The Lord-is-Jesus Rule: “Kyrios” in the New Testament

Written By Martin Robinson

“Lord”?

Have you ever noticed that the New Testament often refers to ”the Lord” without specifying who “the Lord” actually is? Sometimes, it can be a bit confusing. Cast your eyes over this sample of verses:

Acts 5:14: Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

Acts 9:42: This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Acts 16:15: When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Acts 18:8: Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptised.

Romans 16:2: I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

Romans 16:8: Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

Romans 16:11: Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

Romans 16:12: Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

Romans 16:13: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

Romans 16:22: I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:31: Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 4:17: For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

1 Corinthians 7:22: For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.

1 Corinthians 9:1: Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

1 Corinthians 9:2: Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:11: Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.

1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 16:19: The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.

2 Corinthians 10:17: But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Galatians 5:10: I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.

Ephesians 2:21: In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

Ephesians 4:17: So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

Ephesians 5:8: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

Ephesians 6:1: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Ephesians 6:10: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Ephesians 6:21: Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.

Philippians 1:14: And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Philippians 2:24: And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

Philippians 2:29: So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honour people like him,

Philippians 3:1: Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Philippians 4:1: Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

Philippians 4:2: I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:10: I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

Colossians 3:18: Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Colossians 4:7: Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

Colossians 4:17: Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 3:8: For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:12: Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.

2 Thessalonians 3:4: We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.

Philemon 16: no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

Philemon 20: I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Revelation 14:13: Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.”

Who are we talking about when we talk about “the Lord?” Is it the “LORD” of the Old Testament? Is it God the Father? Is it Christ the Son? Is it the Holy Spirit?

There are places in the New Testament where any of these answers could be true. But is there a rule of thumb?

A similar issue arises when we pray. People often pray to the “Lord.” But who do they mean? The LORD of the Old Testament? The three persons of the Trinity? The Father? The Son? The Spirit?

Since the days of the New Testament, most Christians have committed to what I call the Lord-is-Jesus Rule. By this I mean:

In the New Testament, the word Lord always refers to God the Son, except when it obviously doesn’t.

It’s quite similar to the God-is-Father rule. In another article, I argue that “in the New Testament, the word Theos always refers to God the Father, except when it obviously doesn’t.”

The rule in this article is the same, except with reference to Lord and Jesus.

  1. “LORD” in the Old Testament

Before launching into how the New Testament uses the word “Lord,” it’s worth doing a bit of background study on how the name “Lord” was used in the Old Testament.

All Caps

The name “Lord” first appears in Genesis 2:4. Up until now, it’s just been “God” (Elohim) in view as he creates the universe. In Genesis 2:4, we zoom in and are now given a more personal name for God: “Lord”. Except, if you look at your English Bible, it won’t say “Lord” but “LORD.” It’s in all caps.

Tetragrammaton

Basically, when you see "LORD" in all capital letters, we’ve come across a special translation convention to indicate the presence of the divine name of God, which in Hebrew is made up of the four consonants YHWH, which is possibly (probably?) pronounced “Yahweh.” Nerds call this the “Tetragrammaton,” which comes from the Greek words for “four” (tetra) and “letters” (gramma).

Basically, in the Hebrew Scriptures, God's name is represented by the four Hebrew letters י (Yod), ה (He), ו (Vav), and ה (He) – often transliterated as YHWH. This name is a big deal in the Bible. In fact, the third of the Ten Commandments specifically commands us not to use the LORD’s name in vain.

Adonai

To avoid accidentally misusing the LORD’s name, people began to replace YHWH with titles like “Adonai” (another Hebrew word for “Lord”) when reading aloud.

The LXX and Kyrios

In the mid-3rd century BC, Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria decided that they wanted a Greek translation of the Bible, so a group of seventy of them got together and started translating what would become known as the LXX (seventy in Roman numerals). When it came to translating YHWH, the translators chose “Kyrios” (Greek for “Lord”) to maintain reverence for God's name and avoid breaking the third commandment. Since “Adonai” was used as a spoken substitute for YHWH, “Kyrios” seemed like a good Greek equivalent.

LORD and Lord

When the Old Testament was later translated into English, the translators adopted the custom of writing "LORD" in all capital letters to signify where YHWH was used in the Hebrew text. When they were translating the words “Adonai” and “Kyrios” (the New Testament is written in Greek), they went with small caps.

So, for example, when you read Psalm 110:2 in your NIV Bible, the first line says:

The LORD says to my lord…

In Hebrew, it would read like:

YHWH says to my Adonai…

(Or, more exactly, נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה לַֽאדֹנִ֗י).

In Greek, it looks like:

Ho Kyrios says to my Kyrios…

(Or, more exactly, Εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ).

You get the point.

YHWH, Kyrios and the New Testament

So, when we get to the New Testament world two centuries after the LXX has been completed, Greek-speaking Jews often use the word “Kyrios” when speaking about God’s holy name.

So, whenever you have references to the Old Testament YHWH, we see lots of Kyrios. For example, when Psalm 110:1 is quoted in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36-37, Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Hebrews 1:13, and 10:12-13), it says “Ho Kyrios says to my Kyrios.”

But who is Ho Kyrios?

Most of the time, Jesus is Ho Kyrios; Jesus is Lord.

2. Jesus is “Lord”

The characters in the Gospel accounts understand this quite clearly.

Lots of people refer to Jesus as “Lord” in the Gospels. Does this mean that Jesus is YHWH? Not necessarily. It could just mean that he’s someone with a lot of authority. Like a landlord. Or Lord Vader. Or Lord Voldemort.

But Thomas gives a clue that we might be sniffing in the right place.

He says to Jesus, “My Lord and My God” (John 21:7). Thomas finally realises who Jesus is. Jesus is divine. Jesus is God. If

A) Thomas recognises that Jesus is God, and
B) he knows that YHWH is God (because everyone knew that), and
C) he calls Jesus “Lord,” it seems to follow that
D) by calling Jesus “Lord,” he implies that Jesus is YHWH.

3. The “Lord Jesus (Christ)”

Next, Jesus is often called the “Lord Jesus Christ,” the “Lord Jesus,” or something similar.

“Lord Jesus Christ”

In these 60 verses, Jesus is referred to as the “Lord Jesus Christ:” Acts 11:17, 15:26, 28:31; Romans 1:7, 5:1, 5:11, 13:14, 15:6, 15:30; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1:3, 1:7, 1:8, 1:10, 6:11, 8:6, 15:57; 2 Corinthians 1:2, 1:3, 8:9, 13:14; Galatians 1:3, 6:14, 6:18; Ephesians 1:2, 1:3, 1:17, 5:20, 6:23, 6:24; Philippians 1:2, 3:20, 4:23; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 1:3, 5:9, 5:23, 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 1:1, 1:2, 1:12, 2:1, 2:14, 2:16, 3:6, 3:12, 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:3, 6:14; Philemon 3, 25; James 1:1, 2:1; 1 Peter 1:3; 2 Peter 1:8, 1:14, 1:16; Jude 17, 21.

“Lord Jesus”

These 41 verses refer to Jesus as just the “Lord Jesus:” Luke 24:3; Acts 1:21, 4:33, 7:59, 8:16, 9:17, 11:20, 15:11, 16:31, 19:5, 19:13, 19:17, 20:21, 20:24, 20:35, 21:13; Romans 14:14, 16:20; 1 Corinthians 5:3, 5:4, 11:23, 16:23; 2 Corinthians 1:14, 4:14, 11:31; Ephesians 1:15; Philippians 2:19; Colossians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:15, 2:19, 3:11, 3:13, 4:1, 4:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1:8, 2:8; Philemon 5; Hebrews 13:20; Revelation 22:20, 22:21.

“Lord Christ”

Then, Romans 16:18 and Colossians 3:24 refer to Jesus as the “Lord Christ.”

“Jesus Christ our Lord”

In Romans 1:4, 5:21, 7:25, 1 Corinthians 1:9, and Jude 25, Jesus is referred to as “Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Christ Jesus our Lord”

Then, in Romans 6:23, 8:39, 1 Corinthians 15:31, Ephesians 3:11, 1 Timothy 1:2, 1:12 and 2 Timothy 1:2, we read of “Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“Christ Jesus my Lord”

In Philippians 3:8, Paul refers to “Christ Jesus my Lord.”

4. Jesus Christ “is” Lord

Next, we have verses that explicitly identify Jesus as Lord using the ever-important verb of existence, “is” or “am.”

Whereas the other verses assume that Jesus is Lord and run with it, these verses make the case even more explicit.

Acts 10:36

Peter tells us that Jesus’ identity as Lord is central to the gospel message. “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Central to the gospel's message is the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

Philippians 2:11

This verse points us to a day that is coming when every tongue will acknowledge the gospel reality “that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Romans 10:9

This verse reminds us that those who acknowledge that “Jesus is Lord” will be saved on the day referred to in Philippians 2:11.

1 Corinthians 12:3

Here, Paul helps us understand that we can only declare that “Jesus is Lord” with the help of the Holy Spirit.

4. Jesus is “LORD”

So Jesus is Lord of all. He can save us. Critical to this, though, is his divine identity. He’s not just Lord in the sense that he has a crazy amount of power. He’s also Lord in the sense that he is LORD, that is, YHWH, God.

Therefore, there are places in the New Testament where an Old Testament verse is referenced, and Jesus fulfils the part of the verse that YHWH needs to achieve.

Here are some examples.

Joel 2:32

In Joel 2:32, we read:

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

When Paul quotes Joel 2:32 in Romans 10:13, he applies this verse directly to Jesus. The Lord Jesus saves those who call on him.

Isaiah 6:10

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees a vision of “the King, the LORD Almighty (6:5).” Then he’s told: Then, in verse 10, the LORD tells him:

Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

In John 12:40, John quotes this verse. Then, in verse 41, he writes:

 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

In other words, when Isaiah saw and heard the LORD, he heard Jesus.

Isaiah 40:3

In Isaiah 40:3 we read:

A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3 foretells a voice in the wilderness preparing the way for the LORD (YHWH), which the New Testament identifies as John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:2-4; Luke 3:2-6; John 1:23). For example, in John 1:23 tells us that, when questioned by the religious leaders:

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”

And who is this “Lord”? In verse 29, we read:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John is making straight the way for the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. By applying this prophecy to Jesus, John and the other Gospel writers affirm that Jesus is the LORD whom a “voice” would prepare the way for.

Isaiah 45:23

Isaiah 45:23, the LORD says:

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.

Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess before the LORD. How do we know that the “I” is the LORD? We know this because chapter 45 begins with the words, “This is what the LORD says to his anointed…”

Paul picks up the language of Isaiah 45 in Philippians 2:10-11 when he declares:

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In Isaiah 45, the LORD is the one to whom every knee bows and every tongue swears. Now, Paul says that knees should bow to and tongues should acknowledge Jesus, the same Jesus Christ who is “Lord.”

Psalm 102:25–27

Psalm 102 is a prayer to the LORD. In verses 25–27, we read:

25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. 27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

The LORD is addressed 9 times in the Psalm, so we assume he is the “you” addressed in the verses. Hebrews 1:10-12 applies these verses to Jesus. Again, Jesus is the “LORD” of Psalm 102.

Psalm 104:4

Psalm 104 is a Psalm of praise to the LORD. In verse 4, it says:

He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

The Psalm is addressed to the LORD eleven times in the Psalm, so the “he” and “his” above refer to the LORD.

Hebrews 1:7 applies Psalm 104:4 to Jesus. Jesus is “the LORD.”

(Hebrews 1:6 also applies the LORD in Deuteronomy 32:43 to Jesus, but it uses the LXX and DSS versions of Deuteronomy rather than the Masoretic Text, which we usually use for our English translations.)

Zechariah 9:9, 14:16-17

Zechariah 9:9 depicts the coming of a humble king who will humbly arrive in Jerusalem on a donkey.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey,  on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The New Testament applies this to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on donkey-back a week before his death. Matthew 21:4-5 and John 12:14-15 directly reference Zechariah 9:9, while Mark 11:1-10 and Luke 19:28-40 give off strong vibes. This king is Jesus.

While Zechariah 9:9 doesn’t explicitly refer to the LORD, In Zechariah 14:16-17, we read that the “King” in Jerusalem is none other than the “LORD.”

16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.

The LORD is king. The king is Jesus. Jesus is the LORD.

Zechariah 12:10

In Zechariah 12, we receive “the word of the LORD concerning Israel (Zechariah 12:1).” Then, in verse 10, we read:

10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

John 19:37 quotes this verse and applies it directly to Jesus while recounting Jesus’ death on the cross.

5. Jesus and “I am”

In most of the verses we’ve examined, other people say that Jesus is Lord. But what does Jesus himself say?

This brings us to the “I am” sayings.

In Exodus 3:14, when God reveals his name to Moses, he says, "I AM WHO I AM." From this, we get the name YHWH. Scholars debate how much we can read into this name. I reckon the name represents God’s eternal, self-existent, and unchanging nature. It declares that God is the Creator of all things, independent of time and space, and the source of all life.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus uses the phrase “I AM” quite climactically.

John 8:58

In John 8:58, Jesus says, "Before Abraham was born, I am." After this, the religious leaders pick up stones to throw at him, presumably to kill him. That’s a pretty strong reaction. Why? Jesus is identifying himself as YHWH, the LORD, the self-existent one, who exists not only before Abraham but also “in the beginning” (John 1:1), as one who possesses “life in himself” (John 5:26).

John 18:5-6

Similarly, in John 18:5–6, when Jesus is arrested and identifies Himself as "I am He" (literally, "I AM"), the reaction of those who come to arrest Him is one of awe. “They drew back and fell to the ground.”Why? Because they recognise that Jesus is claiming the divine name and thus his identity as God.

“I Am” Sayings

These two verses give an extra level of meaning to all those places where Jesus starts a sentence with “I am,” which we often call the “I am” sayings. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says:

  1. "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)

  2. "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)

  3. "I am the door" (John 10:9)

  4. "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11)

  5. "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25)

  6. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)

  7. "I am the true vine" (John 15:1)

With John 8:58 and 18:5–6 in mind, these sayings take on an extra level of meaning. For example, when he says, “I am the bread of life,” he’s not just saying that he’s someone who can duplicate loaves, and he’s not just saying that he can meet your needs. He is saying that he is the timeless, self-existent one who existed in the beginning before anyone else knew what life was (John 1:1), who received “life in himself” from the Father in eternity (John 5:26), and who has authority to give everlasting life to anyone who trusts in him (John 17:2), something that only God himself can do (Isaiah 43:11).

6. Exceptions

So, I’ve been trying to argue that most of the time, when we read the word “Lord” in the New Testament, it refers to the person of the Son, Jesus Christ. Whether explicitly or implicitly, this identifies Jesus as the LORD of the Old Testament, the Great “I AM.”

Except when it doesn’t.

There are some places in the New Testament where it wouldn’t make sense to ascribe the title “Lord” to Jesus. For example:

The Father is “Lord”

In Matthew 11:25 and its parallel passage in Luke 10:21, Jesus says, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” Jesus isn’t talking to himself when he says “Lord”, nor is he randomly switching the identity of the person he is talking to literally one word earlier. He is calling the Father “Lord.”

Similarly, In 2 Corinthians 6:18, Paul quotes 2 Samuel 7:8:

And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Here, “Lord Almighty” is clearly identified as the Father.

The Father is “LORD”

Some New Testament passages in the Old Testament reference “the LORD” and apply them to the Father, whether explicitly or implicitly.

For example, in Psalm 2:7, the LORD says, “You are my Son, today I have become your Father.” In 2 Samuel 7:14, the LORD says, “I will be his Father, and he shall be my Son.”

Hebrews 1:5 picks up on both passages and assumes that God, or “the LORD,” is speaking to Jesus.

Similarly, in Psalm 110:1, David says,

The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” 

Hebrews 1:13 identifies the “LORD” (YHWH) with “God” (presumably the Father) and the “lord” (Adonai) with Jesus, the Son.

The Spirit is the “Lord”

There are also times when “Lord” clearly refers to the Spirit. For example, in 2 Corinthians 3:17, we read:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

It’s pretty apparent that “Lord” doesn’t refer to Jesus here.

The Spirit is the “LORD”?

In Acts 28:25, Paul says:

The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet…

And then, he quotes from Isaiah 6:9–10. Guess who speaks in Isaiah 6: “The King, the LORD Almighty (Isaiah 6:5).”

Some people interpret this as a reference to the Spirit as the LORD. The Spirit is fully divine—there is no question about that.

However, we’ve already seen from John 12:41 that Isaiah saw Jesus in Isaiah 6.

There is a sense that all of Scripture is the word of the Holy Spirit since “prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).”

So, in Acts 28:25, when Paul attributes the words of YHWH to the Holy Spirit, I think he’s talking about how the Holy Spirit carried Isaiah along to write about the glorious vision and speech of God the Son he’d just witnessed.

The Angel of the Lord

We read of the “Angel of the Lord” in various places (e.g., Matthew 1:20, 1:24, 2:13, 2:19, 28:2, Luke 1:11, 2:9, Acts 5:19, 8:26, 12:7, 12:23). It’s tricky to determine who the Angel of the Lord is.

When he appears in the Old Testament, people often argue that it’s a pre-Christmas appearance of Jesus. After all, Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), and nobody has ever seen the Father (John 1:18). As I’ve argued elsewhere, I don’t find this argument convincing. It’s unclear who the Angel of the LORD is, especially in passages like Genesis 18 and 19!

If the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is Jesus, it’d be kind of weird if he’s Jesus in the New Testament as well.

Consider the angel’s appearance to Joseph in Matthew 1:18:

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

If the angel appearing to Joseph is Jesus, then we have Jesus appearing to his soon-to-be stepfather while still in Mary’s womb and telling Joseph to marry his mum. That’s kind of weird. Then again, the whole virgin conception thing is weird. Nevertheless, I’m not convinced that the Angel of the Lord is definitely a reference to the Lord Jesus.

False and Other “Lords”

Then, there are false—or other—“Lords” in the New Testament.

In 1 Corinthians 8:5–6, we read:

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 

Jesus’ lordship is pitted against the lordship of so-called “lords.” Then, in verse 6, the Father is clearly identified as the true “God”, and Jesus is clearly identified as the true “Lord.”

In 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14 and 19:16, Jesus is called “Lord of Lords.” He’s the Lord of “lords.” So he can’t be those other lords; otherwise, he’d be lording over himself, which is kind of a weird thing to do.

Some lords are human “masters,” and clearly not the Lord Jesus (e.g., Matthew 10:24, 18:25, 18:27, 18:31, 18:32, 18:34, 24:45, 24:46, 24:48, 24:50, 25:19, 25:21, 25:23, 25:26, Luke 12:36, 12:37, 12:42, 12:43, 12:45, 12:46, 12:47, 14:21, 14:23, 16:3, 16:5, 16:8, John 13:16, 15:20, Romans 14:4, 1 Peter 3:6). In each of these verses, it is obvious that it’s not talking about Jesus.

Conclusion

So, in summary, while there are times in the New Testament when “Lord” clearly cannot refer to Jesus, the rest of the time, I think it’s safe-ish—and helpful—to assume that it does.

Why does this matter?

Bible Reading

Basically, this Lord-is-Jesus Rule helps us out as we read the New Testament. When we come across the word “Lord,” it’s fairly safe to assume it’s talking about Jesus. If it’s not, it will usually be fairly obvious. And, as we read the word “Lord,” we’re reminded of his divinity. As the New Testament authors wrote, they assumed it. They held a high view of Jesus, what we might call a “high Christology.” Specific references to Jesus as “Lord” are packed with divine overtones, while it is less explicit in other places. But even in those places where it is less explicit, we can think back to other places where it is more explicit and get excited about who this Jesus really is.

I would caution against applying this rule to the Old Testament. In the New Testament, there is a general pattern of applying “God” to the Father and “Lord” to the Son. The Old Testament writers did not subscribe to this same pattern. There are places where it will be weird to read “Jesus” as a reference to the “LORD.” Verses like Isaiah 53:6 and 53:10 come to mind.

Prayer

The Jesus-is-Lord Rule also helps to sharpen our prayers. It forces us to ask, “Who am I praying to?” Of course, the Lord himself didn’t teach us to pray “Lord.” He taught us to pray to “Our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:9).” Therefore, I usually pray to the Father (in the name of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit). That said, he prayed to the Father as “Lord” on one occasion (listed in Matthew 11:25 and Luke 10:21), and twice, the prayer for Jesus to “come” is directed his way.

Come, Lord.
1 Corinthians 16:22

Come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22:20

Martin Robinson
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