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. — Matthew 7:21-23
It is the nature of man to be religious. But there is a distinct difference between being religious and being a Christian in the true sense of the word.
The word Christian means one who follows Christ. It is possible to be very religious and not be following Christ. Jesus tells of those who pay homage to God with their words, but their heart is not with God (Matthew 15:18). Paul warns of those who have the appearance of Christianity but deny God’s power (II Timothy 3:5).
In the passage above, Jesus speaks of those who will proclaim His name and perform what they declare are wonderful works in His name but will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christ’s response to them is to command them to depart from Him because He never knew them. In Scripture the word know often means a close relationship of special love. Jesus is telling these persons that He has never had a close relationship of special love with them. Why? Because their works are not wonderful, but are iniquity. Like the Pharisee praying in the temple (Luke 18:9-14), these people may be making a great show of their religion, but they aren’t serving God; they are promoting themselves.
The spirit of a true Christian is represented by the publican. He went off by himself, bowed himself before God, confessed his sins and asked forgiveness. Instead of exalting himself, he abased himself, and Jesus said he was the one who found justification, or forgiveness of sins. His heart was toward God. The heart is the difference in a Christian and those who are simply very religious.
Christianity isn’t an outward show; it is an inward love and devotion to God, which bears outward fruits of righteousness. Instead of being far from God, the Christian’s heart is near to God. It is meek and lowly, so it has no interest in self-promotion but wants to see God exalted. It loves God and desires to please Him. This causes the Christian to seek to do God’s will. And Jesus said the one who does God’s will is the one who enters into the kingdom of heaven.
How does a cold and stony heart become meek, lowly and loving? The Holy Spirit changes it. He has been doing heart transplants since the beginning of time. He takes out the dead heart and replaces it with a living, loving heart.
Jesus goes on to compare the Christian to a wise man who builds his house on a solid foundation. This house is able to weather the storms and remain standing. The Christian hears and obeys Christ’s words, which means his life is on a solid foundation. When the storms of life come, he is able to weather them and his life remains standing, instead of crashing into a shambles.
This is why a Christian can be truly happy, and this is why a Christian has a peace that can’t be understood. No matter what he experiences, he knows he will survive it. No matter what he loses, he knows he will always have the only thing that is of value. He knows he will always have the love of Jesus in his heart.
Christianity isn’t an outward religion, it is a heart religion. It is the religion of a heart that is transformed; a heart that loves because it is loved; a heart that is meek and lowly; a heart whose treasure is Jesus Christ and Him crucified; a heart that cannot lose its treasure; a heart that is entering into the kingdom of heaven; a heart with a special relationship with Christ; a heart that is happy!
- Philip Green is pastor of Greenwood Primitive Baptist Church.
