One of the Scariest Verses in the Bible
I was talking with someone the other day about this verse found in Matthew 7:
“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your names, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.‘” – Jesus
Matthew 7:21-23
Jesus spoke these words while giving His Sermon on the Mount. He may have been referring to the religious leaders at the time – those who thought they were doing the right thing, when in fact they weren’t because they weren’t living in obedience to the commands of God.
The first time I read those words several years ago, a knot formed in my stomach. It caused me to examine myself and my faith. Would Jesus know me when I reached Heaven? Why wouldn’t He know me? Why does this verse bring me fear? As I studied this verse a bit more, I realized Jesus was referring to a relationship with Him – a relationship that went beyond just believing in Him.
It was then I realized my relationship with Jesus was lacking. At the time, I wasn’t studying or even really reading His Word. I wasn’t spending time in prayer. We weren’t attending church, so I was missing fellowship with other believers and the accountability that comes with that fellowship. When I truly examined myself, I realized I didn’t have an active relationship with Christ at all. I was shocked and saddened by it. I couldn’t believe I had neglected my faith that much. It would have been easy to blame it on being a mom to young kids, but honestly, I was lazy in my faith. I truly believe the fear I felt when I read that verse was a wake up call from the Holy Spirit to start working on my relationship with Jesus – to seek after Him and His ways.
Now, I’m sure many of you are thinking that all we have to do to be saved is to “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,” (Romans 10:9). That is absolutely true. We are saved by His grace alone, not by any of our works. But, once we are saved, we should see changes and growth within ourselves because of the work of the Holy Spirit. He has opened our eyes to what is good and righteous and to what is wrong and evil. Also, when we confess Him as Lord, that means He is not only Lord over all, but Lord over us. When we confess Him as Lord, we are giving our lives over to Him to live in obedience to His will.
Before I continue, I want to clarify the difference between works and obedience. Works, in this instance, are “moral actions or deeds”1 one may do in their own efforts to gain approval or even salvation. For example, many may say they are a “good person” and do good deeds and think that will get them to Heaven. It won’t. They may feed the hungry every weekend and donate a large portion of their salary to charities. They may be kind to their neighbors and even attend church occasionally. But if they have not accepted Jesus as their Savior and put Him as Lord of their life, then they are not saved. Our salvation is in Christ alone, not our works. It’s not even in Christ plus our works. It’s Christ alone.
Obedience is doing a work because we are obeying God. He calls us to live a holy life, so, as children of God, we should obey God and pursue a holy life. John 14:21 says “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” Again the desire to obey God is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. However, we still have free will and can choose whether or not to obey the LORD. Of course there may be times where we struggle. This is normal because our new life in Christ is radically different than our old ways and we are not yet made perfect. The point though is there is now a struggle, where once there may not have been because of our sin (side note: for those struggling, meditate on this verse to help you and encourage you: 1 Corinthians 10:13)
Also, when we obey Christ, then we are abiding in Him. John 15:10 says “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” It’s hard for Him to not know us if we’re abiding in Him. When we’re abiding in Him, then we are dwelling and remaining in Him. It’s an intimate relationship with our Savior.
So, what exactly are His commandments? In Matthew 22, Jesus answers this question: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 22:37-39). He then explains that these two commandments basically summarize and explain the Ten Commandments.
To clarify my point. Earlier, when I listed all of the things I wasn’t doing (such as studying my Bible or praying), it’s not that I was listing these things as items to mark off a “Good Christian” checklist. No, these are actions that help me obey God’s commands better. Studying His Word helps me draw closer to Him and to love Him with all that I have. It helps me love others better by being reminded of the love and grace shown to me by God. If I don’t know God’s Word and understand what He means by “love” then how can I obey Him?
When I hear this verse now, I no longer grow fearful. I do worry though about those who think they are saved because they are “good,” or because they attend church regularly or because their parents and their parents’ parents lived godly lives or for any other reason.
You may be a “good” person, but by whose standards? The Bible tells us we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). We are born into sin, it’s not something we can avoid. Only by confessing Jesus as Lord and through belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior will we be saved.
Regular church attendance won’t get you into Heaven either. You may know all the hymns and religiously tithe, but if you don’t have a saving faith in Christ, you are not saved. Again, only through confession and belief will we be saved.
Also, there are no legacy salvations. We can’t get into Heaven because we have a family history of belief. We must have that personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus said in John 14 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” and that “no one gets to the Father except through” Him, (John 14:6). There is no other way to salvation, except through confession and belief in Jesus Christ. He is God, the only One who humbled Himself, took on the form of man, lived a perfect life, then took the punishment for our sins on the cross. He is the only One who defeated death and created a path for us to live an eternal life (See Philippians 2:7-11).
I’m sure you’re probably tired of me repeating “confession and belief,” but I want to make sure you understand the way of salvation, particularly if you’re not saved. My heart is for others to have a relationship with Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. He loves you with a love you can’t even begin to imagine (I mean, seriously, would you die for others who hated you and were your enemies? See Romans 5:10). So, if you want to accept Jesus as your LORD and Savior, but you’re not sure how to do it, then do the following:
“…confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9-13
All Scripture references taken from the ESV Bible
1: Pocket Lexicon Greek New Testament
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
