We Cannot Afford to Be Mistaken

This year I have committed to begin to journal, hopefully for the rest of my life.  Already I have seen the power of physically writing down my thoughts as I read my Bible each day.  Although I haven’t written in my journal every day, I already have about 7 or 8 entries for this year.  Some of them are from Genesis and some are from Matthew because I am reading through the Bible in that fashion.  I would highly recommend journaling to anyone who feels that they want to dig deep and really get the most out of their time with the Lord.  The following are some thoughts from my journal after reading a very familiar, heart-wrenching text in Matthew.  Read the text carefully and refer back to it throughout the blog.

“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 prophesy 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

For too long we (at least I) have grazed over this text because it is scary.  We say that we don’t understand it or we try to water down what Jesus is saying.  He says that many people will stand before Him on Judgment Day fully believing that they will be accepted into heaven.  After all, they did call upon the name of the Lord, right? 

And on top of that, they did all kinds of things for the Kingdom! But Jesus says that they will show Him their works, done FOR HIM they claim, yet they will be thrown into hell.

Today I noticed for the first time that these “works” that they claim when they stand before God are not second-rate acts.  We’re not talking about giving extra money to the church, lending their donkey to their neighbor, or praying consistently.  These people have cast out demons and prophesied!  I don’t know about you, but I have never cast out any kind of evil spirit from a person. 

So a person can conform to religious requirements (Lord, Lord) and perform great works, possibly even miraculous works, and still not know Christ.  Though my outward conformity and my good deeds are of great importance because they are proof of a genuine faith (James 2:26), they are just “add-ons” or results so to speak.

Before we go any further let’s allow Jesus’ words to press on us.  Don’t allow yourself to simply read or think about this passage, but let it “read” you.  What is He really saying here? And what questions do I need to ask myself so that I am not one of those who cries out when I stand before God, “But God, didn’t I…” only for Him to say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.”

First, I can’t base my salvation on a prayer that I said on the way home from vacation when I was 8 years old (v.21) because many will do that and end up in hell.  I base my salvation on Christ’s death and resurrection that paid for my sin and satisfied God’s wrath.  Jesus is the reason I have salvation.  I am trusting in something infinitely larger than the prayer that I said.

My good works are evidences of the new heart I have been given along with my new nature when Christ came into my life.  They cannot earn me salvation, which most evangelicals understand, but they also cannot earn me any kind of favor with God.  My salvation is bound up in Jesus, and Jesus alone.  So when I stand before God the ONLY hope that I have is Jesus’ love-saturated sacrifice on the cross.  Not a prayer. Not any amount of my pitiful works.

This is a much needed message to press me to search myself and remember Jesus and His payment alone that reconciles me to God, but also a much needed message in American Christianity.  Well meaning pastors, evangelists, and parents have reduced the Gospel into some kind of formula that can lead to misunderstandings.  “Pray this after me… and you will be saved” is a commonly heard phrase when speakers are giving an invitation, and though I am not saying that this is inherently wrong, I do believe that leads some to point to a prayer rather than Jesus as their basis for salvation. 

Along with me, please first resolve in your heart that you are putting your hope in Jesus, His sacrifice, and His work in your heart, and not something far smaller and meaningless.  Secondly, as we present the Gospel to non-believers and believers alike, let us center the message on Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and nothing else.

What are we trusting in? 

This is not a question with which we cannot afford to be even slightly mistaken. 


Scott