“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. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’” Matthew 7:21–22
Many people who claim the name of Christ will not go to Heaven. They may have walked down an aisle, repeated the words of a prayer, and joined a church. They may even have done good deeds in His name. In spite of all this, Jesus will say to them, “Depart from me” (v23). Let’s look at a few possible reasons many will make such a grave miscalculation.
First, many are counting on their own actions to get them into Heaven. This way of thinking puts the cart before the horse. Ephesians 2:8-10 explains that good works are a result of salvation, not the cause. Any action, in and of itself, cannot qualify us for Heaven.
Many are also seeking the security of eternity in Heaven without any ramifications in the here and now. They view salvation as nothing more than a fire insurance plan. In other words, they don’t really want a relationship with Jesus Christ, they just don’t want to go to Hell. Real, saving grace salvation is more than Jesus getting us out of Hell. It’s also about Jesus getting into us.
Ephesians 2 goes on to say that before salvation we were, “separate from Christ…strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (vv12-13). This close, personal relationship means we live in anticipation of Heaven because Jesus is there.
If you call yourself a Christian, then it’s good to examine what your salvation is based upon. Are you counting on what you’ve done to get you into Heaven or on what Jesus did on the Cross? Did you repeat the words of a prayer just in case Hell turns out to be real?
If you’ve made a grave miscalculation, then today can be your day of salvation. You don’t have to live a minute longer in the fear of Hell. Jesus is waiting for you to place your complete faith and trust in Him. As a believer, obedience to His Word becomes something you desire to do out of sheer love and loyalty to Christ. Authentic Christianity lives each day in His power and for His purpose.
