Last week we saw Jesus’ warning to us about church leaders: while some will be faithful shepherds trying their best to feed their flock, others will be wolves in sheep’s clothing only interested in feeding on the flock.
He taught that we can tell the difference by examining the fruits of their conduct as leaders and teachers within the church, and I suggested several questions to consider when doing so.
In today’s passage, Jesus gave a similar warning, but this time he shifted the focus from church leaders to all members of the church.
Let’s read Matthew 7:21-23: “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!‘”
Here the warning is for all of us, not just those who organise and teach in the church community.
There’s also a shift from last week’s warning to examine the conduct of church leaders – in other words, ask questions of someone else – to this time asking questions about yourself.
That’s much harder
It’s much easier to look at others and see their faults and shortcomings as Christians than it is to examine yourself. In some ways the church leaders are the easiest group of all to criticise – they make decisions, they put themselves out there, they’re often the most visible members of the church – while the hardest person for you to examine critically will almost always be yourself.
Jesus’ warning to you – and to every Christian – is that when he returns to the earth in glory to judge who will receive eternal life and who won’t, there will be many people who expect to receive eternal life and instead are turned away.
Really?
Why would he turn away people who want to serve him? There appear to be two factors at play.
First, Jesus warned that he will tell these people he doesn’t know them. Picture a famous celebrity or sports star who’s just been spotted in public and is quickly surrounded by people calling her name. While they’re shouting her name and excitedly trying to tell her about all the times they’ve seen her perform or play, she has no idea who any of them they are.
That’s NOT what Jesus was describing. He’ll know exactly who these people are. When he says “I never knew you” it’s a rebuke more along the lines of “You’ve never truly followed me or dedicated yourself to what I taught.”
Second, he will call them “evildoers” (other translations might have “workers of iniquity” or words to that effect). This again shows that he knows exactly who they are and what they’ve done with their lives. While they profess loyalty to him and claim to have done great deeds in his name, his judgement of their lives as a whole is that they have served evil rather than him.
This, then, is a very stark warning that there will be many people who think themselves faithful Christians, who recognise Jesus when he comes in glory, who call his name and tell him about all the things they’ve done for him – and yet who are shocked and horrified when he tells them they never really followed him or served him at all.
Obviously none of us want to be one of those people – we want to be among those who receive forgiveness for the times we did evil and who are welcomed into eternal life.
So what must we do?
It’s not enough just to identify as a Christian, or to be waiting eagerly for the return of Jesus, or even to recognise and welcome him when he comes. It won’t be enough simply to believe the right things. It won’t even be enough to have a reputation for good deeds done in Jesus’ name.
So what will be enough?
To truly be a Christian means to give your entire life to Jesus. Every action. Every word. Every thought. Every moment. Just as he devoted everything he had (and sacrificed all the things he could have had) in order to serve his Father, so must you.
Will you succeed? Of course not. Only Jesus has ever achieved that.
Yet it was his willing death on the cross that made it possible for you to repent and seek forgiveness for the times when you do fail.
You won’t succeed, not all the time, but you must always try, and you must never give up no matter how many times you fail. God will always be willing to forgive you and let you start again if you are truly repentant.
Repentance is what makes you a true Christian. Belief on its own is essential but not enough, even if what you believe is entirely true. Good deeds done in Jesus’ name are essential to prove your faith is real, but still not enough.
Only that ongoing commitment to turn away from anything else that might claim your loyalty or offer you a framework or philosophy to base your life on, only a single-minded devotion to serving Jesus – and through him, God – will do.
When Jesus predicted himself saying “I don’t know you” or “Get away, evildoers”, that’s what those people will be lacking. They’ll believe in Jesus and will have done things to serve him, but their devotion won’t be complete. They’ll have had other priorities, other ideologies, other things in which they placed their ultimate hope and trust. And, crucially, they’ll not have repented of their sins.
Four steps
A correct understanding of God’s message leads to faith – trust that God is willing to keep his promises, forgive your sins and give you eternal life through Jesus.
Faith leads to repentance – confessing your sins, asking for forgiveness and responding to God’s promise with one of your own, namely a promise to commit the rest of your life to him.
Repentance leads to change – a new direction in life, new priorities, putting God first and other people second and yourself last.
Change leads to good deeds – living in a way that honours God and cares for the needs of others, rather than living for your own survival and pleasure.
If any of those four elements isn’t present, you’re at serious risk of being among that group who thought they knew Jesus but were told he never knew them.
That’s why Jesus said we’d know true shepherds from deceitful wolves by their fruits (v16-20).
That’s why James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-17).
Some people place too much emphasis on having correct beliefs and neglect the latter three steps. Other people neglect the first three steps and try to go straight to the good deeds. Both of these approaches are flawed.
All four elements must be present. All are essential. They represent the transformation from someone who doesn’t know Jesus to someone who knows of Jesus to someone who truly knows Jesus, and will be known by him when he returns.
Nihilist to Christian 