I DON’T KNOW YOU

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

“Jesus says to them in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you.” They did not know Jesus and Jesus did not know them. Jesus knew about them and they knew about Jesus, but there was no intimacy of relationship which the word for “know” here indicates. It does not matter how much head knowledge you have about God, if you are not adopted into His kingdom as one of His children, then you are not going to enter because Heaven is not your home.

You say that sounds like I am against the security of the believer in the assurance of salvation. Maybe it sounds that way because I am against a false assurance of salvation. If you think that you are a Christian because you attend church services, pay tithes, made a public profession of faith, prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, raised your hand, were baptized, or anything else similar, or because pastor or evangelist told you that you were now a Christian, then you had better think again. You need to do what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” because if your salvation is based on any of those things I mentioned, then you have a false assurance of salvation. They are all based on having faith in faith itself or in what you did and not in Christ. That is part of the deceitfulness of self righteousness. Some may think they’re saved because they know a lot of theology, or because they do a lot of things for the church, or because they know the Bible very well, or because of a thousand and one other things, but unless your salvation is based on God’s graciously regenerating you -, i.e., making you who were dead in trespasses and sin alive again through the power of the Holy spirit by His gift of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement, then you are not saved.”  The Deception of Self-Righteousness – Matthew 7:21-23 January 10, 1993 Pastor Scott L. Harris 1/10/93; April 11, 1998)

Jesus looks at our hearts.  It is in our hearts that He can truly know who we are and what our intentions are.  This message from the Lord is a difficult “pill” to swallow.  There are those who preach the Gospel of Grace that says that “once saved always saved.”  Yes, when we accept the Lord Jesus into our heart and confess our sins, we are born into the Kingdom of God but we need to have an intimate relationship with the Lord and follow His will and commandments if we are to enter into heaven.  We also need to make sure that when we sin, we ask for forgiveness. 

Salvation is a daily walk.  It is a life-long commitment.  It is the working out of our sanctification that makes us who God has intended us to be.  It is our true identity.  It is a question of the heart.  Do we really love our Savior or are we doing works for our own gratification? 

Recommitment Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I want to know the real You in all Your fullness and glory like I never have before. I’ve wandered away from You, and have become lukewarm in my walk of faith. I repent for not giving You total control of my life. Jesus, please fill me anew with Your love and peace that surpasses all understanding. Please renew my strength and faith and restore my hope, so that I may know the real You intimately. Lord, I declare You are my Hope and my Salvation, my Rock and Shelter, my Provider and my Healer, my Everlasting Father, and I want to dwell in Your presence and love all the days of my life. Lord Jesus, I trust in Your love and believe in Your Word. Light the fire of Your Holy Spirit again in me so that I may taste and see each day that You are good! I dedicate my life anew to You, my Lord and Savior! In Jesus Name, AMEN. (God With Us Ministries)

 Marcella Ward October 20, 2021