Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven

21. 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 who is in heaven.

22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?

23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

So there is cristianity, and then there is true christian's.

When I was not yet true christian I still believed, that I was because I was a blind, so I belived what I wanted to believe. But the true christian was born after I start to serve God, and Lord. I received a gift from Spirit. A gift which a man could not practice from books by him self, and I start to uderstand spiritual messages,like dreams and writings. Spirit gives gifts, but it seems that very little there is christians with gift today, and I believe it is because very little there are true christians today. This world and all the joy of it is more important than the true way of our Lord Jesus. There seems to not be understanding, or fear of Lord, just darkness inside of mans mind and inside of churches. And there seems to be no way to wake you in to true life, which is in our Lord Jesus Christ. If you love this world there is no room form God's wisdom. everything which has been sown will be fade.

This is what you don't wan't to hear but it is what you need to hear when you still have the time.

You're trippin' dude.

While I agree that some who proclaim Christ really aren't Christians, I think it is dangerous and judgmental to distinguish between "Christians" and "true Christians". The danger is not for those so judged, but for us who do the judging. We set ourselves up as the standard and look down on those we consider inferior. Better that we look to Christ as our standard, and compare ourselves with Him, and at the same time seek to grow in him.

The words "return to the cross" seems to me to just be words.

I think we have been given steps to follow and we must follow these steps.
1. Understand and accept what has been done for us by Christ on the cross, for He paid for our sins. Accept that payment Christ made, give our sins to Christ so His payment includes our sin. 2. Accept that our sins are forgiven and paid for, accept that we have been made sinless and righteous even though it was Christ's work that did it and not our own. 3. Now we are to live this sin free and righteous life, we have turned our back on our sin. We give over our will and self to Christ to have Christ live in us.

Paul explained the problem with this very well when he said So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” Romans 7:14-25.

We give over our hearts and minds to Christ for His direction and accept what He has done for us.

Verse 22 plainly reveals where their trust lay...in their good works, tsk, tsk tsk.

When reading Daniel we see that comethe greatest tribulation that was is or is t come......there will be very few with understaanding who will help many. The beast will be allowed to wage war on the saints and prevail, so when anyone says there are very few, it is not difficult to understand.

This is not rocket surgery. There is more written before this that explains what is being discussed.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “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 M e , you who practice lawlessness .’
MATTHEW 7:15‭-‬23 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.7.15-23.NASB

He is talking about false prophets, and you will know them by what they produce. Do they produce love, patience, gentleness, kindness, self control, or envy, strife, discord? They may well think they are doing the work of the Lord. Deluded in their own mind that they serve Christ. I think more over they are relying on their "works" for their salvation. If you look at their answer to the Lord, it's a list of things they did. Not what the Lord worked in them, but what they did in the Lord's name.
If this is your answer to why you believe you belong to the Lord, this may be you. The good news is that you can repent. You can change your path and direction. You can place your faith in the wonderous works of our Lord, you can ask his forgiveness of your sin and he will forgive you, and you can be saved from this terrible future.

If you notice that those that he said go away didn't say, but Lord, your sacrifice paid the price for my sins, and I love you dearly for it. Your spirit empowered me to over come the dreadful sin in me.

My only reference is Daniel, the Word. So I must heed your warning and beware of false prophets now.

In regards to Matthew 7:21-23, I'll never forget, prior to my conversion several years ago while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I read Matthew 7:22 and thought to myself, wow! These many people accomplished all of that, "prophesied in His name, cast out demons, and did many wonderful works" but that still was not "good enough?" Then I thought to myself at that time, how am I going to "top that" and be "good enough?" Such is the mindset of someone who believes that salvation is by works.

Matthew 7:21 - 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.

John 6:40 - For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

These many people (unbelievers) in Matthew 7:22 had the wrong foundation. They were trusting in their works to save them and NOT IN CHRIST ALONE. Jesus NEVER knew them which means they were NEVER saved and Jesus tells them to depart from Him and refers to them as evildoers. Their hearts were not right with God, so their attempted external obedience was stained with sin, because they remain in their sins without the blood of Christ to wash away their sins. *Seeking salvation by works is not the will of the Father.

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The term "know" implies intimate, experiential knowledge, through a relationship with Him, not merely theoretical knowledge. These many people were not true converts. There are genuine Christians and there are "nominal" Christians. There are genuine believers and there are make believers. There are those who are "religious" but not right with God.

Without faith it's impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) no matter how many so called wonderful works that these many people set out to accomplish.

The passage in Matt 7 is quite simple.

1. Those who listen to Jesus and do Gods will, put into action His words
2. Those who do what they want and ignore Jesus.

Part of this split is those who claim spiritual authority, casting out demons, healing people, prophecy,
yet do not know Jesus or live His way.

Today we have lots of people who claim they cast our demons, pray for healing and falsely prophecy
and claim they know Jesus while denying His words. You do not not need more of a closer description
of people who fit this description 100% than appear on TBN every day.

yes brother. its very easy and simple.

If we gather all the characteristics of what scripture describes as a saved person as opposed to the characteristics of an unsaved person we would have the answer to who enters the kingdom of heaven. It would be a person who is righteous through Christ, dies to sin with Christ, and gives over his will to Christ. A saved person lives through Christ in their life.

That doesn't mean that a saved person never sins, as Paul says: So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” Romans 7:-25. A saved person wills with his mind to follow Christ, to live sin free but is in the flesh dependent on grace.

John 4:24
King James Version

John 4:24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
+++
If a person(s)Is doing things and they are putting on a show so that people that are watching them will think they are special then that glory Is to them and not done sincerely with GOD In mind.

That's the truth the WHOLE truth and nothing but the truth.? Oh please, give me a break. It says...

Matthew 7:22-23 (KJV) 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? (23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

If anything verse 23 reveals the source of their sinful pride of boasting of their works (22) and why Jesus cast them off...because Jesus never knew them, i.e. they were never born again. Jesus does not throw into hell those He regenerated. He throws into hell those who have rejected His work of salvation as their own and instead are relying on their good works. Are you born again?

I have heard this version before.
Prophecy, casting out demons, miraculous works, are not good works in the obedience sense of
the sermon on the mount, they are spiritual authority works. So Jesus is laying out those who claim
spiritual authority assume they know the Lord, but are not doing His will so are actually evil doers and
have never known Him.

Jesus preaches about the heart and the first commandment is loving God from our hearts

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Matt 22:37

If you love God like this, Amen, but most who take your position do not, but rather are like the
verse from Jeremiah

14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.
15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD.
16 This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
Jere 6:14-16

So are you willing to walk in the way of the Sermon on the Mount?
If so, Amen. If not, then you are building your house upon the sand and great will
be its fall.

God bless you, may you find His blessing and His way, Amen

Greetings MikkoAinasoja!

The key to understanding what Jesus is saying in the verse that you posted above, is that when these people find out that they will not be able to enter into the kingdom of God, their own words "did we not" reveal the reason as to why they will not be able to enter in. And that because those words demonstrate that they will have been trusting in their own works. We do not obtain salvation and eternal life by our good works, but by trusting in the Lord as the one who provided salvation for us, completely and fully. Those in the scripture are trusting in what they did "did we not," which is why they will not be able to enter in.

Also, it is the Spirit who gives different gifts to believers as He has determined. I would also add that, we are not saved by receiving those gifts, but they are for the edification of the church and were signs to unbelievers.

I've heard your version before also, especially on forums but never at Church as it amounts to salvation by works. Ones like you confuse the Redemptive Work which Christ performed (which when embraced results in eternal life and a new heart through the rebirth) with our sanctification. You can't mix the two.
Your formula won't save a soul as no one perfectly loves God With ALL their heart mind and soul all the time, and that is what is required not to hear the words, "depart from me, ye worker of iniquity."

P.S. taking Jeremiah out of context does not impress me either.