Names of Jesus: Lord of All

Names of Jesus: Lord of All

As we explore and study the names of Jesus throughout the Bible, we get to become more intimately familiar with His character, nature, power, and sovereignty. This is such a beautiful blessing for those who truly desire to know Christ and to know Him better over time and throughout life. The Lord of All reveals Himself to us through His Word and wants us to spend time growing in our knowledge of and relationship with Him.

³⁶ He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.

Acts 10:36 CSB

Acts 10 tells us about a Centurion named Cornelius who was a God-fearing man. God gave Cornelius a vision and told him to send for Peter, which he did. Peter also had a vision, then men came to invite him to the home of Cornelius, and he went. There was a law that Jewish people were not allowed to visit or associate with foreigners, but Peter obeyed the Lord in visiting Cornelius.

While Peter was staying with Cornelius he declared a very important lesson – that God shows no favoritism, but as Christ is Lord of All He is Lord not only of the Jews but of the gentiles. To us, this means that He is truly Lord of all, no matter where you come from, who your parents or ancestors are, who or what you know, what you have done – He is Lord over all of creation.

The Lord of All died to save all

Because He is Lord of All, He also came and died to save all. In Philippians 2 we are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to adopt the same attitude as that of Jesus (Phil 2:5), and to be selfless and count others more important than ourselves. As Christ emptied and humbled Himself for the salvation of all, we must remember the conviction of Peter in Acts 10:42 that we are commanded to preach the gospel to all people. We are all His creation whom He sacrificed Himself on the cross to save us from the penalty for our sins. There is to be no favoritism, but we are to obey God and share His Good News with all of His creation.

⁸ he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
⁹ For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
¹¹ and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:8-11 CSB

Jesus Christ is Lord of All, on earth (those who live on this earth, G1919), in Heaven (those who dwell in the heavenly realms, G2032), and even under the earth (departed souls in the underworld, G2709). Eventually, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. This means that all of creation, in the physical and spiritual realms, will bow in honor and worship (G2578), and every tongue will confess, or acknowledge openly and joyfully (G1843), that Jesus Christ is truly Lord of All.

The Lord of All created all

Christ is Lord of All, and Creator of All. All things were created by, through, and for Him. He then came to dwell with His creation, and then die for the salvation of His creation. In Colossians 1 we learn that everything, seen and unseen, spiritual and physical, all was created by and through Him, and it was also created for Him. All of creation is under His authority and dominion.

¹⁶ For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:16 CSB

The Lord of All is the only Way to the Father

Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of All is the only way to be saved from the penalty for our sins and be welcomed into the family of God, with the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father. In order to receive salvation, each person must in faith believe in Jesus and His saving works.

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6 CSB

Again, there is no favoritism. Christ came and died for the sins of all of creation because He loves and wants a personal relationship with all of creation. All are given opportunities to know and believe in Jesus as their Savior, but only those who come to Him in faith will be saved. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you’ve done… Christ died to save you. He wants each of us to come to Him in faith and believe that He died to pay the debt for all of our sins.

¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 
¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 
¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 
¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:10-13 ESV

God has revealed Himself to all of creation. Christ died for the sins of all of creation to draw us all to the Father through Him, and all of creation are responsible for their responses to His revelations and promptings. He is Lord of All and wants to be in a relationship with us all.

²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:20 ESV

²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
²⁹ Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 CSB