Matthew 7:21-23

Continuing the close of the Sermon on the Mount, we reach one of the more troubling passages in the entire discourse. But if we remember our two main theses, that there are more who profess Christ than actually follow Him AND that we can know the difference, we can approach this passage with clarity.

1. We must understand Jesus is Lord. He has full Deity as a person of the Triune Godhead and declares Himself “Lord” in this passage. He also shows us He will have a role in Eschatological Judgement, again displaying Deity.

2. There are within these passages two people who call on Him as Lord: Those who obey Him and those who only call to Him. The phrase “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the Kingdom” shows that the two groups both say to Jesus “Lord, Lord” but the group who enters the Kingdom is described as the one who does the will of The Father.

3. Relying on Works, no matter how great, is not sufficient for entering the Kingdom (Eternity with Christ). Obeying Christ IS NOT the same as doing good things and saying you are doing them for Jesus. Obedience cannot be separated from Faith, Repentance, Love, Devotion, Worship, and Surrender. While I would say that it follows these rather than precedes them, at the very least it accompanies them. If we attempt to bypass these, we are actually bypassing the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we believe we are saved because we “Do Good Things,” we do not understand Jesus as Lord and Savior, but rather as a cruel Master who must be pleased in order to be appeased.