Nov
19
Lord, Lord
Filed Under Devotional
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21
I heard a different take on this passage today. I had always understood it to be referring to those who claimed to follow Jesus, but were, in fact, following someone who doesn’t really exist. If you look at the Jesus described by the Jehovah’s Witnesses or by the LDS church, you’ll see that he is not the same Jesus we worship. Jesus will not know those who have followed someone or something else.
I now believe this passage also refers to those who know who Jesus is, but have not confessed Him as Lord and chosen to follow Him. How do you know if someone knows Jesus, but isn’t a follower of Jesus?
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17
Does that mean that we need to do good works to be saved? Absolutely not. But, if you claim to follow Christ and there are no good works to speak of, then your faith is in question. Real faith is a faith that works. The evidence will be clear.
So, if you claim to follow Jesus and say to Him, “Lord, Lord,” but have produced no fruit. It’s time for a gut check. This is an all or nothing deal. Whatever you think your reasons are, I’m pretty sure they won’t convince Jesus when He says, “I never knew you.”