Last time, we looked at an amazing promise of Scripture from Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Having understood that verse, however, it may be a little confusing to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21, “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.” He pictures people pleading to get into heaven but being denied entrance. They call Jesus “Lord” and can even point to some good works that they have done in Jesus’ name (v. 22), but Jesus casts them out saying that He never knew them (v. 23). It seems that they came close to salvation, but not close enough. What were they missing? They lacked what so many ‘almost Christians’ lack today: repentance and relationship. Let me explain.
Jesus, Himself, gives two reasons that ‘almost Christians’ are denied eternal life. The first is in verse 21. They use the right words to refer to Jesus. They call Him Lord, which was a way of recognizing Him as their God and the One in charge of their lives. The problem wasn’t with the words that they used but rather with the fact that their lives didn’t reflect those words. They were all talk and no action. He’s not faulting them for just not doing enough good things but more fundamentally for not repenting. People often think of repentance as feeling bad about what they’ve done but, technically, that’s not what the word means. Repentance is a moral and spiritual U-turn. We turn from running our lives our own way with us in charge and instead put our trust in Jesus as the new management guiding us forward. Repentance is a once-and-for-all decision to turn to Jesus, but it’s also a series of day-to-day decisions. ‘Almost Christians’ never quite do that. They add some Christian activities and some Christian morals, but they never surrender control of their lives to Jesus. They want to live as their own God and invite Jesus along as a helper. This passage shows us that Jesus doesn’t play that game.
The other reason that Jesus gives for denying ‘almost Christians’ eternal life comes in verse 23. He says, “I never knew you.” Believing in Jesus is never just about believing certain facts about Him. True faith is personal and relational. To believe in Jesus is to enter into a relationship with Him. John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” God wants us to know Him. He wants the kind of relationship where we rely on Him, follow Him, listen to Him, talk to Him, and grow in our knowledge of Him. ‘Almost Christians’ don’t have that kind of personal faith. They’re willing to do some Christian things and they try to act like Christians, but they don’t know Christ and so He will one day say to them, “I never knew you.” The thing that makes heaven so heavenly is Jesus, so if we’re not interested in a relationship with Him now, why would we want to spend eternity with Him anyway?
While Jesus’ words were phrased in the negative, they’re helpful in the positive also. He will receive into heaven those who not only call Him “Lord” but who show by their lives that He is their Lord. He receives those who have gladly welcomed His leadership into their lives, because they’re convinced of His love and trust in His wisdom. And He receives those who know Him. He welcomes those who pursue a relationship with Him and aren’t just following their traditions or going through the motions.
‘Almost Christian’ is kind of like almost pregnant. Are you an ‘almost Christian’? Would someone looking at your life say, ‘Jesus is in charge’? Have you repented and done that spiritual and moral U-turn away from sin and toward Jesus? Is your faith personal? Are you getting to know Jesus? True faith involves repentance and relationship.
In awe of Him,
Paul
