She Though She Was A Christian, Good And Going To Heaven, But Jesus Never Knew Her!

Jesus says that it is possible to call on him and not be with him for eternity. Yet Romans 10:13 tells us, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Is it possible to call on God and to be rejected by him?

According to Jesus, the answer is “yes.” To understand this apparent contradiction, we need to examine the context of “I never knew you.”

The Meaning of “Depart from Me, I Never Knew You”

The ESV and other modern Bibles divide Matthew 7 into these subheadings: Judging Others, Ask and It Will Be Given, the Gold Rule, A Tree and Its Fruit, I Never Knew You, Build Your House on the Rock, and the Authority of Jesus. 

Matthew 7:21-23 nestles between Jesus’ instructions about how to obey God, how to treat other people, and signs that one is truly living in Christ.

The verses about A Tree and its Fruit (Matthew 7:15-20) are echoed in John 15 where Jesus describes himself as the vine. His Father is the “Vinedresser.” Those who love Jesus must abide in him fully.

Jesus teaches that his power is all-encompassing. Consider how Matthew 7:21-23 rests between “by their fruit you will recognize them” and “therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:20, 24).

As the Rock, he is mighty, his word is foundational, and his disciples are changed by it. They change inwardly, becoming more patient and kinder. They also grow from him like branches from a vine and can only live as part of that vine. Unbreakable Rock; sustaining Vine: Our Savior is simultaneously powerful and tender.

Growing Fruit on the Rock

Jesus provides a test for discerning believers: “You will recognize [false prophets] by their fruits” because a “diseased tree bears bad fruit.”

Believers can recognize one who is in Christ, and be assured of their own salvation, by the same test for “a healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit” (Matthew 7:15-18). Disciples are tender towards those who need Jesus’ power in their lives.

Jesus makes a distinction between results and fruit. He seeks a heart that is devoted to him, relationship with other believers, and real joy in worship. He is uninterested in the mighty works of those who do not abide in him.

One can accomplish great things in Jesus’ name and abide in him as well, but great works alone do not prove that one is saved. He said, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

Jesus frequently chooses the worst situations to show his power because that’s where power seems unlikely, even impossible: Miraculous. He can work through anyone, in spite of that person’s proclaimed beliefs, but joy comes with submitting to the one true God.

Disciples rest in him because, thanks to rich, daily personal time with him, they know he is trustworthy. Like David, who praised God even while hiding from his enemies, we can declare, “On my bed I remember you” (Psalm 63:6).

Even though “sleep is a time when one would be especially vulnerable to surprise attack,” David knows “that God is his shelter. Because of this, he is confident in God’s protection.”

Sleeping might not seem like an act of worship, but in this case, David really is demonstrating his full reliance on and trust in God. This is as important, perhaps more important, than having the courage to fight an enemy in battle.

Those who try to earn salvation, worship their own ability, not Jesus’ power. He is not foundational to their lives. Teachers who do not rest on the Rock are “false prophets” who “come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” They proclaim Jesus but inwardly worship self.

Not only do they offend God and risk damnation, but they also deceive the unguarded heart. It is possible to be misled, for example, by prosperity preachers or liberal “all-roads-lead-to-God” preachers whose platforms are self-made distortions of gospel truth.

What It Means for Jesus to Know Us

“You will know [disciples] by their fruit,” or Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” There are multiple meanings for “to know.” One might recognize a person and say, “I know him” or understand a concept and say, “I know what that means.”

When one says, “I know Jim,” he could know Jim as a close friend or as an acquaintance.

With a close friendship, a deep kind of knowing is evident. Respect, honor, concern, love: These are all displayed when two people possess more than statistics, but hopes, struggles, dislikes, goals, dreams, hurts, and joys.

The Bible features multiple meanings for “to know” as well. Matthew 7:23 uses the Greek “ginóskó,” which means “to come to know, recognize, perceive.”

In this latter verse, people ignored the gospel, turned away from Jesus, and did not realize they needed a Savior. The evidence of God’s power did not satisfy them; it will be too late to change their minds once the door is closed.

In Matthew 7, Jesus’ use of “ginóskó” goes deeper. He talks about followers who accept him but do not perceive him correctly. They recognize his power, but not the depths of it or the depths of their own depravity.

They hope to obtain power and authority for themselves by their connection to Christ; Jesus himself is not their greatest need and desire.

The verb is even used in reference to sexual intimacy, and although that is not what Christ is referring to here, he does invite communion with his people at the deepest spiritual level.

Is a person saved by calling on the name of God? John 15 is helpful here. Calling on the name of the Lord and being saved means living in and for him; this is intimate “knowing.”

Taken out of context, one might build an incomplete picture in which all you have to do is cry “Jesus!” but truly knowing Jesus, relying on him, is similar to abiding.