Does Christ become Lord of your life at salvation, and why?
Yes, Christ becomes Lord of your life at salvation as a natural result of the new birth. This is not Lordship Salvation, which smacks of works, but follows as naturally as daylight follows dark. When you enter by faith and become a child of God, Christ becomes Lord.
Les explains that he does not agree with Lordship Salvation because it smacks of works. But he teaches that when a person enters in by faith, experiences the new birth, becomes a child of God, and receives salvation—forgiven, sanctified, glorified, baptized into the Body, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit—one of the other things that happens is that Christ becomes Lord of our life. Les says this follows as naturally as daylight follows dark. That is what Paul is saying in verse 9: if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Les also clarifies this verse is not requiring a public testimony before a congregation of 300-400 people for church membership; rather, when you have entered into a salvation experience, you will not keep it to yourself.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
More Questions
What happens in a person's life when they enter into salvation by faith?
When a person enters in by faith, experiences the new birth, and becomes a child of God—forgiven, sanctified, glorified, baptized into the Body, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit—one of the other things that happens is that Christ becomes Lord of our life.
What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord in everyday life?
For the believer, calling Jesus 'Lord' means He is in control of our life, the One in whom we eat and sleep and move, and without Him we are nothing.