18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 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. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
The appearance of spirituality is not the same as walking faithfully in the Lord. What counts with the Lord is obedience, which He alone can judge, for this is a heart issue. When looking at others from the outside what counts should be their “fruit,” not their words. No amount of self-proclaimed loyalty, assertions of one’s own obedience or even miraculous feats proclaimed to be done out of fidelity to Christ will cut it with God.
The propensity of the human heart to strenuously replace lack of integrity with verbal facsimiles is noted, yet futile. Jesus used a well understood illustration that the quality of a tree can be identified by the quality of its fruit. That which has bad fruit is worthless (see Heb 6:7-8). With an economy of words, He makes application to pseudo-followers of Him, those who give lip-service to His Lordship. They will simply not enter the kingdom of heaven just because they can “talk the talk!”
This should be a wake-up call to those who muster the courage (or should we say audacity) to speak in Jesus’ name in a cavalier fashion, presuming to act or speak on His behalf, yet the whole while not living a life of obedience, and lacking the genuine fruit of righteousness and peace. Jesus doesn’t take to such behavior lightly. What a startling surprise it will be when such false purveyors of Christianity hear those fateful words, “I never knew you! Depart from Me!”
If that is how Christ treats pseudo-followers, then true believers need to take warning as well. The Lord tells us in James 3:1, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” Condemnation to hell is not in view for the believer, but certainly those who teach the Lord’s ways need to convey only the truth and above all else, to live what they preach. If hypocrisy is not acceptable among non-believers, it ought not be tolerated among believers.
Lord, I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). I obey You in many areas, but I confess my “un-obedience” in many other ways. Help me keep walking faithfully, demonstrating the power of Your name through fruitfulness.
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