to Jesus. The question with consequences for all eternity is: Have you said that to Jesus? Have you fulfilled Romans 10:9? — “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. Have you received Him as your Savior through turning to God in repentance and having faith in our Lord Jesus (Acts 20:21)? Have you acknowledged Him as your Lord? Jesus is not intent on saving us just to have us go about our own lives without submission to Him as “Lord of all.” He is the Lord. Is He yours? If not, correct that right now and declare (Romans 10:9) sincerely from your heart, “Jesus is Lord, and He’s my Lord!” A simple way to do this would be to say with sincere faith the words of the apostle Thomas to Jesus: “MY Lord and MY God!” Then live your life with a heart tuned to His heart and His will, saying daily to Him, “Thy will be done.” Think of it as a joy and a high privilege to serve Him who is “King of kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16).
Perhaps you’ve read this far and realize that you’ve never actually come to Jesus personally, in faith and repentance for sin, and received Him as your Lord and Savior. If that’s so, God has led you to this point today. Please, I urge you, don’t let another minute go by without turning your heart and your life over to the wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To help you immediately become a born-again son or daughter of God Almighty, I recommend an excellent, brief message by the late, respected evangelist Billy Graham. You can find it at “Begin Your Journey to Peace.” You’ll be blessed mightily now and for eternity!
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