Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven

Dear Son,

We must strive to be known by our Lord Jesus Christ. For in Matthew 7:21-23, He teaches:

“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 our 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!’

Again in Luke 6:46-49, the Lord teaches:

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is not based on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ.

James 2:24 says:

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Again James 2:26 says:

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

This summary of the organic relationship of faith and works shows that only God can save. We are entirely at His mercy. Lord, have mercy on us, sinners.

Love,

Dad