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NASB | 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. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. |
Bible Question: Will all people who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior go to heaven? Jesus is the door into heaven, and doing the Will of God get us through the door. Is there another view. |
Bible Answer: The main thrust of Jesus' commentary here in Matthew 7 is that not all those who call him "Lord, Lord" are followers of Christ. Those who truly put their trust in Christ will not refrain from doing God's will. That is not to say that believers do not sin at all (I wish I could honestly say that!); however, those who are not believers in Christ cannot even please God in the slightest, despite their apparent "good works" (see Romans 8:7-9 for the Scriptural backup on that one). A good way to interpret this verse is to look at its context, particularly those verses that follow it. Jesus explains this hard saying by comparing the one who truly trusts in him as one who builds his house upon a rock. In contrast, the one who does not truly put his trust in Christ alone is like one who builds his house on sand. Both have nice-looking houses, but it is the foundation which makes all the difference. This verse, in any case, is really a wake-up call to those who claim to be Christians. Do we truly build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, or are we just paying Him lip service? True, saving faith will lead to a change in our lives and also result in obedience to God. Kind of rules out "easy believism," doesn't it? --Joe! |