I Never Knew You
10/31/2012
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 7:21.
This verse is quite frequently misinterpreted. Many claim this verse
proves we can lose our salvation. On the contrary, this verse proves
there are those who claim to be saved (Christians) but who are not. The
folks who Jesus is referring to in this verse are those who attempt to
take whatever path pleases them the most to achieve their goal of
entering Heaven, neglecting and rejecting the one true way. In the next
verse the familiarity of these people can be seen even today in regards
to some professing Christians, and numerous cults that erroneously clam
to be Christian.
“Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?” Matthew 7:22.
The answer to their question is yes. These people, who our Lord says
are many, had performed an abundance of wonderful works. Today there are
those who stand firmly with these same types of folks accomplishing
good works, all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. But in Jesus’
response to these people we are given a look at what they were actually
all about.
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23. The word “profess” in the Greek is “homologeĊ”,
which actually means to “declare openly.” In other words Jesus is not
just speaking to those particular foolish people, but to all who would
hear His words. He’s declaring in no uncertain terms that the “many
paths” crowd is dead wrong. All their good works will never be enough as
an entry point to the Father.
Jesus continues with the phrase “I never knew you.”
When a person becomes justified/saved there is only one way that that
can be accomplished - only by believing in the Son of God. At the point
when we first believe, God justifies us and thus we are born again, born
from above, from God Himself. Hence God would certainly know us at that
point. But Jesus claims no knowledge of these folks in question. Why?
Because they were not born again, they were never justified in God’s
eyes. They were merely works oriented and this was their attempt at
getting into Heaven.
Then
Jesus tells them to depart from Him. He didn’t even want these folks
near Him. This sounds unusual for our Lord since we know Him to have a
loving, caring, gentle soul. There must have been something horribly
wrong with these folks who were prophesying, casting out devils, and
doing good works in His name. When we take a closer look at the original
Greek language our eyes are opened to a more complete picture of this
situation.
The
Greek word “ergazomai”, which is translated into English as “work”, can
also mean “minister”. So these folks were not just workers of iniquity
but ministers of such. They were ministering to others. What they were
doing is exactly what many people continue to do today when they claim
there are numerous paths to Heaven. They were teaching such egregious lies
that Jesus professed (declared openly), for the entire world to hear,
that they should “get away” from Him. Anyone who convinces another
person that they don’t need Jesus to get to Heaven is a devil. Anyone
who teaches Jesus plus works as the path to salvation is also a devil.
There are many devils in this world and many Scripture verses where we
can plainly read that Jesus does not want devils around Him.
The last word in verse 21 is “iniquity” and in the Greek it’s “anomia”
which actually means wickedness, unrighteousness, or lawlessness. By a
simple interpretation of the Greek we discover a mass of underlying evil
connected to these folks who claimed kinship with Jesus. But God cannot
be fooled. God knows all His Children and they are those who have truly
turned their lives over to Him; they are His possession. Jesus claims
He doesn’t know those who only give Him lip service, they are not His
possessions, but He does know their evil deeds.
The
Lord, Lord professors in the above verse were intent on making Jesus
out to be a liar by demonstrating their demonic powers to the simple
minded, yet claiming they were performing their good deeds by the name
that is above all names, Jesus Christ. But they were not professing
Jesus Christ as God and Saviour; they had not said yes to Him. They
didn’t really believe in Him. They were only attempting to use His power
to perform their tricks and good deeds so they might be seen as
righteous by others, all to accomplish their own foolish goals.
Jesus
says many will say to Him Lord, Lord but they will all perish because
He never knew them. When our Lord speaks of many He’s actually speaking
of multitudes. Huge throngs of people. It’s the same word He uses when
He says many will follow the wide path which leads to destruction. Who
are these folks who will cry out to our Lord after it is too late? They
are those on earth who has rejected Him as the One and only true way to
the Father.
Evil
exists in many forms, and most of those forms seem benevolent to the
casual observer. This is why Jesus openly declared these workers of
iniquity as evil, and told them to get away from Him. This pervasive
evil is exactly the same as we see spreading over the entire globe
today. We may look at someone who to us represents the epitome of good
in his or her life, and we might even become convinced that they are
godly individuals when in fact they are simply well dressed and well
versed workers of iniquity. When Messiah Jesus tells us He is the way,
the truth, and the life and that no man comes to the Father but by Him
we should take His statement very seriously. All the religious
organizations who establish programs so their congregations can work
their way to Heaven are working for Satan; even the ones who claim to be
Christian.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.
Satan’s deceptions run deep. Imagine all the people who are caught up
in the lies of their works orientated religions standing before Him at
His White Throne Judgment Seat and crying Lord, Lord, perhaps we should
tell them the truth before it’s too late.
“…but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21.
I purposely left this last part of verse 21 out until this point in the
commentary. It’s the answer to why those people who cried “Lord, Lord”
were never saved in the first place. The will of God for all mankind is
to believe in His only begotten Son, thus by doing so He may justify
them and set their feet on the strait and narrow way. This is what was
lacking in the ones who were prophesying, casting out devils, and doing
good deeds all in Jesus’ name. They never had the Son. They had no use
for their Messiah Jesus. They were convinced in their own minds that
they would go to Heaven simply because of their own meritorious living,
which included their good works.
“Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:” Matthew 7:24.
Jesus concludes His thoughts with a promise. Those who hear (read) His
words and believe them while putting their hope in the Rock of Ages
(Messiah Jesus) are those who have nothing to worry about in regards to
their eternal destination (Heaven). Their house (salvation) is secure
from all storms.
On
the other hand, the foolish are those Jesus likens to having built
their house on the sand. When I lived in California and Oregon it was a
common occurrence to read about someone’s home washing out to sea or
being condemned because it was no longer safe to live in as the
foundation had eroded away. The people had built their homes too close
to the ocean – on the sand. “And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall
be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:” Matthew 7:26.
This verse always came to mind every time I’d read of another family
who had foolishly built their home on sand, and multitudes foolishly
continue to build on the sand.
If
we have the Son we have the Father as well. If we don’t have the Son,
Heaven will never be a part of our eternal destination. Do you know Him?
Do you trust His words? Or when your time comes will Jesus profess unto
you? “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Jesus is our foundation, the only solid ground. Build your life on Him.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed