Jesus said, “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).
The Lord is here contrasting between the mere talker and the actual doer of God’s will. He who knows God and yet disobeys His commandments “is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). Faith in God must accompany the doing. “Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17), but it is equally true that works unaccompanied by a sincere and living faith are also “dead” (Heb. 11:6).
Those who do not know the will of God are not held accountable for it (Luke 12:47, 48), but those who have heard God’s voice speaking to their hearts and yet persist in ways of their own choosing “have no cloke for their sin” (John 15:22) and are in danger of presumption.
Miracles don’t mean that the doer is always in line with God’s will. The devil will perform miracles through his children (Revelation 16:14; Revelation 13:13, 14). “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24). In fact, Satan and his angels will appear as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and, even more shocking, as Christ Himself (Matthew 24:23, 24).
Those who claim to be godly are to be tested by their lives (Matt. 7:16), and not by their preaching, performing miracles, or doing supernatural acts. A true Christian will do God’s will and obey His commandments (John 14:15).
The workers of iniquity are “lawless” because they have refused to conform their lives to the perfect pattern set forth in the law of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible declares “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). Therefore, obedience is the acid test of our love to God.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
