Getting Job-ed
“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 name, 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.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
I find it amazing that, in Churchianity today, once a teacher begins to say anything about turning from our ways and following God they’re labeled as a bigot, unloving, hater of people (even within the church). It’s insane because this is actually the very essence of the Gospel as stated by Jesus (Mark 1:15)! This criticism even comes from the church itself, saying if you don’t follow their cultural-relevant shenanigans for getting people to attend their church then you’re somehow against the movement of God (this is real life, there’s a popular church in Cincinnati that makes it a point to kick a bible every year in their super bowl celebration sermon series and then berates anyone that opposes their lack of reverence for the Scriptures- this is arrogance when you will not listen to any criticism and thoughtfully consider it, just fyi). We actually see something very sobering that is taught by Jesus (as fun-loving, culturally relevant, and joking as some churches try to make Jesus out to be): He actually will say to some that thought they knew Him to leave His presence forever, despite what they have done for Him.
Sober up
We need to really get a handle on who we’re talking about when we talk about Jesus. I feel that it’s important to see Christ for who He is: truly God, truly man. He is a man that had flesh, everyday problems, and dealt with temptation. Yet He is also God, Yahweh in the flesh (John 8:58). He knows our struggles, yet He is also God, and should be reverenced and seen as God. We should be humble before Him, not just cracking jokes with our fun-time Jesus buddy.
So, when Jesus says words like He did in the opening passage, we need to sober up. This is serious business. There will be some that worked for Jesus, did all kinds of great things in His name, whom He will say “I never knew you, depart from me…” (Matthew 7:23 ESV). They’ll cry out, “Jesus! We prophesied in your name! We held huge events in your name! We did miracles in your name! We did great charity in your name!” And what will He respond to some: “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23 ESV). Why does He do this? Because He never knew them. There was no real relationship there. To be known by God is to have an intimate relationship with Him. All the actions were exterior, not interior.
Doing the will of the Father
What’s the message of hope? The message is that if you’re reading this article there’s still time to repent and believe the Gospel. Turn from your ways- both from sin and your own self-righteous works (that’s what we see in the passage above, isn’t it?). Put your faith in Christ and His work on the cross, not in anything else. One question Matthew’s Gospel makes us ask is “Who can be saved?” We are so incredibly self-reliant and do not want someone else to get the credit for it. Jesus answers that question later in Matthew: With yourself and with the power of people it’s impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:25-26).
Doing the will of the Father entails doing what the Father commands. The commands of God are wrapped up in two commands: Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love people as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). This is actually what the entire Old Testament law is pointing us to. If we’ve arrived at something different, then we’ve missed the point.
Conclusion
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith…” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV). Christians should examine themselves. Don’t ever think that your religiosity or ritual practices (however subtle as they can be!) will get you into heaven or with favor with God. This should be a sobering message for us all: examine yourself. How awful it would be to go our whole lives doing religious work and totally miss the mark. Trust in Christ and His grace (Ephesians 2:1-9), love and follow Him at all costs, and love people as yourself.
-Austin
