matthew 7

Read Matthew 7 at Bible Gateway.

“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. 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?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Mat 7:21-23

So what about this difficult passage? I do believe Jesus is warning us here, to not deceive ourselves into thinking that just because we talk the talk, we have our fire insurance and all is well. If we talk, we must also walk, and the manner of the walk is defined by God Himself and not us. Jesus will judge with perfect judgment, and He will judge whose hearts are truly His, by who does the will of His Father, which is revealed in the Word of God, including Torah.

He will tell those who practice Law- lessness (Torah- lessness) to depart from Him. The key verb in this sentence is “practice:” ergazomai; to work, or labor to accomplish an end. He is not talking about the occasional lapse. He is talking about a lifestyle in which disregarding God’s revealed will, including His definition of righteousness and sin found in Torah, is the cornerstone.

I do not know how Jesus will judge sincere believers who eat bacon every day, or gay pastors who are leading their flocks to disregard the Word of God. I just know that this is a serious warning, and I do not want to be found among those who practice Lawlessness! So I have determined for myself to obey the Lord and His Word, including Torah, and then measure grace and forgiveness out to others, not dwelling on their specks, but concerning myself with my plank only.