I Never Knew You!

Matthew 7:21-23


I entered and have developed in Christ in charismatic churches. I appreciate their desire for spiritual gifts and the authority of the believer.

Jesus is speaking throughout this portion of scripture. It reads, "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord,Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS!" Practicing lawlessness is the unrepentant continuation of any action or motivation which the individual has already knowingly received correction from God. Essentially, he/she is unwilling to obey.

When we see "Lord, Lord" in these verses, it denotes that the speaker is passionate about what he/she is saying. Like LORD!!!!! Not normal conversational tones. They may have been overly passionate for the spiritual gifts.

There is no reason to believe that Jesus was admonishing them for prophesying, casting out demons and performing wonders as He said these signs would follow those who believe (Mark 16:15-18).

Jesus could have been rebuking them for attempting to do those things for selfish gain (verse 15-20, same chapter) or without His revelation in the matter but not for the act's sake alone. Their motivations might have been polluted.

Jesus says that "he who does the will of my Father shall enter the kingdom of heaven". Even though these Christians have received the word of God regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit and are acting on that truth, Jesus says that He never knew them, they were practitioners of lawlessness. Why?

I see the most important goal for the saint is to become "one with the Father and the Son, who are one" .(John 17:21) Knowing (or knew, as it is used in the verse) speaks of intimacy. These Christians had experienced the goodness of God and were administering those gifts to others but something was wrong. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given "to each one for the profit of all" (I Corinthians 12:7) and they are administered by God, our primary attention/focus must be toward Him.

Hebrews 6:4-8 reads, "for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated (good fruit), receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned."

I remember the first time the Lord used me with one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I was thrilled. I think it is possible for a Christian who has been used in the spiritual gifts to become proud in it. That pride is not from God but is earthly, sensual, demonic. "I am used in the spiritual gifts and therefore could not possibly need correction". How about this: "Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts..."    (I Corinthians 14:1)