Scary Stuff

Over at Pyromaniacs there is a post on the Scariest Man Ever. Dan lists Judas Iscariot as his "scariest man ever". Why? Judas had everything going for him. He was part of the twelve. He spent years in the company of Christ and His closest disciples. He even took part in the ministry. Still, at the end, Judas became a voluntary tool of Satan (Luke 22:3) and betrayed his Savior for 30 pieces of silver.

I can see why Dan thinks of Judas as a scary individual. Perhaps the scariest passage of Scripture in my mind is a similar thought:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness'" (Matt. 7:21-23).

There are some important things to look at here to understand why it scares me so.

Jesus says of the number of people to whom this applies, "Many". He doesn't say "some" or "a few". It is a large number. There will be many who will come to Him on Judgment Day thinking, "I did what You wanted me to do" and did not. Deceived ... that's what they are. And apparently completely unaware of it.

Interestingly, the distinction in the passage between those who enter the kingdom and those who don't isn't whose name they use when they prophesy, whether or not they cast out demons, or to whom they give the credit when they perform miracles. Selah! Stop and think about that. These people are beyond the norm. They aren't merely those who profess faith. They seem to act on it. What is the disconnect between their act and their entrance into the kingdom? "The one who does the will of My Father." They did "stuff" -- even amazing, magnificent "stuff" -- and they even did it in God's name. It wasn't, apparently, part of God's will. That is the disconnect.

What should we look for to avoid this pronouncement? I find my clearest clue in Jesus's response: "I never knew you." It would seem that to do the will of the Father it is necessary to know the Son. Note that "know the Son" isn't sufficient to describe what I'm saying. There must be a personal relationship. It is often said, "It's not what you know; it's who you know." In the case of entering the kingdom, it's not what you know or even who you know; it's Who knows you. Paul said something similar:

Now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more (Gal. 4:9)?

When we know God and He knows us, there is a change that occurs in the person. This change is that we seek to do the will of the Father, not simply "be good" or "be religious." We bear the fruits of repentance, which fruit Jesus said marks us (Matt. 7:20).

It's a funny thing. It seems like the only people who are troubled by this passage are people who actually have a relationship with Christ. Sometimes they are deeply aware of their own failures to do the will of the Father. Often they are driven by a deep love for Christ to do more for Him, aware all the while of their own shortcomings. This "fruit inspection" is a dangerous thing when it is turned outward, but it is absolutely necessary for us to use on ourselves. Are you doing the will of the Father or are you simply being religious? Are you trying to avoid punishment or are you longing to please the Savior you love? Don't look at the person next to you. It's not up to you to figure out their heart. But it is absolutely essential for your own well-being that you examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. I don't want to end up like Judas or the "many" who thought they were busily about the matters of God while they were really only fooling themselves and never had a functioning relationship with Christ. That is really scary to me (Phil. 2:12).