Adonai; Our Lord, Master and Owner
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
-Genesis 15:1-6
In this passage, Abram addresses God as "O Lord God." This is the meaning for the name Adonai. God is our Lord, Master and Owner. What does it mean for us to know God as our Lord?
In Genesis 12, God had told Abram that He was going to make him a great nation. But in Genesis 15, Abram still doesn't have any children. Abram asks God, his Lord and Master, if Eliezer, his heir, will be a great nation.
In Genesis 15 above, we see that God told Abram his heir would be one who came from Abram's own body, not from his servant Eliezer; and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Abram believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. This means that Abram was made right with God. To see what Abram believed, we can look at Galatians 3.
Consider Abraham: "He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance of Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." -Galatians 3:6-8
God preached the Gospel to Abraham. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus coming to die on the cross and save us from our sins. Abraham believed God, and God saved him. A person is made righteous when he realizes he is a sinner and confesses his sins. If he asks Jesus to be his Savior, He now has a right relationship with God. He will want to do what God says is right.
Abram first recognized God as his Lord and Master, the Owner of his life, in Genesis 15:2. Later, in Genesis 15:6, we see Abram believing God. We see Abram's salvation.
What does it mean for God to be Lord in your life? Letting God be the Lord and Master of your life means you have surrendered your will to God's. You have to obey God by doing the things He tells you to do in His Word. In John 6:40, we see that God's will for those who believe in Christ is that they will have eternal life.
God's Son is Jesus. In John 10:30, Jesus tells us that He and the Father are one. Jesus was making it clear that He and God are both God. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is not only God's Son, but that Jesus is also God. If we bow the knee and surrender to God as Adonai, we also have to acknowledge Jesus as Adonai and surrender our lives to Him.
What else do we have to believe to be saved? Romans 10:9 tells us we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. In order to be saved, we have to believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.
In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a Son and that His name was to be Jesus because He would save His people from their sin. This is why Jesus was born. Not only do you have to believe that Jesus is God and that He died and was raised again, but you also have to know that you are a sinner. The reason Jesus left heaven to come to earth was to die on the cross to pay the price for your sins.
What is sin? James 4:17 tells us that sin is knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. Romans 3:23 reveals that everyone has sinned. And Isaiah 53:6 shows us that all of us have gone astray. We have each turned to our own way. This is the root cause of sin: wanting our own way instead of obeying God and doing things His way.
In Luke 15:7 Jesus said that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. To repent means to change your mind about your sins, to realize that sin is wrong and decide to turn away from your sins. It is to want to do things God's way.
Before you can let God be your Adonai, the Lord and Master of your life, you have to be saved. First, you have to know that Jesus is our Savior, that He is God's Son, that He is God, and that He lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross to pay for our sins. Then He was buried, and God raised Him from the dead. Finally, you have to know that you are a sinner and be willing to confess those sins to God and turn away from them. You have to be willing to turn your entire life over to God - Adonai.
Once you have chosen to make God the Master and Owner of your life, then you are to submit to whatever He asks you to do. In Matthew 7:21-27 we read that not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of God will enter. For those who do good things but not the Father's will, God will say He did not know them and they will have to depart from His presence. If you hear God's words and act on them, you are like a wise man; but if you hear God's words and don't act on them, then you are a foolish man.
Mark 8:34 tells us that if we want to truly follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. We must be willing to put Jesus first in our life. When you are willing for God and Jesus to be your Adonai, then you are willing to surrender your desires for His. You are willing to deny yourself and let Him be the Lord of your life.
-Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids!; God, What's Your Name?; Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt; pp. 66-74
-Genesis 15:1-6
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| Photo Credit |
In Genesis 12, God had told Abram that He was going to make him a great nation. But in Genesis 15, Abram still doesn't have any children. Abram asks God, his Lord and Master, if Eliezer, his heir, will be a great nation.
In Genesis 15 above, we see that God told Abram his heir would be one who came from Abram's own body, not from his servant Eliezer; and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Abram believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. This means that Abram was made right with God. To see what Abram believed, we can look at Galatians 3.
Consider Abraham: "He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance of Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." -Galatians 3:6-8
God preached the Gospel to Abraham. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus coming to die on the cross and save us from our sins. Abraham believed God, and God saved him. A person is made righteous when he realizes he is a sinner and confesses his sins. If he asks Jesus to be his Savior, He now has a right relationship with God. He will want to do what God says is right.
Abram first recognized God as his Lord and Master, the Owner of his life, in Genesis 15:2. Later, in Genesis 15:6, we see Abram believing God. We see Abram's salvation.
 |
| Photo Credit |
God's Son is Jesus. In John 10:30, Jesus tells us that He and the Father are one. Jesus was making it clear that He and God are both God. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is not only God's Son, but that Jesus is also God. If we bow the knee and surrender to God as Adonai, we also have to acknowledge Jesus as Adonai and surrender our lives to Him.
 |
| Photo Credit |
In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a Son and that His name was to be Jesus because He would save His people from their sin. This is why Jesus was born. Not only do you have to believe that Jesus is God and that He died and was raised again, but you also have to know that you are a sinner. The reason Jesus left heaven to come to earth was to die on the cross to pay the price for your sins.
What is sin? James 4:17 tells us that sin is knowing the right thing to do and not doing it. Romans 3:23 reveals that everyone has sinned. And Isaiah 53:6 shows us that all of us have gone astray. We have each turned to our own way. This is the root cause of sin: wanting our own way instead of obeying God and doing things His way.
In Luke 15:7 Jesus said that there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. To repent means to change your mind about your sins, to realize that sin is wrong and decide to turn away from your sins. It is to want to do things God's way.
Before you can let God be your Adonai, the Lord and Master of your life, you have to be saved. First, you have to know that Jesus is our Savior, that He is God's Son, that He is God, and that He lived a perfect life without sin and died on the cross to pay for our sins. Then He was buried, and God raised Him from the dead. Finally, you have to know that you are a sinner and be willing to confess those sins to God and turn away from them. You have to be willing to turn your entire life over to God - Adonai.
Once you have chosen to make God the Master and Owner of your life, then you are to submit to whatever He asks you to do. In Matthew 7:21-27 we read that not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of God will enter. For those who do good things but not the Father's will, God will say He did not know them and they will have to depart from His presence. If you hear God's words and act on them, you are like a wise man; but if you hear God's words and don't act on them, then you are a foolish man.
Mark 8:34 tells us that if we want to truly follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. We must be willing to put Jesus first in our life. When you are willing for God and Jesus to be your Adonai, then you are willing to surrender your desires for His. You are willing to deny yourself and let Him be the Lord of your life.
-Discover 4 Yourself Inductive Bible Studies for Kids!; God, What's Your Name?; Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt; pp. 66-74
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