There is a danger in making a claim and not being able to back it up. I once watched a man show a badge to a clerk to hurry past a line. Later he was confronted, only to discover that his badge was for the water department inspection service. He claimed something without adequate proof to back it up.
In Matthew 7 Jesus gives a caution to those who claim to have a relationship with Him, yet do not have proof. Reminds me of the 1980’s commercial for Wendy’s… “Show me the beef?” There has to be some substantiation to the claim being made. Here in verses 21-23 Jesus explains the danger of a profession without faith…
“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.”
They have made a profession of their faith, a claim, but no proof. You may need to re-read the verses to see what I mean, because at first glance, they give proof of their claim with some spiritual looking evidences. Evidences such as: Calling Jesus their sovereign “Lord, Lord”; prophesying for Him (in His name); casting out devils for Him (in His name); doing numerous other spiritual looking things (works) for Him (in His name). Was this proof? Or as I indicated, was this just evidence? You can falsify evidence. You can even claim to do something for someone (in His name). To that point specifically, the scripture clearly states that false prophets have power as well, and that doing spiritual looking things do not qualify as God inspired or God empowered.
Jesus’ response is— “… profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” He will “profess” unto them. They made a profession and Jesus will reply with His own. Just because you call Him sovereign doesn’t mean He is your sovereign. It requires surrender and subsequent submissions. Jesus said— “but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” And there you have it. Those who submit to His leadership and therefore obey Him! This is not simply a profession, but an active relationship. It is obedience in the moment, each day, moment by moment. That is what it means to have a profession of faith based upon faith itself.
Verses 24-27 conclude Jesus’ thoughts on this subject with a connecting word— “therefore”. His point wasn’t verses 21-23, but instead it is made in verses 24-27…
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
I wonder how many ‘believers’ claim to know Jesus but in no way do they actively pursue that relationship? It is tragic to say the least. Claiming and naming does us nothing for eternity. Belief acted out in real time and in real life is the focus of Jesus here. A person who BOTH hears AND obeys, is the one who is wise and stable with Christ. The one who ONLY hears, is the one who is foolish and eventually washes away.
Nearly all of my life I have attended a local visible church. In that time I have watched countless people come and go who read their bible, attended, gave, and would even muster the energy to come to an activity or two. This literally means nothing! I know that last line may take you by surprise, but, well… surprise! It means nothing if it is not acted upon. Those same people professed that they were wise, and so did many others about them, but their life showed different. Their profession may have been genuine, and none of us are qualified to judge, but their lack of obedience showed the real proof. A lot of ‘Lord, Lord’, but no action. They, and I at one time, may have claimed to do things for Jesus, but there was no stabilized proof of the relationship. It was all human ability, and human intellect, and human conquest.
Jesus wants a servant. He seeks those who will obey Him. He looks for those who do more than just attend, but will sacrifice, serve, and submit. Jesus isn’t looking for those who claim to know Him, but those who will simply obey Him.