"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." —Matthew 7:21
It is so ironic that the very false prophets running around nowadays propagating the Lordship Salvation heresy are the same false prophets spoken of in Matthew 7:21-23...
"Not every one that saith unto me, LORD, LORD, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Ray Comfort even attempts to use Matthew 7:21-23 to prove his Lordship Salvation heresy; thus corrupting the Scriptures...
On page 1197 of THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, Ray Comfort comments on Matthew 7:22,23...
"These are perhaps the most frightening verses in the Bible. Vast multitudes of professing Christians fit into the category spoken of here. They call Jesus 'Lord,' but they practice lawlessness. They profess faith in Jesus, but have no regard for the divine law. hey tell 'fibs' or 'white' lies, take things that belong to others, have a roaming eye for the opposite sex, etc. They are liars, thieves, and adulterers at heart, who will be cast from the gates of heaven into the jaws of hell."
SOURCE: THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, by Ray Comfort, pg. 1197; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Orlando, Florida
Ladies and gentleman, Ray Comfort is teaching works salvation! According to what we just read by Ray Comfort, every believer who is still living in deliberate sin won't be allowed into Heaven.
The correct interpretation of Matthew 7:22-23 must include verse 21...
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
What is "the will of the Father"? The answer is found in John 6:40...
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
The group in Matthew 7:21-23 were unsaved because they refused to do God's will concerning salvation. It wasn't because they still had personal sins in their life. Every believer still has sin in their life! We all sin every day. That's not to say that we have God's approval to sin, God forbid (Romans 3:31). It just means that even the best of Christians are still sinners. Ray Comfort wrestles the Scriptures to his own destruction, and sadly for those who follow his false teachings.
It is not one's unwillingness to forsake personal sins that prevents a person from being saved; but rather, one's love for such sins. In John 5:40 Jesus said, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Jesus didn't say, "Ye cannot come." He said, "Ye WILL NOT come." But if such a sinner does come to Jesus, acknowledging his guilt of sin and sincerely desiring to be forgiven, the Lord will save him eternally.
John 3:20 states, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20). Again we see that it is one's love for sin that keeps him from coming to Jesus Christ for salvation; but the Bible does NOT say that he cannot be saved because he is unwilling to forsake his sins. Salvation is the free gift of God (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by Jesus' precious literal blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). We can do nothing to merit salvation. We do NOT have to give up our sins to be saved. To teach otherwise is works salvation. A believer gives up their sins because they are saved; NOT to get saved.
Every proponent of Lordship Salvation claims that eternal is a free gift, provided by God's free grace, and that works are not essential to salvation; yet, they 100% contradict themselves when they require a changed life as part of saving faith. Forsaking one's sins is the FRUIT of genuine repentance; not a prerequisite to being saved.
Jesus clearly taught that the reason why the group in Matthew 7:21-23 wasn't saved is because they had failed to do GOD'S WILL. John 6:40 tells us that God's will is for us to BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST. Ray Comfort would have us to believe that forsaking one's sins is God's will for salvation; but that is NOT what the Bible says at all.
Jesus said MANY will say to Him in that day (Judgment Day)... "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Is this not the Lordship Salvation crowd? Yes, it most certainly is! John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Kirk Cameron, Ray Comfort and other false prophets are running around teaching people to say, "Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord," but they are still hellbound because they HAVE NOT DONE THE WILL OF THE FATHER, i.e., to solely believe on Jesus Christ for forgiveness of one's sins (John 6:40; Acts 10:43).
Lordship Salvation is of the Devil. You don't make Jesus Lord, He is Lord! Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 6:23), paid for by Jesus' precious liquid blood... "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1st Peter 1:18,19). To be saved, one simply needs to acknowledge his or her GUILT of sin (Romans 3:19) and then trust upon Jesus Christ, because of the blood that He sacrificed for our sins to wash them away, "...and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1st John 1:7). We are guilty sinners, and Jesus is the precious Savior by which we can be saved simply by TRUSTING upon Him... "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43).
I find it so ironic that proponents of Lordship Salvation, i.e., heretics like Ray Comfort, would actually attempt to use Matthew 7:21-23 to justify their false gospel, when the Scriptures they are wrestling plainly condemn them as false prophets. They call Him “LORD, LORD,” but they do not do the Father's will to trust Jesus alone, apart from all works. Turning from one's sinful ways is a work of self-righteousness. Surrendering to Christ as one's “LORD” is an act of self-righteousness! You can make Jesus Lord and Master of your life all you want, but you won't go to Heaven unless you DO GOD'S WILL, which is to BELIEVE SOLELY ON JESUS CHRIST... "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
