Jesus ended the Sermon on the Mount with the most terrifying warning in all of Scripture.
Not a warning about persecution. Not about suffering or martyrdom.
A warning that people who called Him “Lord,” who prophesied in His name, who cast out demons and performed miracles, would hear Him say on judgment day: “I never knew you. Depart from me.”
Matthew 7:21, English Standard Version (ESV)
“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.”
This verse should shake every Christian who reads it.
Jesus is addressing people who appear religious, who use correct language about Him, and who even demonstrate supernatural power.
Yet He declares they won’t enter heaven.
If that doesn’t make you examine your own faith with sober urgency, you’re not paying attention.
The five lessons in this verse expose the difference between genuine Christianity and religious performance that looks convincing but leads to eternal destruction.
These aren’t comfortable lessons. They’re essential ones that could determine where you spend eternity.
Lesson 1: Calling Jesus “Lord” Doesn’t Make Him Your Lord
The people Jesus warns about say “Lord, Lord” twice. They use the correct title. They acknowledge Jesus’s authority verbally. Yet Jesus says they won’t enter heaven.
Religious Language Isn’t the Same as Relationship
These people had the vocabulary right. They knew what to call Jesus. They likely attended religious gatherings. They may have prayed regularly. They used all the right spiritual terminology.
But Jesus says “I never knew you.” Not “I used to know you but you fell away.” Never knew you. Their relationship with Him was nonexistent despite their religious language.
According to New Testament scholar D.A. Carson’s Matthew commentary, the double “Lord, Lord” suggests urgency and emphasis.
These people are shocked when Jesus rejects them. They genuinely believed their verbal acknowledgment of His lordship was sufficient.
What Genuine Lordship Requires
Luke 6:46, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?”
Real lordship means obedience, not just acknowledgment. Jesus is Lord when He has actual authority over your decisions, priorities, resources, relationships, and ambitions.
If you call Him Lord but live however you want, ignoring His commands when they conflict with your preferences, He isn’t actually your Lord regardless of what you call Him.
The Test of Genuine Faith
James 2:17, New International Version (NIV)
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Saving faith produces obedience. Not perfect obedience, but genuine pursuit of what God commands. If your faith doesn’t change how you live, it’s not saving faith.
Lesson 2: Spiritual Activity Doesn’t Prove Spiritual Authenticity
Matthew 7:22, English Standard Version (ESV)
“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?'”
These people weren’t passive. They prophesied. Cast out demons. Performed miracles. All in Jesus’s name. Yet Jesus rejects them.
Supernatural Power Can Exist Without Saving Faith
This is deeply unsettling. People can operate in spiritual power, even genuine supernatural power, without actually knowing Jesus savingly.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3, New King James Version (NKJV)
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
Paul lists impressive spiritual activities that can coexist with spiritual emptiness.
Prophecy, knowledge, faith, generosity, and martyrdom all mean nothing without love rooted in relationship with God.
Why God Allows Effective Ministry by Unsaved People
Theologian John Piper addresses this in his work on desiring God: God can use anyone, even unbelievers, to accomplish His purposes.
Balaam’s donkey spoke truth. Caiaphas prophesied accurately despite plotting Jesus’s murder. God’s word doesn’t return void, regardless of who speaks it.
The fact that God uses someone’s ministry doesn’t authenticate their salvation. It demonstrates God’s sovereignty over His word, not the speaker’s spiritual state.
The Danger of Measuring Faith by Ministry Results
Many Christians evaluate their salvation by ministry fruitfulness. “God is blessing my teaching, so I must be right with Him.” “People are being healed through my prayers, so I must be saved.”
Matthew 7:21-23 destroys that logic. Ministry effectiveness isn’t evidence of salvation. Obedience to the Father’s will is.
Lesson 3: You Can Be Busy for Jesus Without Knowing Jesus
The people Jesus rejects were extremely active in ministry. They weren’t lazy or apathetic. They were doing things “in Jesus’s name.”
Yet Jesus says “I never knew you.”
Activity Versus Intimacy
You can serve Jesus without knowing Jesus. You can do religious work without having a relationship with the One you’re working for.
According to counselor and author Larry Crabb, many Christians substitute activity for intimacy.
We’re more comfortable doing things for God than being with God. We measure our spirituality by how busy we are rather than how close we are to Jesus.
The Martha and Mary Pattern
Luke 10:41-42, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.'”
Martha was busy serving Jesus. Mary sat at His feet listening. Jesus affirmed Mary’s choice. The necessary thing is relationship, not activity.
How to Know if You’re Substituting Service for Intimacy
Ask yourself: If all ministry opportunities were removed and you couldn’t do anything “for Jesus,” would your relationship with Him feel empty?
Do you spend more time serving Him than being with Him? Is your prayer life mostly asking for ministry success rather than desiring to know Him better?
If ministry is how you maintain your sense of being right with God, you’re in dangerous territory.
Lesson 4: Doing the Father’s Will Is the Evidence of Salvation
Matthew 7:21, English Standard Version (ESV)
“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.”
Entry into heaven depends on doing the Father’s will. Not calling Jesus “Lord.” Not performing miracles. Doing what God wants.
What the Father’s Will Includes
1 Thessalonians 4:3, New International Version (NIV)
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.”
Micah 6:8, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
John 6:40, English Standard Version (ESV)
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.”
The Father’s will includes holiness, justice, humility, and faith in Jesus. These aren’t optional add-ons for super-spiritual Christians. They’re baseline requirements.
Obedience as Evidence, Not Cause
Doing the Father’s will is evidence of salvation, not the cause. You’re not saved by obedience. You’re saved by grace through faith. But saving faith produces obedience.
As theologian J.I. Packer explains in his work on knowing God, obedience is the fruit of faith, not the root. The root is relationship with Jesus. The fruit is conformity to the Father’s will.
If there’s no fruit, question whether there’s genuine root.
Lesson 5: Self-Deception About Salvation Is Terrifyingly Common
The people in Matthew 7:22 are shocked when Jesus rejects them. “Did we not prophesy in your name?” They expected to enter heaven. They were convinced they were saved.
They were wrong.
How Self-Deception Happens
Jeremiah 17:9, New King James Version (NKJV)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
Your heart will deceive you. You can convince yourself you’re saved when you’re not.
You can point to religious activity, correct theology, moral living, or ministry fruitfulness as evidence while missing genuine relationship with Jesus.
The Danger of False Assurance
2 Corinthians 13:5, English Standard Version (ESV)
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
Paul commands self-examination. Not once at conversion, but ongoing. You need to regularly test whether you’re actually in the faith.
This isn’t encouraging paranoid doubt. It’s encouraging honest evaluation that distinguishes between genuine faith and religious performance.
Questions for Self-Examination
Do you love Jesus Himself or just benefits He provides?
Do you obey Him when it costs you something?
Does your faith affect how you handle money, sex, relationships, and ambition?
Do you treasure time with God or just check off religious duties?
Would people who know you best say Jesus is actually Lord of your life?
If honest answers to those questions reveal religious activity without heart transformation, you may be exactly who Jesus warns about in Matthew 7:21-23.
What to Do With This Terrifying Warning
Don’t Ignore It
The natural response to Matthew 7:21-23 is either paralyzing fear or defensive dismissal. “That won’t happen to me. I’m saved.”
Neither response is appropriate. The warning is meant to provoke sober self-examination, not anxious despair or careless presumption.
Examine Your Foundation
Matthew 7:24-27 immediately follows this warning with the parable of building on rock versus sand. Your foundation determines whether you survive the storm.
Is your foundation relationship with Jesus characterized by hearing and doing His words? Or is it religious activity, correct theology, and visible ministry?
Pursue Intimacy Over Activity
If you’ve been substituting busyness for relationship, stop. Reduce your ministry commitments if necessary. Prioritize knowing Jesus over serving Jesus.
Repent of Self-Reliance
The people Jesus rejects point to their works as evidence. “Did we not prophesy, cast out demons, do mighty works?” They’re trusting their performance.
Salvation rests entirely on Christ’s finished work, received through faith that produces obedience. Stop pointing to your spiritual resume. Point to Jesus.
Ask God to Reveal Self-Deception
Psalm 139:23-24, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”
Invite God to expose areas where you’re deceived about your spiritual condition. Ask Him to show you where religious performance has replaced genuine relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 7:21
Does this verse teach you can lose your salvation?
This is debated among Christians. Those who believe in eternal security argue these people were never truly saved, hence “I never knew you” rather than “I used to know you.”
Those who believe salvation can be lost argue religious activity without ongoing obedience leads to losing salvation. Both sides agree the verse warns against false assurance based on religious performance rather than genuine faith.
Can genuine Christians prophesy, cast out demons, and do miracles?
Yes. The issue isn’t whether these activities are real or fake. The issue is that supernatural power can exist without saving faith. Genuine Christians can and do operate in these gifts. But their salvation rests on relationship with Jesus, not on spiritual gifts.
How much obedience is required to prove faith is genuine?
Scripture doesn’t provide percentages. Saving faith produces desire for obedience and pattern of pursuing God’s will, though never perfectly. The question isn’t “How little can I obey and still be saved?” but “Does my life show evidence that Jesus is actually Lord?” Perfection isn’t the standard. Direction is.
What if I’m not sure if I’m saved after reading this?
Good. Healthy uncertainty that drives you to examine your faith is appropriate. Ask yourself: Do I love Jesus or just want heaven? Do I pursue holiness or just religious activity? Am I trusting Christ’s work or my own? If examination reveals genuine faith, rejoice. If it reveals religious performance without relationship, repent and trust Christ today.
Can someone think they’re saved for years and be wrong?
Yes. That’s exactly what Matthew 7:21-23 warns about. People can maintain religious appearance for decades while never knowing Jesus savingly. This is why ongoing self-examination matters. Don’t assume you’re saved because you prayed a prayer once. Examine whether your life shows evidence of genuine faith.
What’s the difference between healthy self-examination and unhealthy doubt?
Healthy self-examination asks “Does my life show evidence of saving faith?” and responds to deficiencies with repentance and renewed trust in Christ. Unhealthy doubt obsesses over whether you’re saved enough, tries to achieve assurance through perfect performance, and never rests in Christ’s finished work. Self-examination should drive you to Jesus, not away from Him.
Prayer for Genuine Faith
Jesus, Your warning in Matthew 7:21 terrifies me. I don’t want to be someone who calls You Lord without You being my actual Lord. I don’t want to substitute religious activity for genuine relationship with You. Search my heart. Show me where I’m deceived about my spiritual condition. Reveal where I’m trusting my performance instead of Your finished work. Help me pursue knowing You, not just serving You. Transform my obedience from duty to delight. Give me assurance that rests on Your promise, not my performance. And if examination reveals I’ve never truly known You, draw me into saving relationship today. I don’t want religious appearance. I want You. In Your Name, Amen.
Works Consulted
Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Zondervan. [Book]
Crabb, L. (2013). The Pressure’s Off: There’s a New Way to Live. WaterBrook Press. [Book]
Packer, J. I. (1973). Knowing God. InterVarsity Press. [Book]
Peterson, E. H. (2005). The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. NavPress. [Bible Translation]
Piper, J. (2003). Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Multnomah Books. [Book]
Sproul, R. C. (2009). What Did Jesus Do? The Biblical Basis for Salvation. Reformation Trust Publishing. [Book]
Strong, J. (2010). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers. [Reference Book]
