My Lord and My God

The confession of the apostle Thomas in the locked room, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28), is perhaps the most significant Christological declaration in the New Testament. It is a moment where the physical reality of the Resurrection collided with the eternal truth of the Godhead. To understand the weight of this confession, we must look beyond that single room in Jerusalem and see how it connects to the self-revelation of the LORD in the Old Testament and the exaltation of Christ in the New Testament. Calling Jesus "Lord" is not a mere title of respect, but an acknowledgment of His absolute divinity and sovereign authority.

The Great "I AM": The Foundation of the Name (Exodus 3:13-18)

The authority of the name of God begins at the burning bush. When Moses asked for God’s name to validate his mission, the Lord replied, "I AM WHO I AM" (v.14).

This name signifies God’s self-existence and immutability. He is the source of all things and is not dependent on anything else. This "I AM" is the same authority that Jesus claimed for Himself throughout His ministry. When we call Him "Lord," we are identifying Him with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who is eternally present and faithful to His covenant. This name was a comfort to the Israelites in bondage; similarly, the lordship of Christ is a comfort to those in the bondage of sin.

The Only Savior: The Prophetic Decree (Isaiah 45:21-25)

In the prophetic writings of Isaiah, the LORD makes an exclusive claim to divinity and salvation: "There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me" (v. 21).

This passage is a direct challenge to the idols of the world. God commands all the ends of the earth to turn to Him and be saved. Most significantly, verse 23 declares, 

“By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭23‬

When we look at the confession of Thomas, we see the fulfillment of this prophetic trajectory. To call Jesus "God" and "Savior" is to recognize that He alone occupies the throne that Isaiah described. Our "righteousness and strength" are found only in the Lord. By confessing Christ as Lord, we are admitting that there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

The Mind of Christ: Humility and Exaltation (Philippians 2:5-11)

The Apostle Paul provides the theological bridge between the "I AM" of Exodus and the "Lord" of the New Testament. In this famous hymn of the early Church, Paul describes the kenosis, that is the self-emptying (from Greek kenoo, "to empty"), of Christ.

The Humility: Though He was in the "form of God," He did not count equality with God something to be "grasped" for His own advantage, but took the form of a servant (v. 6-7).

The Exaltation: Because of His obedience unto death, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name (v. 9).

The name given to Jesus is the very name mentioned in Isaiah 45. Paul explicitly quotes Isaiah, stating that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (v. 10-11). The exaltation of the Son does not detract from the Father, but rather manifests the Father’s glory through the Son’s victory.

The Personal Confession: From Doubt to Devotion (John 20:24-29)

This leads us to the pivotal encounter between Christ and Thomas. Thomas had missed the initial appearance of the risen Lord and demanded physical proof: the touch of the wounds.

When Jesus appeared a week later, He did not rebuke Thomas with harshness but invited him into the evidence: "Put your finger here... Do not disbelieve, but believe" (v. 27).

Note that Christ’s knowledge of Thomas’s private doubts was, in itself, a proof of His divinity. Thomas’s response, "My Lord and my God!", was a double acknowledgment. He recognized Christ’s humanity (the one who was pierced) and His deity (the one who is Lord). This is the "faith of the heart" expressed through the lips (Romans 10:9). Jesus’ following words are a promise for us today: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (v. 29).

The King of Glory: The Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:9-20)

The lordship of Christ is not confined to that room; it extends into the eternal future. In the vision given to John on the island of Patmos, we see the "Son of Man" in His full, glorified state.

"I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (v. 17-18).

Christ here uses the titles of the LORD from the Old Testament ("I am the first and the last"). His appearance, with eyes like a flame of fire and a voice like the roar of many waters, commanded such awe that John "fell at his feet as though dead." The one who died is the same one who now holds the "keys." This is the "Lord and God" whom Thomas confessed, now fully revealed as the Sovereign of time, death, and the Church.

The Public Boast: A Life of Testimony (Psalm 35:18-28)

Finally, the confession "My Lord and my God" must move from the heart to the congregation. Psalm 35 provides the language for this public testimony. The Psalmist resolves, "I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you" (v. 18).

Our greatest defense against those who "devise deceitful words" is the constant magnifying of the Lord. We should say continually, "Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!" (v. 27). The confession of Christ’s lordship is not a private secret; it is a public boast that brings glory to God and strength to the believer (Romans 10:10-13).

Making the Confession Ours

The title "My Lord and my God" is the proper acknowledgment we can give to Jesus Christ. It is a recognition that He is the "I AM" of the burning bush, the "Exalted One" of Philippians, and the "First and Last" of Revelation.

To call Him my Lord and my God is to stake our eternal destiny on His finished work. It is to move from being a spectator of the Gospel to being a participant in His Kingdom. As we walk the narrow way, let this be our constant prayer and our public boast of our faith: that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.