I Never Knew You
by Terry Wane Benton
Jesus said that some religious people who believed in Him and thought of themselves as doing things “in His name” would be surprised on the day of judgment about what He would say to them.
"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. 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?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV).
The phrase “I never knew you” can mean one of two things:
- I never had fellowship with you, for you never did what I actually said, or
- I never knew the person you have become, a person who makes up the rules of what is to be done in My name.
Either way, the point is a frightful thought. It means that you and I must ensure that we are actually doing all we do under His authority, that we are not making up things to do and then claiming we are doing them in His name. He does not accept mere lip service to calling Him “the Lord,” which means ruler over all things.
To those who claim salvation in His name, you must be sure that you have come into fellowship with Him on His terms, not your own, nor because a preacher agreed with you. That authority is derived from the inspired scriptures handled aright (II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17). Make sure that your relationship with God is right and that your service and worship are based upon the words that will judge you on the last day (John 12:48).
Do not be among those warned that they will hear Him say, “I never knew you.” Since many are making resolutions, let this be your resolution: I will search the scriptures daily to find out if what I have heard and thought is actually so (Acts 17:11). I am determined not to be in a position to hear Him say those dreadful words.
