Test 36: Lord, Lord — The Final Test of Genuine Faith

Matthew 7:21-27 —

(21) "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.

(23) And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

UK — Structural Analysis:

Matthew 7:21 — "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven."

UK — Limiting Language:

• Section 2.2: "But He Who Does the Will of My Father"

Matthew 7:21 — "...but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

UK — Contrast for Clarity:

When two things are contrasted, each illuminates the other.

Jesus defines it elsewhere:

John 6:40 — "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life."

1 Thessalonians 4:3 — "For this is the will of God, your sanctification."

Matthew 12:50 — "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

1. Faith in Christ
2. Sanctification (holy living)
3. Obedience to His commands

• Section 2.3: The Religious Activities That Failed

Matthew 7:22 — "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'"

UK — Insufficient Defence:

A defence that does not address the actual charge is legally insufficient.

• Active in ministry
• Exercising spiritual gifts
• Performing miracles
• Working in Jesus's name

• PART 3: THE REASON FOR REJECTION

Section 3.1: "I Never Knew You"

Matthew 7:23 — "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you...'"

UK — Relational Language:

"Knowing" in biblical usage implies intimate relationship, not mere acquaintance.

• Their profession ("Lord, Lord")
• Their ministry (prophecy, exorcism, miracles)
• Their use of His name

• Section 3.2: "You Who Practice Lawlessness"

Matthew 7:23 — "...depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

UK — Cause of Judgment:

When a judgment is pronounced, the stated reason is the legal basis.

UK — Technical Terms:

Technical terms must be given their technical meaning.

1. Absence of law — living as if God's law doesn't apply
2. Violation of law — transgressing God's commands
3. Hostility to law — setting aside God's authority

• Section 3.3: The Connection to Commandment-Keeping

1 John 2:3-4 — "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

• PART 4: THE HOLY SPIRIT CONNECTION

Section 4.1: The Spirit Is Promised to the Obedient

UK — Conditional Promises:

When a promise is made conditionally, the condition must be met to receive the promise.

John 14:15-17 — "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever — the Spirit of truth..."

• To replace obedience
• Despite disobedience
• Without regard to commandment-keeping

• Section 4.2: The Spirit Enables Obedience

UK — Purpose of Provision:

A provision is understood by its purpose.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 — "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

Jeremiah 31:33 — "I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts."

Hebrews 8:10 — Same promise quoted as the New Covenant.

• Section 4.3: The Spirit's Presence Is Proven by Obedience

UK — Evidence of Fact:

A claim must be supported by appropriate evidence.

1 John 3:24 — "He who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

• No commandment-keeping → No abiding
• No abiding → No Spirit
• No Spirit → No belonging (Romans 8:9)

• Section 4.4: The Spirit vs. Lawlessness

UK — Mutual Exclusivity:

Two things that are opposites cannot coexist.

Galatians 5:16-18 — "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh... But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

• The Spirit produces fruit (5:22-23)
• "Against such there is no law" (5:23)
• The Spirit produces what the law requires

• PART 5: THE FOUNDATION METAPHOR

Section 5.1: The Wise Builder — Hearing AND Doing

Matthew 7:24-25 — "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."

UK — Compound Requirements:

When requirements are joined by "and," both must be satisfied.

• Hearing alone = insufficient
• Doing alone = impossible without hearing
• Hearing AND doing = wisdom

• Section 5.2: The Foolish Builder — Hearing Only

Matthew 7:26-27 — "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

UK — Negative Inference:

When a negative outcome is attached to a condition, the condition is cautionary.

• They call Jesus "Lord" — they have heard
• They prophesy, cast out demons, work wonders — they are active
• But they "practice lawlessness" — they do not obey

• Section 5.3: The Storm of Judgment

Matthew 7:25, 27 — "The rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house."

UK — Universal Application:

When a test applies to all parties equally, the outcome depends on prior preparation.

• Same rain
• Same floods
• Same winds

• PART 6: THE PARALLEL PASSAGES

Section 6.1: True Family Defined — Mark 3:31-35

Mark 3:35 — "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

UK — Consistent Criteria:

When the same criterion appears in multiple passages, it is established doctrine.

• Section 6.2: The Whole Duty of Man — Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 — "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment..."

UK — Established Precedent:

Principles established earlier in a legal system continue unless explicitly overruled.

• He identifies Himself as the Lord to be obeyed
• He identifies lawlessness as the cause of rejection
• He confirms that judgment will examine obedience

• Section 6.3: The Wise and Foolish Virgins — Matthew 25:1-13

Matthew 25:11-12 — "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'"

UK — Pattern Evidence:

When the same outcome appears in multiple scenarios, the principle is confirmed.

• Preparation
• Readiness
• The Spirit's presence
• Sustained faith expressed in obedience

• Section 6.4: Faith Without Works Is Dead — James 2:17-26

James 2:17 — "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

James 2:26 — "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

UK — Life vs. Death:

A dead thing cannot produce living results.

• Dead faith = profession without obedience
• Living faith = profession demonstrated by obedience

• PART 7: THE CONNECTION TO THE SABBATH

Section 7.1: Lawlessness and the Commandments

UK — Logical Application:

A general principle applies to specific instances within its scope.

• Section 7.2: The Remnant's Identifying Mark

Revelation 14:12 — "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

• Section 7.3: The Final Beatitude

Revelation 22:14 — "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

• Doing the will of the Father = Doing His commandments
• Kingdom entrance = City entrance

• PART 8: THE UNIFIED BIBLICAL PATTERN

Section 8.1: The Complete Chain

UK — Cumulative Evidence:

When multiple strands point to the same conclusion, the conclusion is established.

• Section 8.2: The One-Sentence Summary

UK — Synthesis:

A complex body of evidence can be synthesised into a unifying principle.

Belonging to God is not proven by words, knowledge, gifts, or religious activity — but by a lived obedience that flows from loving Him.

• PART 9: FINAL ASSESSMENT

The Evidence Weighed

• # CONCLUSION AND VERDICT

Summary of Findings

The Verdict

1. Calling Jesus "Lord" is not enough — profession must be matched by practice
2. Religious activity is not enough — even prophecy, exorcism, and miracles
3. The test is doing the Father's will — obedience to God's commands
4. The cause of rejection is lawlessness — living without God's law
5. The wise builder hears AND does — faith expressed in obedience
6. The Spirit enables this obedience — given to those who love and obey
7. This connects directly to the Sabbath — the fourth commandment is part of God's law

The choice is clear. The evidence is overwhelming. The verdict is rendered by Christ Himself.

Matthew 7:21 — "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."

• Key Texts Reference

• Greek Terms Reference