Why Matthew 7:21-23 is not the Scariest Passage in the Bible

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Matthew 7:21-23

I used to think that these were the scariest words in all of Scripture. Imagine men and women showing up on that day, judgment day, fully convinced of their own righteousness, their destiny in heaven, only to find out otherwise. I imagined their shock and horror, their terror as Jesus spoke those most ominous words, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” These were good “Christian” people, maybe raised in the church, maybe they went on a mission trip, a Sunday school teacher, people I likely knew and loved. I used to think this was a fearful notion until…

…until I reckoned the sovereignty of God. The blessed doctrines of grace give great comfort in that God is sovereign over all things, including salvation. “Salvation is of the Lord,” is the clear testimony of Scripture. (Psalm 3:8, 62:1, Jonah 2:9, Revelation 7:10) God is the author of salvation from eternity past to eternity future and He secures salvation for His people, apart from anything we would do or have ever done. What great comfort Jesus gives us in preaching that He will not lose one of His sheep! (John 10:27-29)

…until I fathomed the justice of God. All men receive either mercy or justice. No man receives injustice. God’s justice is perfect and had He desired, He would’ve been just as good, just as much God, had He killed us all and sent us to hell a long time ago, me included. The more I follow Christ, the more I see my own wretchedness, my own bankruptcy, my own deserved condemnation, but by the grace of God.

…until I came to understand justification. The blessed words of that great Apostle Paul ring clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grammatically and theologically speaking, all three are a gift: grace, salvation, and faith. Yes, even our faith is bestowed upon us, granted to us. (Philippians 1:29, 2 Timothy 2:25) When asked the question, “How did you get saved?” the only appropriate response must come in the 3rd person singular, “Because He…” If ever I place any of myself in that sequence and start to say, “Well I repented” or “I believed” and that’s why God saved me, then I’ve got it backward, placing conditions for salvation upon me or my actions. Here I begin to tread back into Matthew 7 territory, but an increasing understanding of what justification by faith signifies keeps me ever more secure.

…until I rested in assurance. How sweet is the perseverance of the saints, that we may rest in Christ knowing that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) How blessed that the saint is forever sealed of the Holy Spirit, never to be lost. (Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:29-30) In that assurance, we rest. We rest from our works, our self-righteousness, “For we who have believed enter that rest.” (Hebrews 4:3) I work out of gratitude because I love Jesus, my Lord and Savior. His commands are no longer burdensome because heaven and hell no longer hang in the balance. Amen!

As such, in Jesus’ words, where I once saw fear, I now see comfort. No follower of Christ would ever stand before the Lord and declare their own works as righteous. No, we know and believe that our works merit nothing in the eyes of the Lord, and because I rest only on the active obedience of Christ in His life, and the completed work on the cross in His death, I rest secure, assured. The words of Jesus here only confirm and strengthen my faith in this regard, to God be the glory.