Do not be deceived!
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23
These are frightening verses. Jesus says on judgment day that “many” who think they are Christians will be surprised to learn they are really going to Hell.
Wait a minute! These people prophesied in Jesus’ name! They cast out demons in Jesus’ name. They did many wonders in Jesus’ name. How could they be sent to Hell? Obviously, those acts will be a testimony to the power of Jesus’ name, not the existence of saving faith.
God is a just God and must punish sin (lawlessness). He does not have a balance sheet where there is a list of the good deeds that will be compared to a list of sins and if the good deeds list is longer than the sin list, the person goes to Heaven.
Let’s apply this passage to our age. Many on that day will say, “We believed in You" but they lived godless and immoral lives.” Many will say, “We were in church every Sunday…We were in the choir…We were ushers…We tithed every week…We read the Bible and prayed,” but they defied His will for them as parents, spouses, in the assembly of believers, as employees, etc. Here is the truth about genuine faith. “He died that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and rose again.” II Corinthians 5:15 “If you abide in My Word you are truly My disciples…” John 8:31 “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.
As I look back on my life, I can say there were times that had Jesus returned I would have been surprised by His verdict. The strength of my faith was in my mind, not in my heart and not revealed by my obedience.
How about you? Are you so overwhelmed with God’s love for you that He sacrificed His Son for you (John 3:16), so thankful that the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9), so thankful that you are the temple of His Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20) that you get up each day seeking to glorify God with all that you do, think and say (I Corinthians 10:31). If so, then judgment day will hold no surprises for you. If not, please don’t be deceived by any vague belief in God you might profess or trust in any token religious activities. See your Savior bearing the guilt and punishment for your sin on the cross, repent of your sins, bask in His blood-bought forgiveness and follow Him (Mark 8:34).
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