Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name cast out demons, and in Your Name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ -Matthew 7:21-23
Those are among the most terrifying verses in Scripture. To think that someone could spend their entire lives working for the cause of Christ only to be turned away on Judgement Day is enough to make even the most faithful servant doubt their own promised salvation. Is God planning to hoodwink those who have committed their lives to Him?
The short answer is, “No, God has always and will always be faithful.” That being said, what does this statement by Jesus mean? Until I was finishing up a Bible study at Wendle and Clairice’s last week, I had never taken a very close look at this passage. Notice the last half of verse 23 is in all-caps. Translators do this to help the reader recognize a passage is a direct quotation from the Old Testament. This statement is part of Psalm 6. That being the case, consideration of the psalm is necessary to better understand what Jesus is referring to and who He is directing this comment towards.
David is in trouble. Surrounded constantly with those seeking to do him harm, he does not seem to know who to trust. As a result David turns to the Lord for comfort and peace. It is in this setting that he writes in verse 8 of the psalm, the words we hear Jesus echo in Matthew 7:23.
With Psalm 6 in mind, consider Matthew 7:15-23. Jesus has just warned those listening to beware of false prophets calling them ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing (7:15). He says these people will be known by their fruit (7:16-20). In light of David’s words, Jesus seems to be referring to those on the inside, appearing to work for and honor God. These are people who are seeking to be “near” Jesus for the honor, authority, power, and recognition serving Him has to offer. These people are focused on what they can personally get out of “working” for God but are enemies of the cross of Christ in actuality.
Was Jesus referring to the Pharisees or to those who would be a part of the new church? This is unclear, but it is likely He is addressing both since He blasts the Pharisees in Matthew 23 calling them hypocrites for the way they conduct their lives in light of their teachings. The New Testament writers warn constantly about false teachers (see Philippians 3:1-2, 2 Peter 2, and 1 John 4 as examples).
God is faithful. He has made great promises to Christians about a restored relationship and eternal homes with Him in Heaven. All of the promises He made in the Old Testament were fulfilled. God has always and will always be faithful. He will not hoodwink His people.