"Often Paul's statements are treated in a very one-dimensional way. Even though every epistle he wrote
The Certainty of Judgement
not do what I say?" They are fervent, pious, and respectful. Three times they repeat, "in Your name . . . in Your name . . . in Your name" (v. 22). They have been busy doing things in the Lord's name — even wondrous things, all the while thinking they are serving Him with zeal. But their words are empty.
To say "Lord, Lord" and then disobey is the moral equivalent of a Judas kiss. Real faith is as concerned with doing the will of God as with affirming the facts of true doctrine.
Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 7:21 – 23 as a warning to people who think they are saved but do not live in obedience to God. Unlike preachers today who go to excessive lengths to avoid upsetting anyone's assurance, our Lord was determined to destroy the false hope of all who falsely thought they were redeemed. He often challenged such people. He never encouraged someone who was unsure of salvation to ignore the doubts. His message stands in stark contrast to the gospel of today, which seems designed specifically to prop up false assurance. The pattern of modern evangelism is to give people a pleasing and easy message; take them through a simple formula; get them to pray a prayer, sign a card, or whatever; then tell them they are saved and should never doubt it. Such an approach to witnessing actually fights against the Holy Spirit, whose ministry is to bring both assurance to those who are truly saved (Rom. 8:16) and conviction to those who are not (John 16:8 – 9). God knows the difference; we do not. It is not our job to certify people's salvation.
Periodic doubts about one's salvation are not necessarily wrong. Such doubts must be confronted and dealt with honestly and biblically. Scripture encourages spiritual self-examination. In 2 Co rin thi ans 13:5 Paul wrote, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?" That admonition is largely ignored — and often explained away4 — in the contemporary church.
4. Cf. Zane C. Hodges, Th e Gospel Under Siege (Dallas: Redención Viva, 1981), 95. Hodges writes, "Oft en Paul's statements are treated in a very one-dimensional way. Even though every epistle he wrote is addressed to those who have already come to saving faith, his assertions are too frequently taken as though he was constantly concerned about the eternal destiny of his readers. But there was no reason why he should have been. . . . Th ere is not even a single place in the Pauline letters where he expresses doubt that his audience is composed of true Chris tians . . . Th at they could conceivably be unregenerate is the farthest thought from the apostle's mind." Hodges does not mention 2 Co rin thi ans 13:5 or attempt to explain what possible second dimension it might have. As a pastor, I take issue with Hodges' assertion that Paul was unconcerned about the destiny of members of the fl ocks he pastored. I have never known a pastor who would say he is certain about the salvation of every one of his church members. Paul had every reason to encourage these church members — especially in licentious Corinth — to test the reality of their profession of faith.
Jesus Explains His Gospel
It has become quite popular to teach professing Chris tians that they can enjoy assurance of salvation no matter what their lives are like. After all, some argue, if salvation is a gift to people who simply believe the gospel facts, what does practical living have to do with assurance? That teaching is nothing but practical antinomianism. It encourages people living in hypocrisy, disobedience, and sin by offering them a false assurance. It discourages self-examination. And that clearly violates Scripture. We are commanded to examine ourselves at least as often as we celebrate the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:28).
Self-examination is especially important in an age like ours. When statistics tell us that more than a billion people in the world are Chris tians, one must wonder who established the criteria. Such figures certainly do not square with what Jesus said about many on the broad road and few on the narrow. Checking a box on a survey to indicate that you are a born-again Chris tian does not guarantee your eternal destiny. Even those who belong to the right church can be deceived and utterly devoid of the righ teous ness of God through Christ.
There are several categories of deceived people in the church. Obviously there are hypocrites, those who merely try to appear religious. Others are nominal, superficial people who call themselves Chris tians because they have gone to Sunday school since childhood or "made a decision" for Christ but have no ongoing interest in living out the implications of faith. Still others are heavily involved in church or religious activities; they know the facts of the gospel but are not obedient to the Word of God. Perhaps they go to church because they are looking for good feelings, blessings, experiences, healings, miracles, or ecstatic gifts. Maybe they are committed to the denomination, the church, the organization, but not the Word of God. They may love theology purely as an academic interest. Whatever the reasons, many (Matt. 7:22) who have identified themselves with Christ and Chris tian ity will be turned away at the judgment.
Note carefully that preaching, prophesying, casting out demons, and doing miracles — even under the guise of orthodoxy — are not proofs of true salvation. God can, and often does, work through unsaved people. He used unregenerate Balaam (Num. 23:5) — He even used Balaam's donkey! Caiaphas, the vile high priest, prophesied Christ's death for the nation of Israel (John 11:51 – 52). Mighty works may also be done by Satan's power, or they can be falsified. The magicians of Egypt were able to duplicate some of the miracles Moses performed. The evil sons of Sceva in Acts 19 cast out demons. Matthew 24:24 prophesies that false christs and false prophets will come and do signs and wonders. Satan can do some amazing things, and he will do almost anything to deceive an unbeliever into thinking he or she is saved.
Miracles and prophecies and mighty wonders are not the same as a holy life, and without true holiness, no one will see God (Heb. 12:14). God wants
The Certainty of Judgement
us to reflect His character: "Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy' " (1 Peter 1:15 – 16). "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Because God is holy, those in whom He dwells will progress more and more toward holiness. Because God is perfect, those who are truly His children will move on in the direction of His perfect standard. If you are stalled, or if you are slipping in the opposite direction, it is right that you examine yourself.
Pursuing the standard of perfection does not mean we can never fail. It means that when we fail we deal with it. Those with true faith will fail — and in some cases, fail pathetically and frequently — but a genuine believer will, as a pattern of life, be confessing sin and coming to the Father for forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Perfection is the standard; direction is the test. If your life does not reveal growth in grace and righ teous ness and holiness, you need to examine the reality of your faith — even if you believe you have done great things in the name of Christ.
Hearing without Obeying: The Sin of Empty Hearts
Our Lord now expands on the danger of the coming judgment with a brief illustration. This is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. The illustration brings together all He has had to say regarding faith, righ teous ness, and the need to live according to the divine standard. It is a final appeal to people in danger of judgment:
Th erefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the fl oods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the fl oods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall. (Matt. 7:24 – 27)
What seems at first glance to be a very simple story is in fact a powerful commentary on people who have heads full of knowledge but hearts empty of faith. It contrasts those who obey and those who do not. Some people hear and act on the message, while some hear but do not act. Our Lord's obvious lesson is that the difference between the two is a matter of eternal consequence.
This is a final reiteration of the central theme of the Sermon on the Mount — that those without genuine righ teous ness will not enter the kingdom
Jesus Explains His Gospel
of heaven (Matt. 5:20). The words again are aimed at those who profess to know God, who think of themselves as part of the kingdom, but whose lives do not reveal the character of the King.
Two men are described in Matthew 7:24 – 27, picturing different kinds of hearers. Both built houses. Apparently they built them in the same area, because the same storm and flood hit them. The houses probably even looked much the same. The only difference Jesus mentions is the foundations on which they were built. One man built on rock, and the other built on sand.
This was another powerful rebuke to the religion of the Pharisees. They had no regard for spirituality of the soul, for purity of heart, or for integrity of behavior. They were hypocrites, concerned only with appearances, not with obedience to God. Their whole religion was like a structure built on sand. It looked good at first sight, but in the end it was only a waste of effort, doomed to sure destruction.
The Pharisees prayed, fasted, and gave their alms, but only to parade their piety and enhance their reputations. Much of Jesus' message in the Sermon on the Mount had been directed at them and the people who were poisoned by their teaching. Jesus began His message with a call for humility, repentance, meekness, righ teous hunger, mercy, and purity (Matt. 5:1 – 8). The Pharisees had only contempt for those qualities. They favored pride, spiritual arrogance, self-righ teous ness, and showy religious works. Then Jesus called for righ teousness that surpassed the Pharisees' righ teous ness (v. 20), implying that something was lacking in their religion. He debunked their practice of religious hair-splitting, which permitted them to obey the letter of the law but ignore its real aim (vv. 21 – 47). He followed that with a rebuke of their ostentatious style (6:1 – 18). He chided them for their judgmental attitude (7:1 – 5) and called their teaching into question (vv. 15 – 20).
Now Jesus challenges them to act on His sayings (v. 24). Whether they do or not will be the test of whether they are wise or foolish. Ultimately, their response will determine whether they hear those awful words, "Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (v. 23).
Interpreters have proposed several interpretations of what it means to build on the rock. Some have pointed out that in the Old Testament, God is called a rock (Ps. 18:2). Others note that Paul referred to Christ as the only foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). But let the passage speak for itself: "Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock" (v. 24, emphasis added). Obeying the words of Christ is equivalent to building on solid rock.
Colossians 1:21 – 23 says, "Although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you . . . if indeed you