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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
March, 1934
The^Mastershipof CHRIST Christ’s Mastery of the Human Heart*
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S 1 Q L 0 &
B y W ILLIAM E yAN S Los Angeles, CSTifornia
“ Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord” '(1 Pet. 3 :15, R .V .) . “Denying the Lord that bought them” (2 Pet. 2 :1 ). I n our méditation o f the “ Mastership o f Jesus Christ,” we have seen that He claims absolute mastery in the three realms of human life : the intellect —a man’s think ing; thè heart —a man’s loving; the hands and feet — a man’s service. Christ would be crowned “ Lord o f all.” And could He ask less and be who and what He is ? How could God be satisfied with less than being loved and served
have in it but one Lord. There must be unity o f control at the center, if there is to be consistency o f conduct and efficiency in our service; only then can there be realized life’s threefold essential—unity o f being, consistency o f conduct, and attainment o f the desired end. If our loyalty is divided at the very center, these desirable ends cannot be consummated. The heart is the organ o f spiritual vision; out o f it are the issues o f life. The heart is, strange as it may seem, the seat o f any thinking that makes for character. To make
with all the heart, all the mind, ' all the understanding, and all the strength? T he M eaning of “ M astery ” The two Greek words used to describe Christ’s mastery over the heart are: 1. Kurios, Lord, or Master (.1 Pet. 3 :15, R . V .) . It is used by the disciples in addressing or describing their relation to Jesus Christ. When so used, it is translated “ Lord” and “ Mas ter.” It is used o f God as the Owner of all things (e.g., Matt. 4 :7, 10) ; and o f Jesus Christ as the final Critic and ultimate A r biter o f human conduct, whose teachings are final (e.g., Matt. 7 :21 ; Rom. 14:4, 14). 2. Despotes, sovereign Lord, absolute Master (2 Pet. 2 :1 ). This word is used ten times in the New Testament; five times it is translated “ Lord,” and five times “ Master.” It has in it the same meaning as Kurios, except that the authority is more abso lute. It signifies an absolute ruler whose subjects are slaves (c f. “ Paul . . . . the bondslave [bondservant, Rom. 1 :1] of Jesus Christ” ). It implies such
Christ Master in the heart, therefore, is to be true, strong, and efficient. “ As he [a man] thfnketh in his heart, so is he.” It is by and through the heart that we comprehend spiritual truth. The stars we see through the telescope. W e sound waters by a plummet. The grains o f sand are measured by^the scale, and we test chemicals by the test tube, and gold in the crucible. Even so, it is through the crystal lenses o f a pure heart that we “ see God” and comprehend spir itual truth.
The heart, more than the brain, rules life. That is why mother is more potent and influ ential than father, and emotion controls much more effectively than reason. The theater and the world know that; so should the church. Experience saves doc trine, not vice versa. Revivals o f religion have demonstrated this fact again and again. When destructive criticism swept Eng land and Scotland, it was the re vival conducted by D. L. Moody that restored evangelicalism. Romance is a thing o f the heart, not o f the head. So long as hus band and wife have the heart o f each other, all is well; but when that is lost, all is lost. H eart R est Again we say, it is not surprising that Christ should claim absolute mastery in so important a realm as the heart. Within that throne room there must be but one King. To be governed by many lords is to be in bondage to them all, and to be confused and desolated by their conflicting ways. To be in sole captivity to Christ is to be released from all other captivity. Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Master. No matter what turmoil there may be outside, if at the heart o f the citadel there is quiet and undivided loyalty, all is well. Indeed, this is the heart o f the meaning o f our key verse: “ Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord [Mas-
F ollow M e , and I W ill M ak e Y ou F ishers of M en .’
T he S upremacy of the H eart f i t is not difficult to see why Christ should demand abso lute mastery in so vital a realm as that o f the heart, for it is the very citadel and throne room o f the life. It is natural, therefore, that at life’s very center Christ should want to be in absolute controTTi That throne room must - — — - *Second o f a series o f three articles. absolute authority that the Greeks refused the title to any but the gods. It is differentiated from despotikos— one who is inclined to. tyranny, and from despotiskos —a little lord and master; Jesus is Master in the sense o f being neither tyrannical nor small.
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