The story of Christ saying to people before him at the Final Judgment, "Depart from me. I never knew you," is well-known among Christians (Matthew 7:21-23), sometimes offered as a chilling threat from the pulpit, in tandem with exhortations to live righteous lives, to "do the will of the Father in heaven." The result is a sort of "do it or else" teaching, a doctrine of fear, really, that frightens believers into short-lived periods of terrified obedience to God. These days, there are many believers laboring under a constant burden of anxiety, afraid of a wide variety of things, among them the fear of straying to the cliff's edge of disobedience to God and falling off of it into eternal damnation. But is this what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 7:21-23? Was he teaching that a truly born-again Christian could be surprised at the Final Judgment with the news they had become a stranger to Christ?
Here's the story in its immediate context:
Matthew 7:15-27
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “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.
22 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?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Verses 15-20 emphasize how the "fruit" of one's life testifies to one's true nature. The "good fruit" that a righteous, Christ-centered life produces is external, as the fruit of a tree always is, evident in the general character of one's living. Such a life is love-motivated, holy, uncompromising, truthful, peace-loving, etc.. (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9) The "fruit" of a "bad tree" is also unavoidably evident, appearing in the content of a "bad tree's" words and deeds, though sometimes, in the case of a practiced hypocrite, only subtly.
Verses 21-23 expand on the point Christ just made about trees and their fruit, pointing out that claims of fidelity to Christ must be coupled to a life acting in accord with the will of the Father. Here, it's worth asking, "What is the will of the Father?" It seems to me, casting out demons, and preaching, and performing miracles in Christ's name would all fall, generally, within the bounds of God's will. Why, then, does Jesus say to those who claimed obedience in these things that he never knew them?
That word "never" is important, by the way. It indicates that those to whom Jesus was speaking were never saved: They had not once possessed salvation and then lost it, but had never had it at any time.
Anyway, why do the various acts of obedience, the good deeds, of those in the story of Matthew 7:21-23 not qualify as "good fruit" from a "good tree"? Well, if you were going to make a case to God for your obedience to His will, would you not start with the command God Himself called the First and Great Commandment? (Matthew 16:24-25) Makes sense to me. But this isn't what the people in the story do. They don't mention their faithfulness and care in keeping this most important of all commands; they don't say that in exorcising demons, and performing miracles, and preaching, they were trying to demonstrate their love for God. Why not? Jesus gives the reason: They were unknown to Christ as his followers, as children of God. In other words, they had no real love for God, which is at the heart of the born-again life and obedience to God.
In fact, the "bedrock" of the believer's walk with God (verses 24-27), of their relationship with Him, is love. Paul the apostle emphasizes this in his comments to the Corinthian believers:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Here, Paul explained that no matter what the Christian may say, or know, or do, if love - first for God and then for others - isn't the ground out of which these things spring, they are all spiritually useless. That's a pretty powerful, sweeping statement. It would rule out a great deal of the obedience - for some, maybe all of it - Christians might claim as proof of their membership in God's family and kingdom.
This seems to be the case for those who are cast out from Christ in the Matthew 7:21-23 story. They never claim the all-important love for God that constitutes the First and Great Commandment and is the foundation upon which all Christian obedience rests (or ought to). This calls into serious question the idea many Christians have that love for God is tantamount to obedience, to doing good deeds. Clearly, mere obedience is not necessarily indicative of a heart of love for God. This was true of the Pharisees of Christ's day who honoured God with their lips but had hearts that were far from Him. (Matthew 15:7-8) Though their lives were centered upon careful obedience to God's law, like those cast out from Christ at the Final Judgment, they were unknown to God as members of His kingdom and family. Instead, Christ frequently condemned the Pharisees in the harshest terms, calling them the "brood of vipers," "sons of hell," "white-washed tombs," and hypocrites.
What this brings to the surface is the danger of thinking that obedience and love are identical things. While they can be highly related, as many passages in Scripture give us cause to think (John 15:8-10; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.), they aren't the same thing. Love precedes and produces obedience; obedience is supposed to be a manifestation of love for God. But, because these two things are so closely related to each other in the Bible, many have adopted the notion that they are identical. Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in particular, though, highlight that there is a distinct difference between love and right action. Paul wrote that even dying as a martyr can happen apart from love, failing entirely to be an expression of it, which would be impossible if a such a self-sacrificing, noble deed was identical to loving God.
What a thought this is: Giving one's life as a martyr may not express love for God but may actually be an act of disobedience to the First and Great Commandment of God! How many other acts of obedience by Christians are really acts of disobedience because they are totally divorced from a love for God?! This is a very sobering thing to consider.
If love for God isn't, at bottom, self-sacrificing obedience to Him, what is? The Psalmist gives us a lot of help in answering this question:
Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 143:5-6
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah.
So does the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 26:9
9 At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently...
At the core of love, it's "beating heart," is desire, a deep longing, a thirst of the soul and spirit, for God. This is the ground out of which all of our obedience to God is to arise; not fear (1 John 4:16-19), not obligation or duty, not religious or self-righteous pride, not guilt, but a deep, abiding desire to know and commune with God.
When this longing for God motivates our obedience, we have our eyes on Him rather than ourselves; we take deep joy in righteousness and holy living because we see that obedience is not an end in itself but is merely the avenue to rich fellowship with God; we find the self-sacrifice of agape love natural and consistent, flowing from us without struggle or hesitation. As this is the believer's life in Christ, rooted in love, obeying the will of the Father in its most crucial respect, their life becomes all it was made to be, incredibly fulfilling and spiritually powerful, attracting those lost in darkness and sin like nothing else can.
So, is your Christian obedience in disobedience to the First and Great Commandment? Are you thinking to stand before Christ, justified by a life of good deeds, but with a heart far from him, confident you will gain entrance to God's heavenly kingdom? I hope and pray not.
Here's the story in its immediate context:
Matthew 7:15-27
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “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.
22 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?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Verses 15-20 emphasize how the "fruit" of one's life testifies to one's true nature. The "good fruit" that a righteous, Christ-centered life produces is external, as the fruit of a tree always is, evident in the general character of one's living. Such a life is love-motivated, holy, uncompromising, truthful, peace-loving, etc.. (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9) The "fruit" of a "bad tree" is also unavoidably evident, appearing in the content of a "bad tree's" words and deeds, though sometimes, in the case of a practiced hypocrite, only subtly.
Verses 21-23 expand on the point Christ just made about trees and their fruit, pointing out that claims of fidelity to Christ must be coupled to a life acting in accord with the will of the Father. Here, it's worth asking, "What is the will of the Father?" It seems to me, casting out demons, and preaching, and performing miracles in Christ's name would all fall, generally, within the bounds of God's will. Why, then, does Jesus say to those who claimed obedience in these things that he never knew them?
That word "never" is important, by the way. It indicates that those to whom Jesus was speaking were never saved: They had not once possessed salvation and then lost it, but had never had it at any time.
Anyway, why do the various acts of obedience, the good deeds, of those in the story of Matthew 7:21-23 not qualify as "good fruit" from a "good tree"? Well, if you were going to make a case to God for your obedience to His will, would you not start with the command God Himself called the First and Great Commandment? (Matthew 16:24-25) Makes sense to me. But this isn't what the people in the story do. They don't mention their faithfulness and care in keeping this most important of all commands; they don't say that in exorcising demons, and performing miracles, and preaching, they were trying to demonstrate their love for God. Why not? Jesus gives the reason: They were unknown to Christ as his followers, as children of God. In other words, they had no real love for God, which is at the heart of the born-again life and obedience to God.
In fact, the "bedrock" of the believer's walk with God (verses 24-27), of their relationship with Him, is love. Paul the apostle emphasizes this in his comments to the Corinthian believers:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Here, Paul explained that no matter what the Christian may say, or know, or do, if love - first for God and then for others - isn't the ground out of which these things spring, they are all spiritually useless. That's a pretty powerful, sweeping statement. It would rule out a great deal of the obedience - for some, maybe all of it - Christians might claim as proof of their membership in God's family and kingdom.
This seems to be the case for those who are cast out from Christ in the Matthew 7:21-23 story. They never claim the all-important love for God that constitutes the First and Great Commandment and is the foundation upon which all Christian obedience rests (or ought to). This calls into serious question the idea many Christians have that love for God is tantamount to obedience, to doing good deeds. Clearly, mere obedience is not necessarily indicative of a heart of love for God. This was true of the Pharisees of Christ's day who honoured God with their lips but had hearts that were far from Him. (Matthew 15:7-8) Though their lives were centered upon careful obedience to God's law, like those cast out from Christ at the Final Judgment, they were unknown to God as members of His kingdom and family. Instead, Christ frequently condemned the Pharisees in the harshest terms, calling them the "brood of vipers," "sons of hell," "white-washed tombs," and hypocrites.
What this brings to the surface is the danger of thinking that obedience and love are identical things. While they can be highly related, as many passages in Scripture give us cause to think (John 15:8-10; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.), they aren't the same thing. Love precedes and produces obedience; obedience is supposed to be a manifestation of love for God. But, because these two things are so closely related to each other in the Bible, many have adopted the notion that they are identical. Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 in particular, though, highlight that there is a distinct difference between love and right action. Paul wrote that even dying as a martyr can happen apart from love, failing entirely to be an expression of it, which would be impossible if a such a self-sacrificing, noble deed was identical to loving God.
What a thought this is: Giving one's life as a martyr may not express love for God but may actually be an act of disobedience to the First and Great Commandment of God! How many other acts of obedience by Christians are really acts of disobedience because they are totally divorced from a love for God?! This is a very sobering thing to consider.
If love for God isn't, at bottom, self-sacrificing obedience to Him, what is? The Psalmist gives us a lot of help in answering this question:
Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 143:5-6
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah.
So does the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 26:9
9 At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently...
At the core of love, it's "beating heart," is desire, a deep longing, a thirst of the soul and spirit, for God. This is the ground out of which all of our obedience to God is to arise; not fear (1 John 4:16-19), not obligation or duty, not religious or self-righteous pride, not guilt, but a deep, abiding desire to know and commune with God.
When this longing for God motivates our obedience, we have our eyes on Him rather than ourselves; we take deep joy in righteousness and holy living because we see that obedience is not an end in itself but is merely the avenue to rich fellowship with God; we find the self-sacrifice of agape love natural and consistent, flowing from us without struggle or hesitation. As this is the believer's life in Christ, rooted in love, obeying the will of the Father in its most crucial respect, their life becomes all it was made to be, incredibly fulfilling and spiritually powerful, attracting those lost in darkness and sin like nothing else can.
So, is your Christian obedience in disobedience to the First and Great Commandment? Are you thinking to stand before Christ, justified by a life of good deeds, but with a heart far from him, confident you will gain entrance to God's heavenly kingdom? I hope and pray not.
Last edited:
