Hank,
Jesus is both Lord and Savior (His proper roles) whether or not we grasp this truth. The dedication ceremony where someone throws their stick in the fire and accepts Jesus as Lord is silly at best and blasphemous at worst. As we mature (at different rates) so should our understanding of Jesus' lordship. This is not something that can or should be quantified or measured. Hebrews 6:1 states, "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,". Opponents of Lordship Salvation accuse proponents of a works-based righteousness. They do this because they misunderstand sanctification and its progressive nature. All of us should have as our goal to be more like Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1).
