Not Everyone

By Matthew Barrett

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” –Matthew 7:21-23

I will be honest; it is hard to read passages like Matthew 7:21-23 and, even as a believer with assurance, not feel some sense of fear and trepidation. Why is this the case? It is the case because Jesus makes it very clear that many who give the appearance of belonging to him, in fact will be condemned on the last day. Not only that, but Jesus is lucid that many of those who appeared to be the most renown of followers will on the last day be cast away from his presence. Those who prophesied in the name of Christ and even cast out demons in the name of Christ will nevertheless be revealed as workers of lawlessness.

In order to understand the seriousness of Christ’s words in this passage, it is necessary to take a step back. In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus explains that a tree is known to be either healthy or rotten by the fruit it produces (7:17-18).

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20).

The picture Jesus paints for us seems obvious enough. If a tree is good it will produce fruit good to eat. But if it is diseased, it will produce rotten fruit. After all, says Jesus, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, just as much as a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit. Jesus applies the analogy to “false prophets.” Those who were false prophets may have had a message that was luring, persuasive, and even appearing to be orthodox. As Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 7:21-23, they would have been among those prophesying in the name of Christ, putting on a show of “mighty works,” even casting out demons. They even confessed publicly the name of Christ. And yet, though on the outside they wore “sheep’s clothing,” on the inside they were “ravenous wolves” (Matt 7:15). They were as much of a contradiction as gathering grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles (Matt 7:16).

How we identify these ravenous wolves and diseased trees, however, is simple: we see what kind of fruit they bear (Matt 7:16-20). The apostle Paul knew this all too well. False prophets, while at first giving an attractive message, only ended up causing divisions (1 Tim 6:2-4) and controversies (1 Tim 1:3). They swerve from the truth, upsetting the faith of some (2 Tim 2:18). Secretly they bring in “destructive heresies” (2 Pet 2:1). Unfortunately, we are told, “many” will follow them into immorality and because of them the “way of truth” is blasphemed (2 Pet 2:2). As Peter says, “in their greed they will exploit you with false words” (2 Pet 2:3). Ultimately, their identity is exposed: they are workers of lawlessness. They are diseased trees that cannot bear good fruit.

To those who are workers of lawlessness and yet give the image of righteousness, Jesus has nothing but words of condemnation. It does not matter how great their works were – they may have even “cast out demons” in the name of Jesus! – because in reality, they never knew Jesus. In short, they epitomized the definition of hypocrite.

I love how Jesus concludes with a parable of the house built on the rock in comparison to the house built on the sand. He says, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt 7:24). While rain fell, and flood ensued, and wind blew and beat on the house of the wise man, his house did not fall. Meanwhile, the foolish man, the one who does not truly listen to the words of Jesus nor truly know Jesus, has a house that is decimated by the rain, flood, and wind. Why? His house was destroyed because he built his house on the sand, not on the rock. And when his house fell, the fall was great (Matt 7:27). Here we see Jesus explain that there are two ways: the way to life and the way to death. Those who know Jesus are like those who have built their house on the rock. They have a sure foundation. However, those who do not know Jesus, even if they give the appearance of knowing him by their mighty works and words, are like those who are destroyed because they built their house on the sand, on that which has no sure foundation.

It is not enough to give the appearance of being a Christian. It is not even enough to speak in the name of Christ. We must truly know Christ, trust in Christ, and make Christ our sure foundation, in life and in death.

Matthew Barrett (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett has contributed book reviews and articles to various academic journals and he also writes at Blogmatics. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Cassandra and Georgia. He is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.