Meaning of the Word "Lord"

The New Testament word for Lord is the Greek word kurios. The word was used in several ways in the ancient world. In its most common usage it functioned as a polite word for sir. (Spanish speaking people and Portuguese speaking people use the term senor to refer to the Lord. You will hear them say, “Senor” in their prayers when they are talking to Jesus. As our English word sir can be used in an ordinary sense and in a special sense, so it was with kurios. In England, men who are knighted are given the title sir, indicating the elevation of the common use of the word to the formal use of it. A second use of the title Lord in the Greek culture was as a title given to men of the aristocratic class who were slave owners. This title was used figuratively for Jesus throughout the New Testament. He was called “Master” by his disciples. Paul frequently introduced his epistles by saying, “Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ.” The word he used was doulos. There could not be a slave (doulos) without a lord (kurios). Paul declared, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Here the believer is seen as a possession of Jesus. Jesus owns his people. The third and most important meaning of the title Lord was the imperial usage. Here the title was given to one who had absolute sovereignty over a group of people. It is a usage that was usually understood politically.[1]

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[1]Sproul, R. 1996, c1991. Following Christ. Tyndale House Publishers: Wheaton, IL