Many Want a Savior, Not a Master

Why Many Profess Christ but Reject His Authority

Many today claim to follow Jesus, but in truth, they only want Him as their Savior—not as their Master. They want the promise of heaven without the cost of surrender. They want freedom from guilt without submission to God's will. They want Jesus to save them from their sins, but not to change them from their sins. This mindset is not only unbiblical—it’s dangerous.

Jesus Himself warned of this very thing:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
— Matthew 7:21 (NKJV)

Notice that these people called Him Lord, but they didn’t do what He commanded. They wanted the title of being “His,” but not the life that comes with it. They wanted salvation, not submission.

Too often, people define God on their terms. They say things like, “God knows my heart,” or “I don’t think God would care about that,” without any scriptural backing. They pick and choose what to obey, twist scripture to support their lifestyle, or remain completely ignorant of the Bible altogether. Paul warned of such behavior:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
— 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)

People want to be affirmed, not corrected. But the gospel doesn’t just comfort the sinner—it calls for repentance. Jesus said:

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
— Luke 6:46 (NKJV)

We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the church. Jesus said plainly:

“No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and mammon.”
— Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)

And again, James writes:

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
— James 4:4 (NKJV)

If we truly want Jesus as Savior, we must also accept Him as Lord. That means obeying Him, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means measuring everything we believe and practice against God’s word—not our traditions, emotions, or preferences.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
— 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)

How do we test ourselves? By going to the Bible, daily. That’s how we guard against false teaching and false worship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
— John 4:24 (NKJV)

Worshiping in truth means it must be according to God’s Word—not what feels right, not what the majority does, not what entertains or pleases us. Truth is not subjective; it’s scripture.

It is heartbreaking to think of how many will stand before Jesus one day, only to hear:

“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
— Matthew 7:23 (NKJV)

Let that not be us. Let us fully submit to Christ—not just as Savior, but as Master, Lord, and King.

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