--- title: "Why do Catholics call Jesus 'Lord and Saviour'?" url: "https://seekabove.com/answers/why-call-jesus-lord-and-savior" description: "Catholics call Jesus “Saviour” because he rescues us from sin and death, and “Lord” because he is truly God and the rightful King over all things. The two titles belong together: the one who saves us…" published: "2026-06-05" updated: "2026-06-05" category: "Jesus Christ" scripture: ["Philippians 2:9-11", "Acts 4:12", "Romans 10:9", "John 20:28"] catechism: "CCC 430, 432, 446, 448–449, 451" --- # Why do Catholics call Jesus 'Lord and Saviour'? ## Short answer Catholics call Jesus "Saviour" because he rescues us from sin and death, and "Lord" because he is truly God and the rightful King over all things. The two titles belong together: the one who saves us is the very one who has every right to rule us — and he wins that rule not by force, but by giving himself in love. ## Full explanation Start with "Saviour," because it is built right into Jesus' name. As the angel explained, he was to be named Jesus — "God saves" — because he would save his people from their sins. A saviour is a rescuer, someone who reaches into a situation we cannot escape on our own and pulls us out. Humanity was trapped on two sides: by sin that we could not undo and by death that we could not defeat. Jesus came to break both, and the Church confesses there is no other name under heaven by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). He is not one rescuer among many; he is *the* rescue. "Lord" is the weightier word, and it carries a quiet bombshell. In the world of the first Christians, "Lord" was both a title of supreme authority and, in their Greek Scriptures, the word that stood in for the sacred name of God himself. So to call Jesus "Lord" was not merely to call him "master" or "sir" — it was to confess that he is God. That is why Thomas, meeting the risen Jesus, fell down and said "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28). The title declares both his divinity and his rightful authority over every part of life. Hold the two titles together and you see why they cannot be separated. A rescuer who had no claim on you might pull you from the water and then walk away, owing you nothing and you owing him nothing. But Jesus saves us *and* is our King — which means salvation is not just a one-time favour but the beginning of belonging to him. He rescues us in order to reign in us, and his reign is the very thing that keeps us free. The remarkable part is how he claims the throne: not by conquest, but by laying down his life. Because he humbled himself to the cross, God exalted him and gave him the name above every name (Philippians 2:9-11). He rules by love. This is why the earliest and simplest Christian confession was just three words — "Jesus is Lord." Paul says that to confess this with your mouth and believe in the resurrection in your heart is the heart of being saved (Romans 10:9). It is not a slogan; it is a surrender. To say "Jesus is Lord" is to hand him the keys — to let the one who saved you also lead you. So when Catholics call Jesus "Lord and Saviour," they are saying two things at once: he is the only one who can rescue us, and he is God himself, worthy of our whole allegiance. The titles refuse to let us keep Jesus at the level of a helpful figure we admire. They press the real question: will we let the rescuer also be King? ## Why this matters These two titles keep faith from shrinking into either fear or sentimentality. "Lord" guards against treating Jesus as a cosy mascot we summon when convenient — he is God, and he has authority over everything. "Saviour" guards against treating God as a distant judge — he is the one who came to rescue, not to condemn. Together they shape a whole way of life: trusting Jesus enough to be saved by him, and loving him enough to be ruled by him. ## Common misunderstanding Some assume "Lord" is just a polite, old-fashioned honorific, like calling someone "sir." But in its biblical setting the word carried the weight of the divine name itself, so confessing Jesus as Lord is a confession of his divinity, not mere courtesy. The opposite error is to embrace Jesus warmly as "Saviour" — someone who helps me — while quietly resisting him as "Lord," the one who has the right to direct my life. The Church holds both titles inseparably. ## Scripture connections - **Philippians 2:9-11** — because of his self-emptying, God exalts Jesus and gives him the name at which every knee will bow, confessing him as Lord. - **Acts 4:12** — salvation is found in no one else; there is no other name by which we must be saved. - **Romans 10:9** — confessing "Jesus is Lord" and believing in his resurrection is central to salvation. - **John 20:28** — Thomas worships the risen Jesus as "my Lord and my God." ## Church teaching references - CCC 430, 432, 446, 448, 449, 451 ## Reflection question Is there a part of your life where you are happy to have Jesus as Saviour but slow to let him be Lord — and what would it look like to hand him the keys there?