21 “Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?’
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
-Matthew 7:21, 23, KJV
Depart from me?!
Our most forgiving Savior spoke these words. Does that make him bitter? Of course, not.
But it ought to inform how we understand biblical forgiveness.
Jesus is teaching us three important things about God’s forgiveness here:
1. Notice the mark of someone belonging to the kingdom of heaven is obedience to the Father.
“Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
-Matthew 7:21, KJV
This begs the question of cheaters: Is continuing in lies and adultery doing the will of Jesus’ Father?
If not, it seems by Jesus’ own words that those sins are not forgiven. The cheater remains in his or her sins if she refuses to stop lying and cheating.
2. Claiming Jesus as one’s “Lord” is not enough to be forgiven.
“Not every one that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
-Matthew 7:21, KJV
As the saying goes, “talk is cheap.” Jesus makes it clear here that one has to live a life characterized by godliness to truly belong in God’s kingdom.
This is one problem I have with pastors or Christian counselors who work with cheaters “professing” to be Christians. The profession is not enough for Jesus. He demands to see fruits of godly obedience in His followers’ lives.
A good pastor or Christian counselor ought to demand similar things. Or, at least, they ought to alert the cheater to this demand Jesus will make of him or her on that Day.
3. Doing even miraculous works in Jesus’ name is not enough to demonstrate belonging in God’s kingdom.
Just because the cheater has performed miracles in God’s name does not necessarily mean he or she is in right relationship with Jesus. That is what verses 22 and 23 tell us:
22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?’
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Translating this to modern times, I would consider this to include “men of ‘God'” who have a powerful ministry. It might even move in the miraculous. Just because they have this ministry does not mean that they truly know Jesus as this verse suggests.
Ultimately, what saves is knowing Jesus. This knowledge is demonstrated through the fruits of righteous living.
You cannot continue sinning against one’s spouse (or ex-spouse) and truly know Jesus (see I John 3:6).
