It will happen. Those words will echo in the hearts and minds of many for all of eternity. And yet, on that day many will be surprised . . .
Let me ask you something, when you look back on your week how many of these things showed up in your completed column? "Perform miracles", "Drive out demons", "Prophesy in the name of Jesus" Anyone? Yet Jesus said that on Judgement Day this is what countless men and women who thought they were working on His behalf will say and hear, "'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)
I used to write this verse off since I believed that Jesus was only talking about false prophets and fake disciples – definitely not me. But then I read it again. These ‘false teachers’ actually prophesied, cast out demons and did miracles. I’ve never cast out a demon or performed a miracle or prophesied in Jesus’ name. And if someone were walking around today doing all these things I would probably consider them a super-Christian.
Another one of the key things that we cannot miss in this scripture is the fact that they were surprised! They didn't have a clue that they were not true followers of Jesus, in fact, they saw themselves as active participants in His Kingdom. They fully expected to hear Jesus say, ‘well done’ as they would be escorted into their faithful reward. How did they miss the fact that they were lost? How did they so inaccurately misjudge the trajectory of their life? And how do we keep from doing the same?
There are polls annually conducted by organizations such as Gallup and the Barna Group which routinely report this result, that tens of millions of Americans claim to be "born-again Christians." Pressed to reveal their support for this belief you find answers such as, "I prayed the sinner's prayer", "I've lived a good life", "God loves me", or "I've always been faithful to give and to attend my church". Yet Jesus clearly points out that not only will many of us will not gain entry into heaven, but that in fact, only a very small number of people ever attempt to find the true path to salvation.
Most people fall into one of these three groups when it comes to their belief about their own salvation. The first group that we will examine are the ones who believe in "Universalism". This belief basically says that everyone will be saved and that everyone is going to heaven. Our society has expunged any notion of divine punishment or of hell from our culture, (and from several of our churches as well), so that now it is widely assumed that all a person has to do to get to heaven is die. It is almost always treated in a comedic fashion when used in popular culture. But if this was so, Jesus wasted a large portion of his teaching time, because he spent way more time warning about hell than He did talking about heaven. For example this teaching, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) That doesn't sound like everyone will automatically enter heaven . . .
The second camp is "Legalism". This group teaches that to get to heaven, you must obey the laws of God and live a good life. In other words, your good deeds are your ticket to the afterlife. Once again the scriptures are clear on the mistake of believing this theology. You don't have to look any further than Jesus's encounter with the rich young ruler to see the error of this belief system. Here was a man who had lived an exemplary life, was a great admirer of Jesus and His teaching, and sought confirmation that the path he was on would ensure his entrance into heaven. This young man proudly proclaimed that he had kept the Ten Commandments all his life. Jesus didn't rebuke him for his error in judgement, (Jesus Sermon on the Mount shows us that we all sin multiple times throughout our days), but instead used one sentence to reveal the true treasure that this man coveted, "One thing you lack," Jesus said, " Sell all that you have, distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But the man walked away, sorrowful, because he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22) Works alone cannot save us as shown in Ephesians, chapter 2, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
The third camp is known as "Sacerdotalism". This belief system is based on the view that salvation is accomplished through the priesthood, through the sacraments, and/or through the church. People point to their baptism experience, or to taking the Lord's Supper, or other rites, in the mistaken belief that these rituals will save them for all eternity. Yes, the sacraments are very important to a child of God. They point us to the hope of the future and remind us of the promises of God. But they do not, and cannot save anyone, and anyone who believes his / her trust in the sacraments for their eternal destiny, is doomed to reside forever in hell. Just like walking an aisle and praying the sinner's prayer, these are false assurances if the trust is only in the act of obedience and not in the inward transformation that only Jesus can perform in our lives. Need further confirmation? Check out the story below:
The Bible tells us about one of the most influential religious leaders of Jesus's day and the conversation that he had with Jesus regarding eternal life, "Now there was a man of the Pharisees (religious leaders) named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:1-15)
So now we know about three major beliefs that will not lead us to heaven. So how can we know for sure if we are saved?
Click HERE for the next part of this blog series.
