*The Most Misinterpreted Scripture in the Bible*
*
*Matthew 7:21–23 (NKJV)*
*The most misinterpreted scripture in the bible*
*Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)*
*21* “ _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._ *22* *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?’* 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Is Jesus saying that believers in Christ who do not do His will by following Him will be cast into hell, even though they had done mighty things in His Name?
My dear, Jesus was not referring to believers here. Jesus was referring to false prophets, especially the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes — not believers in Christ.
It is important to look at the context by going back to the verses before this statement so you can understand the speaker’s intention instead of lifting one verse out of context and building a doctrine around it.
*Going back to Matthew 7:15,* Jesus already told us who these people are:
“ *Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”*
Notice what He said: inwardly they are wolves.That means they were not born again. Outwardly they looked good, holy, and religious, but inwardly their nature had not changed.
*In Matthew 7:16* , Jesus went further to help us identify these false prophets:
“ *You will know them by their fruits…”*
Jesus said you would identify them by their fruits, not by signs and wonders. This is because signs and wonders can happen through deception, sorcery, or outward religious activity, but the fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced apart from the Spirit of God dwelling within a person.
*Galatians 5:22–23 says:*
“ *But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”*
The fruit of the Spirit is the inward nature of the believer in Christ. The Spirit of God must dwell in your heart before you can produce that fruit.
*Romans 8:9 says:*
“ *Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His* .”
For signs and wonders, a person does not even need to be born again for supernatural things to happen around them. But the fruit of the Spirit cannot be counterfeited by an unregenerate heart.
Then in *Matthew 7:17–18,* Jesus said:
“ *Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”*
Jesus described these religious leaders as a bad tree. Because their nature was bad, they could not produce good fruit.
So the people Jesus was referring to in *Matthew 7:21–23* are not believers. They are unbelieving and religious Jews who thought they already knew God while rejecting the One whom God sent.
Believers are already branches connected to Jesus.
*John 15:5 says:*
“ *I am the vine, you are the branches…”*
The believer is joined to Christ, the true Vine, and therefore has a new nature.
Did you notice that it was the bad tree that was cast into the fire?
*Matthew 7:19 says:*
“ *Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”*
It was not the good tree — the believer — that was cast into the fire, but the bad tree: the unbelieving, legalistic Pharisees, scribes, and false prophets.
*Jesus gave a complete description of them:*
inwardly they are wolves,
they are a bad tree,
they cannot produce good fruit,
and they practice lawlessness.
These are descriptions of *unbelievers* , *not* born-again believers.
Now we can move to *Matthew 7:21–23.*
Why would these false teachers call Him “ *Lord* ” on that day?
*There are two reasons.*
First, because on that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
*Philippians 2:10–11 says* :
“ *That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”*
On that day, it will not take faith to recognize Jesus as Lord because He will appear in His glory as He truly is.
Second, calling God “ *Lord* ” was common among the Jews. The Jews believed they had a covenant relationship with God through Abraham.
*John 8:39 says:*
“ *Abraham is our father* …”
But when God came to them in the flesh as Jesus Christ, many of them rejected Him.
*John 1:11 says* :
*“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”*
To the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and religious leaders, they believed they were serving God. Yet they rejected the very Christ whom the Father sent.
*Jesus said in John 5:23:*
“ *He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”*
These men prophesied, performed outward religious acts, and claimed to represent God, yet they rejected Jesus as the Christ.
So on that day, they will finally see Jesus for who He truly is. Then they will realize that the Lord they rejected was the very One standing before them.
Someone may ask:
“ *But didn’t Jesus say only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom* ?”
*Yes* — He did in Matthew 7:21.
So what is the will of God?
*John 6:40* answers clearly:
“And *this is the will* of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and *believes* in Him may have everlasting life…”
The *will of God is to believe in Jesus Christ* whom the Father has sent.
*John 14:6 says:*
_“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”_
The one who has believed in Jesus has done the will of God.
These men had religious works, but they rejected faith in Christ Himself.
*
*That is why Jesus said:*
*“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” — Matthew 7:23*
Notice Jesus did not say, “ *I knew you once but lost you.”He said:*
*“I never knew you.”*
That means they never had a saving relationship with Him from the beginning.
They boasted in their works:
“Have we not prophesied?”
“Have we not cast out demons?”
“Have we not done many wonders?”
They spoke about their achievements, *not* about faith in Christ.
They never mentioned knowing Him, trusting Him, or believing in Him. Their confidence was in what they had done, *not in what Christ had done.* They never prophesied *in the Name of Jesus* , but in the name , *Lord*
But for the believer, *Jesus knows you personally.*
*John 10:14 says:*
*“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”*
*Galatians 4:9* says:
“… _you have come to know God, or rather are known by God…”_
God truly knows His children.
My dear, *salvation in Christ is eternal, not temporary.*
Jesus said in *John 10:28:*
“ *And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”*
If eternal life can be lost, then it was never eternal to begin with.
The believer’s confidence is not in his performance but in Christ’s finished work.
*Selah* .
~Richmond
*
*Matthew 7:21–23 (NKJV)*
*The most misinterpreted scripture in the bible*
*Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)*
*21* “ _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._ *22* *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?’* 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Is Jesus saying that believers in Christ who do not do His will by following Him will be cast into hell, even though they had done mighty things in His Name?
My dear, Jesus was not referring to believers here. Jesus was referring to false prophets, especially the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes — not believers in Christ.
It is important to look at the context by going back to the verses before this statement so you can understand the speaker’s intention instead of lifting one verse out of context and building a doctrine around it.
*Going back to Matthew 7:15,* Jesus already told us who these people are:
“ *Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”*
Notice what He said: inwardly they are wolves.That means they were not born again. Outwardly they looked good, holy, and religious, but inwardly their nature had not changed.
*In Matthew 7:16* , Jesus went further to help us identify these false prophets:
“ *You will know them by their fruits…”*
Jesus said you would identify them by their fruits, not by signs and wonders. This is because signs and wonders can happen through deception, sorcery, or outward religious activity, but the fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced apart from the Spirit of God dwelling within a person.
*Galatians 5:22–23 says:*
“ *But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”*
The fruit of the Spirit is the inward nature of the believer in Christ. The Spirit of God must dwell in your heart before you can produce that fruit.
*Romans 8:9 says:*
“ *Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His* .”
For signs and wonders, a person does not even need to be born again for supernatural things to happen around them. But the fruit of the Spirit cannot be counterfeited by an unregenerate heart.
Then in *Matthew 7:17–18,* Jesus said:
“ *Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”*
Jesus described these religious leaders as a bad tree. Because their nature was bad, they could not produce good fruit.
So the people Jesus was referring to in *Matthew 7:21–23* are not believers. They are unbelieving and religious Jews who thought they already knew God while rejecting the One whom God sent.
Believers are already branches connected to Jesus.
*John 15:5 says:*
“ *I am the vine, you are the branches…”*
The believer is joined to Christ, the true Vine, and therefore has a new nature.
Did you notice that it was the bad tree that was cast into the fire?
*Matthew 7:19 says:*
“ *Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”*
It was not the good tree — the believer — that was cast into the fire, but the bad tree: the unbelieving, legalistic Pharisees, scribes, and false prophets.
*Jesus gave a complete description of them:*
inwardly they are wolves,
they are a bad tree,
they cannot produce good fruit,
and they practice lawlessness.
These are descriptions of *unbelievers* , *not* born-again believers.
Now we can move to *Matthew 7:21–23.*
Why would these false teachers call Him “ *Lord* ” on that day?
*There are two reasons.*
First, because on that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
*Philippians 2:10–11 says* :
“ *That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”*
On that day, it will not take faith to recognize Jesus as Lord because He will appear in His glory as He truly is.
Second, calling God “ *Lord* ” was common among the Jews. The Jews believed they had a covenant relationship with God through Abraham.
*John 8:39 says:*
“ *Abraham is our father* …”
But when God came to them in the flesh as Jesus Christ, many of them rejected Him.
*John 1:11 says* :
*“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”*
To the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and religious leaders, they believed they were serving God. Yet they rejected the very Christ whom the Father sent.
*Jesus said in John 5:23:*
“ *He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”*
These men prophesied, performed outward religious acts, and claimed to represent God, yet they rejected Jesus as the Christ.
So on that day, they will finally see Jesus for who He truly is. Then they will realize that the Lord they rejected was the very One standing before them.
Someone may ask:
“ *But didn’t Jesus say only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom* ?”
*Yes* — He did in Matthew 7:21.
So what is the will of God?
*John 6:40* answers clearly:
“And *this is the will* of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and *believes* in Him may have everlasting life…”
The *will of God is to believe in Jesus Christ* whom the Father has sent.
*John 14:6 says:*
_“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”_
The one who has believed in Jesus has done the will of God.
These men had religious works, but they rejected faith in Christ Himself.
*
*That is why Jesus said:*
*“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” — Matthew 7:23*
Notice Jesus did not say, “ *I knew you once but lost you.”He said:*
*“I never knew you.”*
That means they never had a saving relationship with Him from the beginning.
They boasted in their works:
“Have we not prophesied?”
“Have we not cast out demons?”
“Have we not done many wonders?”
They spoke about their achievements, *not* about faith in Christ.
They never mentioned knowing Him, trusting Him, or believing in Him. Their confidence was in what they had done, *not in what Christ had done.* They never prophesied *in the Name of Jesus* , but in the name , *Lord*
But for the believer, *Jesus knows you personally.*
*John 10:14 says:*
*“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”*
*Galatians 4:9* says:
“… _you have come to know God, or rather are known by God…”_
God truly knows His children.
My dear, *salvation in Christ is eternal, not temporary.*
Jesus said in *John 10:28:*
“ *And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”*
If eternal life can be lost, then it was never eternal to begin with.
The believer’s confidence is not in his performance but in Christ’s finished work.
*Selah* .
~Richmond
*The Most Misinterpreted Scripture in the Bible*
*
*Matthew 7:21–23 (NKJV)*
*The most misinterpreted scripture in the bible*
*Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)*
*21* “ _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._ *22* *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?’* 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Is Jesus saying that believers in Christ who do not do His will by following Him will be cast into hell, even though they had done mighty things in His Name?
My dear, Jesus was not referring to believers here. Jesus was referring to false prophets, especially the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes — not believers in Christ.
It is important to look at the context by going back to the verses before this statement so you can understand the speaker’s intention instead of lifting one verse out of context and building a doctrine around it.
*Going back to Matthew 7:15,* Jesus already told us who these people are:
“ *Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”*
Notice what He said: inwardly they are wolves.That means they were not born again. Outwardly they looked good, holy, and religious, but inwardly their nature had not changed.
*In Matthew 7:16* , Jesus went further to help us identify these false prophets:
“ *You will know them by their fruits…”*
Jesus said you would identify them by their fruits, not by signs and wonders. This is because signs and wonders can happen through deception, sorcery, or outward religious activity, but the fruit of the Spirit cannot be produced apart from the Spirit of God dwelling within a person.
*Galatians 5:22–23 says:*
“ *But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”*
The fruit of the Spirit is the inward nature of the believer in Christ. The Spirit of God must dwell in your heart before you can produce that fruit.
*Romans 8:9 says:*
“ *Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His* .”
For signs and wonders, a person does not even need to be born again for supernatural things to happen around them. But the fruit of the Spirit cannot be counterfeited by an unregenerate heart.
Then in *Matthew 7:17–18,* Jesus said:
“ *Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”*
Jesus described these religious leaders as a bad tree. Because their nature was bad, they could not produce good fruit.
So the people Jesus was referring to in *Matthew 7:21–23* are not believers. They are unbelieving and religious Jews who thought they already knew God while rejecting the One whom God sent.
Believers are already branches connected to Jesus.
*John 15:5 says:*
“ *I am the vine, you are the branches…”*
The believer is joined to Christ, the true Vine, and therefore has a new nature.
Did you notice that it was the bad tree that was cast into the fire?
*Matthew 7:19 says:*
“ *Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”*
It was not the good tree — the believer — that was cast into the fire, but the bad tree: the unbelieving, legalistic Pharisees, scribes, and false prophets.
*Jesus gave a complete description of them:*
inwardly they are wolves,
they are a bad tree,
they cannot produce good fruit,
and they practice lawlessness.
These are descriptions of *unbelievers* , *not* born-again believers.
Now we can move to *Matthew 7:21–23.*
Why would these false teachers call Him “ *Lord* ” on that day?
*There are two reasons.*
First, because on that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
*Philippians 2:10–11 says* :
“ *That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…”*
On that day, it will not take faith to recognize Jesus as Lord because He will appear in His glory as He truly is.
Second, calling God “ *Lord* ” was common among the Jews. The Jews believed they had a covenant relationship with God through Abraham.
*John 8:39 says:*
“ *Abraham is our father* …”
But when God came to them in the flesh as Jesus Christ, many of them rejected Him.
*John 1:11 says* :
*“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”*
To the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, and religious leaders, they believed they were serving God. Yet they rejected the very Christ whom the Father sent.
*Jesus said in John 5:23:*
“ *He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”*
These men prophesied, performed outward religious acts, and claimed to represent God, yet they rejected Jesus as the Christ.
So on that day, they will finally see Jesus for who He truly is. Then they will realize that the Lord they rejected was the very One standing before them.
Someone may ask:
“ *But didn’t Jesus say only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom* ?”
*Yes* — He did in Matthew 7:21.
So what is the will of God?
*John 6:40* answers clearly:
“And *this is the will* of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and *believes* in Him may have everlasting life…”
The *will of God is to believe in Jesus Christ* whom the Father has sent.
*John 14:6 says:*
_“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”_
The one who has believed in Jesus has done the will of God.
These men had religious works, but they rejected faith in Christ Himself.
*
*That is why Jesus said:*
*“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” — Matthew 7:23*
Notice Jesus did not say, “ *I knew you once but lost you.”He said:*
*“I never knew you.”*
That means they never had a saving relationship with Him from the beginning.
They boasted in their works:
“Have we not prophesied?”
“Have we not cast out demons?”
“Have we not done many wonders?”
They spoke about their achievements, *not* about faith in Christ.
They never mentioned knowing Him, trusting Him, or believing in Him. Their confidence was in what they had done, *not in what Christ had done.* They never prophesied *in the Name of Jesus* , but in the name , *Lord*
But for the believer, *Jesus knows you personally.*
*John 10:14 says:*
*“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”*
*Galatians 4:9* says:
“… _you have come to know God, or rather are known by God…”_
God truly knows His children.
My dear, *salvation in Christ is eternal, not temporary.*
Jesus said in *John 10:28:*
“ *And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”*
If eternal life can be lost, then it was never eternal to begin with.
The believer’s confidence is not in his performance but in Christ’s finished work.
*Selah* .
~Richmond
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