Bible Passage that Keeps Me Awake

Have you read Matthew 7:21-23?

Just because someone knows who Jesus is and goes to a church does not mean they will spend eternity in heaven.

In this passage from the famous "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus is addressing the notion of getting a "free pass" into heaven based on who you are related to (Abraham or Moses) or the good deeds you have done. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now.

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord'?... Depart from me. I never knew you." - Jesus

This is why this blog was created.

Spiritual warfare. I've been called to address it. This passage from Matthew is one of the reasons why. Our enemy is using deception to fool a lot of people into believing they will get to heaven if they 1) know who Jesus; 2) believe He died on a cross; 3) believe He rose from the dead; 4) and they do good things.

All of these things, please read that again, ALL of these things will not get you into heaven. Beliefs 1-3 from the list above? The Bible says even the demons believe those things. (Mark 1:24, James 2:19).

But there are a zillion people walking around here today thinking that they will be in heaven because of Beliefs 1-4 (thanks to our enemy's use of deception and our church's woefully weak attempts to teach this concept). It's just not true.

Jesus said "I never KNEW you." To "know" someone is to have a relationship with them. It involves daily conversation and time spent in each other's presence. We'll talk more about that later.

Just know that if you were thinking you will be spending eternity in heaven because you believe there is a God and you are basically a good person, I'm thrilled that you have found this website. I've got lots to tell you. But first, we need to do some spiritual warfare basic training.

Battle Tactic for Today: See the lie.

Knowing who Jesus is and being a "good person" won't get you into heaven. If that is your goal at the end of your life, then according to Jesus (who is the One who determines your entry), you are not going to make it in. Thankfully, He has provided the truth for us so we can know how to make this happen. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). "Jesus is Lord" and "believe in" are the most important words here.

Suit up, soldier. You have an enemy. And the battle is going to get real very soon. Let's get to work.