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Will Lawlessness Keep “Christians” out of Heaven?

Better to face the truth now than to be bewildered on the Day of the Lord.

Lawless Christians

Many people who assume they are genuine Christians will be astonished on the Day of the Lord to learn they are not. On Judgment Day they will be shocked to discover they are rejected from heaven because they are not true disciples of Jesus Christ.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke of this.

“I never knew you”

Jesus said, “(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. (22) On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ (23) And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23)

Lord, Lord

In verse 21–23, Jesus says some people who call him Lord will be rejected by him. Let that sink in deeply. These people not only acknowledge certain beliefs about Jesus, they actually call him Lord. They use the title for him that represents his authority, suggesting that they are obedient and surrendered to him.

Nevertheless, Jesus refers to them in verse 23 as “workers of lawlessness.” They were regularly and deliberately disobedient to the laws of God. They rebelled against God’s words. Therefore, they were also hypocrites because they called Jesus Lord but habitually and unrepentantly disobeyed him.

Jesus says to them: “I never knew you.” It was not as though they had started well and then drifted back into the world of sin. Jesus never knew them, not at the start of their “Christianity” nor in the middle nor at the end. They never made the decision to become a true disciple of Jesus, learning from him, confessing and repenting of sin, following him.

They assumed because they made a verbal show of following Jesus and did religious things that they were right with God and on their way to heaven. They were bewildered to find rejection in the presence of Jesus.

Jesus says in verse 21 that the one who will be accepted by him on the day of the Lord is “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” These people obey the enduring moral laws of God the Father. They are true disciples of Jesus, meaning they learn from him and obey him.

Building a house

Immediately after this teaching, Jesus tells the parable of building a house on the rock.

“(24) Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. (26) And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. (27) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24–27 ESV)

What distinguishes the house that stands in the storm from the house that is destroyed is, one person hears the Lord’s words and puts them into practice and the other person hears the words but ignores them.

One person becomes a true disciple of Jesus and the other does not. In the storm of Judgment Day, the true disciple stands the test and is received into heaven. The lawless, unrepentantly immoral person sees his life swept away.

This makes it clear that when Jesus tells the parable of the two builders, he is elaborating on the teaching of verses 21–23, where he says that some people will be shocked to find on the day of the Lord that though they call Jesus the Lord of their lives they have in fact been living in lawlessness; they have been disobeying his words; and therefore they are rejected. That is why verse 24 begins, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine….” The word then indicates that Jesus intends for verses 24–27 to build on what he said in verses 21–23.

The rejected man in verses 21–23 is the same person in verses 26–27, the “foolish man who built his house on the sand.” He never was a genuine disciple of Jesus. Only true disciples are true Christians who in the end will enter the kingdom of heaven.

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When Faith in Jesus Will Not Save One’s Soul

Here is what inadequate faith in Jesus looks like.

faith in Jesus

A true Christian is a true disciple of Jesus. You cannot be a true Christian with the assurance of eternal life and at the same time refuse to be a true disciple of Christ.

The true disciple

Jesus knew that many people who followed him were not true disciples, but rather false disciples. Many believed in him in some sense, but not in the sense that resulted in their becoming true disciples. He knew their kind of belief fell short of being a saving faith.

John 8 tells of a group of people who began to believe in Jesus in an inadequate sense after hearing his teaching:

Jesus said, “‘He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” (John 8:29–32, ESV)

So, Jesus knew that some of these people believed in him in a way that would not lead to abiding in his words. They might have believed true things, such as that Jesus was a prophet from God or that he was God’s son or that he truly performed miracles by the power of God. They gave assent to certain ideas about Jesus. But their faith did not rise to the level of turning their lives over to him and obeying his words. They did not believe in him as the one who had the right to mold their lives.

Only when they reached that sort of faith in Jesus would they truly become his disciples. And only then would they know the truth and be set free from sin by that truth. They had to believe in Jesus to the point of abiding in his words.

Surprise

It did not take long for Jesus to expose the inadequacy of their “belief” in him. In verse 33 they immediately objected to Jesus’s saying that they needed to be set free:

“They answered him, ‘We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, “You will become free”?’” (John 8:33)

Jesus then explained that they are slaves to sin:

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” (John 8:34–36)

And then he jolts them with a shocking revelation:

“I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.” (John 8:37)

The revealer of hearts

These are the same people who moments ago were described as believing in Jesus, the same people Jesus urged to become true disciples. But now, just sentences later, he is revealing what the Father had revealed to him: that they harbored thoughts of killing Jesus. The reason they wanted to kill Jesus was, “My word finds no place in you.”

Jesus had told them they needed to abide in his words, and now he reveals they in fact have an active hostility toward his words. They will not allow his words to take root in their souls. They had some sort of belief in Jesus, but not a belief in him as an authoritative teacher whose words should be learned, believed, and obeyed. They saw Jesus as someone whose words should be sifted.

The time had come for Jesus to reveal to these “believers” the most shocking truth of all.

Who is your father?

John 8:38–44 says:

[Jesus said,] “I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.”

They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Jesus knew their hearts, as he knew the hearts of all (John 2:25). He knew they did not follow God and his truth, but rather Satan and his lies. They loved and preferred lies to truth. This is why they had no room for the teachings of Jesus. They would never abide in his words. They would never become true disciples. In some sense they believed in Jesus, but not in a saving sense.

Takeaway

Every one of us faces the same choice. Will we move beyond an inadequate faith to a saving faith? Belief is not enough if that belief does not include becoming a true disciple by abiding in the words of him who is the unique Son of God and the Lord of heaven and earth, who knows what is true and false, right and wrong, and who is the only way to God.

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Can You Be a Christian and Not a Disciple?

A disciple knows that God is jealous

disciple

For all who seek to Know God and His Ways, it is essential to understand one thing well: he requires first place in your life.

We see this in the Old Covenant in the 10 Commandments (see Exodus 20). God begins the 10 Commandments by insisting that Israel not have any other gods. He explains, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5).

In fact, elsewhere God says his very name is Jealous: “You shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14 ESV).

So, this is fundamental to God’s relationship with human beings and with you; he requires primacy of place, he requires that he be first in your life without any competitors (such as family members, money, possessions, the world in general, and so on).

Is Jesus Jealous?

We see Jesus has the same jealousy when he insists on being first in our lives and that we be fully surrendered to him as true disciples.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24–25)

And, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)

Most people who call themselves Christians in America do not understand this. I was speaking recently with a woman whom I had just met while doing sidewalk outreach, and I asked her if she was a Christian. She answered yes. Then I asked, Are you a disciple of Jesus? She answered no.

Notice her assumption. She believed someone could be a Christian without being a disciple of Jesus. She knew she was not obeying Jesus, and she knew she was not truly following him. She believed in him, she gave assent to truths about Jesus such as that he is the son of God, that he died for our sins and rose from the dead. But she knew well she was following the world instead of Jesus. Nevertheless, she felt she could be a real Christian on the way to heaven.

A Christian but not a disciple?

That clearly is not true. Jesus makes numerous statements that should destroy the hope of anyone who claims to be a Christian but is not living as a true disciple of the Lord.

For example, Jesus said:

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

“But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46–49 ESV)

Notice the common feature of the two people in this parable. They both listen to the words of Jesus. They both hear his words. However, one person hears the Lord’s words and does them, and the other person hears them and does not do them.

The flood

There is another common element in the story for both people. That is the flood that rises and breaks against their houses. This is where the common features end. When the stream breaks against the one man’s house his house stands because it was built on heeding the words of Jesus. The other man’s house collapses when the stream strikes it because though he listened to the words of Jesus he ignored them.

Notice how the result is described in the disobedient man’s life: his house “fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” That is a description that Jesus would never use to describe someone whose soul is saved. No true Christian ends up with the collapse of her life. No true Christian ends up with his house in great ruin.

The house, of course, represents one’s life. Everyone is building a house. Your house is made of beliefs, values, behaviors, thoughts, priorities, habits, actions, words, relationships, goals, accomplishments, failures, sins, good works.

The flood and stream that sooner or later break against it is Judgement Day, when every person must stand before God and give an account.

Your foundation

How well are you building? Are you digging deep and building on the Rock? Or are you building on the ground without a foundation—the world system which is indifferent to Christ and rebels against him?

So, this is God’s nature, and these are his ways. He must have first place in your life, and if he has that place then there will be obedience in you. You will be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. If you have never settled that with the Lord, do it now. And then write me about your decision.

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Knowing God as Your Gracious Father

A transformational spiritual exercise to help you sense that God is your gracious Father

I want to share a helpful devotional practice I have been using in recent months. It has been spiritually rich for me, and it transforms my understanding of God and my feelings about him.

Normally I use this devotional practice first thing in the morning. I commonly wake up in the morning with the sense that I am unworthy, and that God does not feel good about me, probably stemming from the notion that I must earn my way with him and deserve his love. A few months ago I began intentionally focusing at these times on God as my gracious Father, and I meditate one by one on the qualities that constitute his gracious fatherhood.

Depending on how much time I have, I might do this for 10 minutes, or for an hour. But there is a sweetness to it always, and by the end of this meditation the negative feelings are gone.

Example

Here is what I typically say:

Gracious Father, your favor toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your benevolence [goodwill] toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your beneficence [good works] in my life is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your generosity toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your love for me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your kindness toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your gentleness with me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your goodness toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your listening to my prayers and answering them is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your forgiveness toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your mercy toward me is my treasure and delight.

Gracious Father, your adoption of me as your son is my treasure and delight.

Meditation

With each line I pause and meditate on that reality, letting the words sink in and do their work, giving the Holy Spirit room to reveal the truth of it. He does that time and again. The exercise is repetitive but has never been rote.

At the heart of what it means to know God is to know him as gracious Father. This devotional practice has transformed not just my mornings, but my experiential knowledge of God.

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The Strength of Christ’s Meekness

It is harder for a strong person to be meek in spirit than powerful in the flesh

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ….” (2 Corinthians 10:1, ESV)

The apostle Paul writes here of the meekness [Greek, prautes] of Christ. What does it mean that Christ is meek?

Most people, even Christians, do not want to be meek. And so meekness is probably not a quality in Christ people naturally admire and revere him for.

But we should worship Jesus for his meekness. It was through his meekness that he, though innocent in every way, allowed himself to be taken prisoner, and then for our sins undergo abuse, injustice, and torture at the hands of his enemies. He had the strength and authority to end all that oppression in a moment, but he did not end it. He endured it in infinite power and meekness.

As he stood before Pilate or Herod, he could have snapped his fingers and with a word caused the earth to open beneath them and swallow them up alive, as happened to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in the Old Testament when they challenged Moses (Numbers 16:1–33). But in his perfect self-control and restraint, he let Pilate, Herod, the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin, and Roman soldiers mock, spit upon, beat, scourge, and crucify him. That is strength. That is greatness.

As Proverbs 16:32 says, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Jesus said that if he wanted he could have in a moment had some 12,000 angels at his side to defend him. (Matthew 26:53) But he chose meekness in obedience to his Father’s will.

Christ’s triumphant entry

We see the meekness of Christ in another way in his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem just days before his crucifixion: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble [Greek praus, which could be translated meek, as it is in the King James version], and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21:5, ESV)

In this triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus did not come riding a mighty white horse or bearing the weapons and wearing an impressive military uniform. Rather he came dressed in common clothes and riding a common donkey. He did not come commanding attention in human power. Rather he came in humility.

Meekness in the Sermon on the Mount

We see the meaning of Christ’s meekness from how he taught his disciples to be meek. In the opening of the Sermon on the Mount, which we call the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Many of the specific rules of Jesus that follow in the Sermon on the Mount are examples of meekness. Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles….

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:38–41, 43–45, ESV)

The word describing all these behaviors is meekness. Meekness turns the other cheek, goes the second mile, and so on.

Definitions

The English word meekness translates the Greek words prautes and praotes, meaning “mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, and meekness,” and by implication, humility (according to Strong’s Concordance).

In the “Online Bible,” Larry Pierce writes, “Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time (Isaiah 41:17, Luke 18:1–8). Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will (Galatians 5:23).” (BlueLetterBible.org)

Moses

Meekness was a notable virtue of Moses: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3, ESV)

Jesus certainly surpassed Moses in meekness many times over. Truly meekness is a strength for which we should bow before the Son of God—who now rules and judges the universe—and worship him with humility of heart.

Moreover, we are privileged to walk in his ways: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness [or meekness; Greek prautes], self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

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The Savior Gentle with Sinners

We do not have to be on guard with Jesus

When I was a boy, my family went to a dentist I learned to fear. He was a thickly built man, with meaty, strong hands. When he worked in my mouth filling cavities or on one or two occasions pulling a tooth, he worked with the sort of force you might imagine a car mechanic uses when turning a stubborn bolt. He pushed that needle into my gums, he pressed that drill into my tooth, or he wielded dental pliers on a stubborn molar and twisted and pulled till it gave way. His work was done forcefully and effectively; and if pain happened to me in the process, well that’s just the way it is. He got things done in my mouth with directness and dispatch. He was a healer—but a rough healer.

When you have experiences with a dentist like that, you learn to appreciate gentleness. My next dentist was the opposite of the first. He was as gentle and kind a man as you will ever know. And he redeemed dentistry in my eyes. He spoke gently. He was aware of what I was feeling. And he was clearly concerned to make the experience of healing as painless as possible.

Gentle Savior

It is good news when Jesus tells us he is gentle. He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30 ESV).

Gentle means not rough, harsh, or violent. Gentle means aware of the pain others might experience and trying to relieve or minimize it. When a gentle doctor must inflict pain, he seeks also to bring comfort.

Matthew 12:20 says of Jesus, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.”

Where my family lived as I was growing up, our house was one lot away from a small wetland full of reeds and cattails. The reeds grew three to five feet in length. We played with those reeds. They had a natural stiffness to them that enabled them to grow tall and sway in the breeze without breaking, but if you bent them hard enough they could certainly break and fold over, as we discovered when we used them as whips or swords. They could also be bruised or slightly bent or dented, and weakened as a result. A bruised reed could be broken more easily. You could look out over the wetland and see the tops of thousands of reeds standing tall and elegantly curved, while others were bruised and slightly bent over, while still others were broken and fully bent over upon themselves.

Jesus was not one to walk through the wetland and take strong hold of the top of a bruised, weakened, bowed reed and snap it so that it would fully break.

A bruised reed

Luke 7 tells the story of a woman who was a bruised reed. She was bruised because of her own sin, and no doubt the sins of others against her. Luke describes her as “a woman of the city” and “a sinner.” Somehow she heard the teaching and works of Jesus and became a believer. And when she heard that Jesus had come to the home of a Pharisee in her city, it triggered in her a desire to express her love and appreciation to the one who had changed her life.

She quickly grabbed a jar of expensive ointment and went to the home of the Pharisee. The event was apparently held in something like what we might call today an open-house format, so she was able to get in and come right to the place where Jesus reclined at the table for the meal. There with overflowing emotion she wept tears that dripped on the feet of Jesus, and she wiped the tears with her hair and anointed the feet of Jesus with the ointment.

For Jesus this must have been an awkward situation. Yet he did not put an end to it, but let it go on for 5, 10, maybe 15 minutes. I base that on the words of Jesus when he admonished the Pharisee, saying, “from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet” (Luke 7:45), and on the fact that Jesus told his parable to the Pharisee as she went on with her display of gratitude. This means Jesus let her actions continue, rather than chastising her, or telling her to stop and go away.

No, he was gentle with this broken reed. He let her be and let her do. Finally after concluding his instruction of the Pharisee, he turned to the woman and said, “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:48, 50).

So Jesus was gentle with an irreligious sinner, and if you come to him as this woman did, in humility, faith, and repentance, he will be gentle with you.

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The Fundamental Test of Your Soul

God’s glory is your glory

fundamental test

In recent weeks we have explored God’s jealousy for his glory.

When you understand the importance the Lord places on glory, you will not be surprised when tested concerning this.

You will see it as the context for Jesus’ demanding teachings that test the ultimate devotion of your heart: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mat. 10:37). “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Mat. 6:24).

It is the rightful glory of God that people love, prize, and delight in him above all, for “every good and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). Therefore he will not abide your giving glory instead to his creation.

The idol factory

The test of exclusive worship may be the fundamental test. It is continual, for as one theologian said, the human heart is an idol factory. But it is a trial you can pass, because the Lord enables willing souls to do what he commands: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Nothing will bring you greater fulfillment, because for this you were designed. This is both God’s glory and your glory. This is a marriage made in heaven. This is how you prove true.

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Reflecting God’s Glory

Our glory is to reflect God’s glory

Reflecting God’s Glory

Last week we saw that God supremely delights to express his glory for his own joy and the admiration and pleasure of his creation.

Glory is divine, and someday it will also be fully human. Jesus, the unique Son, has unimaginable glory, and he is the firstfruit of glorified humanity. God the Father has unimaginable glory, as does the Holy Spirit.

Glory sums up God’s nature, and therefore it will similarly sum up our redeemed nature. At creation God gave humanity the priceless gift of bearing his image and displaying his glory.

God plans to restore the glory lost in the Fall and to add more for good measure. Jesus said, “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Mat. 13:43). John said, “When he appears we will be like him” (1 John 3:3). Paul said there will be “glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good” (Rom. 2:10).

The apostle Paul also writes, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). The NIV, similar to the KJV, translates the end of that verse, “the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Ultimate worship

In God’s plans, glory is not incidental, not a side benefit of salvation, not a secondary goal. It is ultimate.

Therefore when God established his covenant with Israel, he began the Ten Commandments by stressing exclusive worship. Centuries later he rebuked Israel for breaking these commands by their stubborn idolatry and said, “My glory I will not give to another” (Isa. 48:11). In this matter of exclusive worship, God means business. He is jealous for his glory.