Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
Notice what is true of this profession of faith, which Jesus says is false. It recognizes who Jesus is, it is filled with emotion, it is public, and it is involved. The people referred to in these verses were not like a lot of professing Christians today, Christians who move from one church to another, Christians who are never regular in church attendance, Christians who never get involved, Christians whose attitudes and actions show little, if any, distinction from those who make no pretense of being a Christian. If this profession of faith was empty, then what does it say about a lot of professing Christians today? At the very least it says we need to examine ourselves and make sure we are really in the faith.
Lord, this statement makes it clear that our entrance into heaven is not based on good works or saying the right thing. Instead, it is based on doing the will of the Father, which according to John 6:29 has, active faith in You.
