What is the difference between God and Lord?
The word “God” is the Greek word THEOS in the New Testament. The word THEOS also denotes a “Deity,” which is synonymous with God. The Bible teaches us that God is a “Supreme Being Who is eternal,” which means He never had a beginning, nor will He ever cease to be. Psalm 90:2 speaks to this, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING, You are God” (NKJV). This verse also teaches us that God is the CREATOR, which is also confirmed in the first verse of our Bible: “In the beginning God CREATED the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Besides being ETERNAL and the CREATOR, God has three Divine attributes. He is: 1) Omnipotent (all-powerful), 2) Omniscient (all-knowing), and 3) Omnipresent (present everywhere). And finally, “God is one God who at the same time subsists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (see Matthew 28:19). God is “NOT three Gods,” but “three Persons who are CO-EQUAL and they all share the same Divine attributes mentioned above.” They also have the same nature of LOVE, as we see in 1st John 4:8 “He who does not love does not know God, for God is LOVE.” And they all have a HOLY nature, as we see in 1st Peter 1:15-16, “But as He who called you is HOLY, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.” This is also taught in 1st John 1:5, “God is LIGHT and in Him is no darkness at all.” Finally, because all three Persons are God, they are each “called God.” The Father is called God in 1st Corinthians 8:6, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him.” The Son is called God in John 20:28, “And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!” The Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5:3-4, “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit….You have not lied to men but to God.”
The word “Lord” is the Greek word KURIOS and it “signifies having power or authority.” We saw that God is a “Supreme eternal Being” who is the CREATOR who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere at the same time. The title “Lord” means He has “power and authority over all things”; He is the “LORD of His creation.” He has authority over inanimate creation (the heaven and the earth and the vegetable kingdom…see Genesis 1:6-19) and animate creation (animals, fish, birds and man…see Genesis 1:20-28). Each Person in the Godhead is referred to as “Lord.” Jesus (who is “God manifest in the flesh”…see John 1:1, 14; 1st Timothy 3:16) prayed to His Father in Matthew 11:25 and said, “I thank You, Father, LORD of heaven and earth….” We already saw in John 20:28 that Thomas called Jesus, “My LORD and my God.” And in 2nd Corinthians 3:17 the apostle Paul said, “Now the LORD is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Though every Person in Godhead is Lord, we read in Acts 1:36 that Jesus is the one who God wants men to especially acknowledge as their Lord. Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD and Christ.” This is especially borne out in Philippians 2:8-11, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.” So, not only is the Son of God “Lord” by reason of Him being God, but He is also “Lord” as a Man who humbled Himself and laid down His life on the cross to redeem sinners. Every sinner who believes on Jesus Christ gladly owns Him as Lord! We see this in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because He is the believer’s Lord, they gladly follow Him and obey Him, which is the truth illustrated in water baptism. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said, “ALL AUTHORITY has been given to Me in heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Is He your Lord, dear reader? If you have seen Him as your Savior on the cross (see John 3:14-16), you can then own Him as your Lord by bowing to His AUTHORITY and OBEYING all that He has commanded us. Like Thomas you can bow your hearts before Him and exclaim, “My LORD and my God!” (DO) (542.5)