By BOB JACKSON, Pastor

TABERNACLE BAPTIST CHURCH

P.O. BOX 3100

LUBBOCK, TEXAS 79452

www.tbaptist.com

Jesus said in this passage that there would be "many" that claimed to be Christians who did not know the Lord as their personal Savior. This problem of making a false profession of faith in Jesus Christ causes a great deal of confusion, both to those in the condition itself, as well as to others who view the lives of these who have made a false profession of faith.

Professing Without

Possessing

To make a false profession of faith in Jesus Christ means that this person professes to be saved, but he does NOT possess Christ in his life. According to Matthew 7:21, a false professor has said, "Lord, Lord" to Jesus. This person has called on the Lord in some fashion. This reminds us of Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

But, in Matthew 7:21, it is clear that this person who has said, "Lord, Lord" to Jesus is not saved. How can this be? Are there contradictions in the Word of God? There are absolutely no contradictions in the Word of God! When we think that we have found contradictions in the Bible, we do not understand something, because there are not any contradictions in the Word of God.

The fact is Romans 10:13 does not stand alone. It is a verse within a passage, and that passage declares clearly that praying (or calling on the Lord) by itself does not save. Romans 10:9,10 declares, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

The place where true salvation occurs is in the heart of the sinner who comes to Christ. The Bible speaks about the heart, but in this case, as well as in many cases in the Bible, this is not referring to the physical organ in our body that pumps blood. This is referring to our very being, the center of our life, our heart, our soul, etc.

Not only had these folks mentioned in Matthew 7:21 called on the Lord, they had professed that Jesus was their Lord. Again it is clear in this passage in Matthew 7:21-23, that these people were not saved. Jesus tells us in the last part of Matthew 7:21 that we must do "the will of my Father which is in heaven" to be saved.

The corresponding verse to understand this statement about "the will of my Father which is in heaven" is found in John 6:40. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." There are two requirements in John 6:40 regarding the will of the Father.

1. We must see the Son. There is only one correct, scriptural way to see the Son today, and that is through the Word of God, II Corinthians 4:3,4. We do not see the Son in visions, and we do not see the Son in so-called pictures of Jesus. Many people think that artists have painted a portrait of Jesus, when all they have done is painted a figure of their own imagination on canvas.

There is no such thing as a picture of Jesus to be found in this world. It is clear from the many so-called pictures of Jesus that none of them follow the teaching of the Word of God in their portrayal of the Lord. Jesus Christ did not look like some rebel when the Bible tells us that it is wrong to look the way most "pictures" or "portraits" of Jesus make Him appear.

No one could have been more submitted to the teaching of the Bible than Jesus was in His earthly life. How dare these people say Jesus looked as they portray Him! The only real way to see Jesus today is in the pages and the teaching of the Bible. Once a person has seen Jesus Christ through the Word of God, he must

2. Believe on Him. A lost person must submit to Jesus Christ by faith as his own and only personal Savior, John 1:12,13; Ephesians 2:8,9.

Their claim of salvation is supported by works done in the name of the Lord, Matthew 7:22. The Lord says that there are MANY who fall into this category of lost people, Matthew 7:13,14. These people mention specific works that they have done in the name of Jesus as evidence of their claim of salvation. These people were obviously religious and religious in the Christian religion.

This passage does not refer to heathens, to those involved in some false religion, etc. These people claim to have "prophesied" in the name of Jesus. To prophesy can mean two different things in the Bible. This word can mean simply to declare the message, or it can mean to tell forth future events. In either case, this was done in the name of Jesus. These people also claim that they have exorcized devils in the name of Jesus.

There are some religious people who are big into this activity, particularly a few Roman Catholics and some Charismatics. There are obviously devils in existence in this world, and our God is mightier than any of these devils or than their father is. But this activity is not something that has to be done very often, perhaps never in most of our ministries.

The third thing that these false professors mention is that they have done many wonderful works. This is referring to "wonders" which appear with the word "signs" in many passages in the Bible. II Thessalonians 2:9 tells us that the Antichrist will perform these kind of works in the power of the devil himself. This is not the only Bible passage that refers to wonders done in the power of the evil one.

The confession of Christ to these people is that He had no knowledge of these people ever being children of God, Matthew 7:23. He said, "I never knew you." These people clearly were never saved. They were not saved at one time, but now they are lost. NO! They were never saved. In II Timothy 2:19, the Lord tells us that He knows them that are His. He has not lost any believer’s name, and He cannot lose anyone whom the Father has given Him either.

Jesus does not accept the works that these false professors have done in Matthew 7:22. He calls their works "iniquity" in Matthew 7:23. What was wrong with their works? Their motivation was wrong, no doubt. They did their works in the name of Jesus to get saved, or to stay saved, or to keep from losing their salvation, but not to glorify God.

The Lord makes it clear that these false professors will not be allowed into His heavenly kingdom. He tells these folks to "depart from me." There are only two eternal destinations. If a person does not spend eternity with the Lord, he can only be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, Revelation 20:14,15. There are no other alternatives for the eternal soul.

Provides Confusion

Making a false profession of faith in Christ clearly brings confusion. It brings confusion to the person involved. This person cannot discern between professing Christ on the one hand and receiving Christ into his life on the other hand.

The fact is Christ lives in the heart of the person who is truly saved, Colossians 1:27; Romans 1:16. The Spirit of Christ bears witness with our own spirit that we are children of God. Jesus Christ comes into our hearts by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, Ephesians 2:8,9.

This occurs as God the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and our need to be saved, John 16:8-11. Through this conviction and through the hearing of the Word of God, we come to Christ and receive Him as our personal Savior, through repentance and faith, Isaiah 1:18; II Corinthians 6:2; Acts 20:21.

Those who have made a false profession of faith also cause those who believe in falling from grace to point to professing Christians as evidence of being lost again, Titus 1:16. The false professor in Christ has not received a changed life because he has not received God’s salvation, II Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, his life is not a testimony of God’s salvation, but of someone who is still lost. He professes to be a Christian, but he lives like a lost person.

Those who believe in falling from grace point to such people and declare their false doctrine. Many times a false professor in Christ claims that his profession of faith in Christ allows him to live any way he pleases, because he thinks he is saved eternally, so it does not matter any more how he lives. It is hard to believe that anyone with that kind of philosophy can really be saved.

How can a person in whom the Holy Spirit of God lives have that kind of attitude? It is clear in the Bible that it makes a lot of difference how we live after we are saved, Romans 6:1,2; 3:8. People who genuinely know the Lord desire to live for the Lord and to glorify Him in our lives, I Corinthians 6:19,20; Philippians 3:8-14.

Sadly, there are MANY in the situation of having made a false profession of faith in Christ, then live like a lost person, which they actually are anyway. They give plenty of ammunition to those who do not understand eternal security to think and to say that these people have actually fallen from grace, or have lost their salvation.

We should examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith, II Corinthians 13:5. We should live in a way that our lives will be a testimony to the saving grace of God. God help us not to be ammunition in the gun of those who believe the false doctrine of falling from grace. If you have made only a false profession of faith, you need to come to Christ to receive His eternal salvation.