Actions Speak Louder than Words

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 (Matthew 7:21).

Jesus did not advocate a ‘works salvation’ in this verse. If that were true, then He lied to the repentant thief on the cross who said to Him, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” and He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” The man died that very hour, so he had no time to do anything in the Kingdom of God that we would consider ‘works’ worthy of salvation. Yet Jesus promised him eternal life that very moment.

Well, if Jesus wasn’t advocating a ‘works salvation’, what did He mean in this verse? As stated earlier, “The primary will of God is that a person experiences and expresses faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for life, salvation, and eternal life (2 Peter 3:9).” In other words, the will of God is that a person be saved. How is a person saved? For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

God’s will is that a person be saved. He/she cannot do anything to merit salvation. A person can only accept, by faith, the salvation God offers. When a person is saved, he/she will then walk with the Lord, by faith, and in obedience to His continued will for their life. That’s the ‘good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them’. The tragedy today is that there are far too many ‘Christians’ who are so in name only. They, like the ones Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7:22-23, do a lot of good things, and in His name, but not in accordance with His will. How so? Jesus said, I never knew you, depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. They may be a member of a Christian organization, but they don’t really know Christ.

A person cannot do God’s will apart from a living and loving fellowship with God. Saying ‘Lord, Lord’ recognizes who Jesus is, but it does not reveal a living relationship with Him. I dare say many of those who declare themselves to be ‘humble’ servants of the Lord are really servants of the Lord at all. Look at the fruit of their lives. You will know them. Look at the fruit of your life. Do you really know Jesus?

“Lord Jesus, may my actions continue to demonstrate my faith in You. May others see Jesus in and through my life and glorify You in heaven because of the works I do here on earth. It is for Your honor and glory I ask this, Amen.”

Pastor