Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven”
This passage has been interpreted and understood differently through the ages. When I was a young follower of Jesus, I must say these words were discouraging. Yet, as I matured in my walk, I liked this about Jesus; He declared the Word as it should, even if it offended His listeners.
Based on this verse alone, we can say that some followers of Jesus will be denied entry into heaven, or is it just a warning of what could happen? Nevertheless, saying the name of Jesus is not enough to get into heaven.
The name of Jesus is mighty, and in our culture, it is either revered or despised. In the book of Acts 5:40, the governing authorities (the high priest and his associates) did not allow the apostles to speak the name of Jesus. They were given the okay to bring joy, healing and perform miracles - but forbidden to mention the name of Jesus.
In the past seven months since I started writing, I have continued to be active in reading and learning from various Christian and non-Christian writers. Now, I must say, many of these writers are incredibly educated and masters in writing. But, I have also found some Christian writers, but not all, rich in theology but void of Jesus.
There is no question we are at a shift in our culture and, with it, the misinterpretation of the Bible. Man’s wisdom is foolishness to God, and his sinful nature is compounding the divide from Him. We are witnessing followers of Jesus redefine the Bible to fit their lifestyles.
And this brings us to the latter part of what Jesus said, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
So, it’s not enough to know Jesus, to sing Jesus, to pray Jesus, to preach Jesus, or to minister for Jesus. Because if we do all these things and deny any part of His word, we reject Jesus and most certainly fall into our sinful nature - the practice of lawlessness.
Jesus didn’t shoot from the hip - Jesus is meticulous and intentional with His words, but He always hits the target - our heart.
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“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! Matthew 7:21-23
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