You can accept Jesus as savior, but He is Lord whether you like it or not

Note: The following article was originally written during the presidency of Donald Trump. Rather than modify it for the present day, I have decided to leave it unedited.

A common Evangelical cliché is that we often encourage people to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. We've all heard it, and most of us have even said it ourselves (guilty). But I contend that this cliché needs to die. Although it does have its merits, it portrays God as a bit of a marshmallow. As if He's desperate for your friendship, but your consent matters to Him.

The truth is, God isn't even remotely familiar with the concept of consent. He'll quite happily knock at the door, and He may be patient and merciful enough to do this a few times, but He is wearing full SWAT armor and carrying a huge battering ram. He's ready to break that door into splinters if you won't open it willingly.

Whether unbelievers accept Him as Lord or not, He is the Lord. He doesn't need permission to be your Lord any more than Donald Trump needs the permission of Democrats to be the 45th president of the United States. In fact, God needs less permission than any president. He doesn't need to get voted in, neither can He be voted out, impeached, or deposed.

The savior part is a little more optional, but of course there are consequences for the wrong choice. We need Him as our savior for every time we have rejected Him as Lord, whether through the blasphemy of actively denying His Lordship, or simply through disobedience.

In the end, every knee will bow. The Scriptures do not put this forward as an option, but a simple fact. The option is whether or not we will do so willingly, receiving forgiveness for every time we have refused to bow, or by force, receiving the just condemnation for our sins.

On judgement day, there will not be a single man standing. Sheep and goat alike will kneel before God and be sorted according to where they placed their faith in their life. Those who accepted God's gift of grace will receive it, and those who rejected it will be condemned forever.

Recommended song: Destiny Lab - No Absolutes