“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many shall say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
I recently meditated and reflected on this text, not to know how I should interpret it, but to put it into succinct language so you can plainly see my meaning. The issue is that the people who did all of those wonderful works did not do the will of the Father. First, I want to look at the works that these people did. They prophesied, or preached, cast out devils, and did all kinds of wonderful works. I think that you will agree that if doing good works could qualify one to be part of the kingdom of heaven, these works would have qualified. But they did not qualify. The plain teaching of the New Testament is that people do not enter the kingdom of heaven, or are saved, based on works. In John 6:28, a group of people asked Jesus: “What shall we do that we might work the works of God.” In verse 29 Jesus answered their question, and the question that answers the text in Matthew 7: “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent.” The answer is that there is no work that can save you, but you must put your belief, or faith, in Jesus. If one could do all of the works claimed by those questioning Jesus, they would still not be enough. Second, in Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul explained the process: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Jesus died and rose from the dead that those who would put their faith in Him would be saved. The people in the text by-passed Jesus and depended on what they did to save them, and Jesus said that this cannot work. Our salvation is not a “do it yourself project;” rather it is a gift of God to those who, by His grace, put their faith in Jesus. Jesus did the work on the cross, and in His resurrection, to save us. Third, the next question is how do works enter into the equation? Paul answered the question in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Saving faith puts us to work for the kingdom, not to be saved, but because we are saved. Works do not complete our salvation, but they make us effective in our salvation. That’s why James wrote: “Even so, faith, if it has not works, is dead being alone.” We can also say that works without faith are dead, being alone – at least according to our text. If you have not, invite Jesus into your life, having faith in Him to save you. Let Him put you to work in His kingdom. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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