I never knew you...

[abelcainsbrother]

This is what I wrote about the subject...

From http://christessays.com/2018/06/14/matthew-7-21/

I Never Knew You
21 “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.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

There are a few things to note here. The most important thing is that Jesus is talking about non-believers who are trusting in their works to get to heaven. This can be understood when we see what "The will of my Father" is, which is to believe in Jesus for your forgiveness of sins and your righteousness, as seen in John 6:40.

Jesus saying "I never knew you" denotes a lack of relationship with Jesus, his spirit was never inside of them. When he calls them "workers of lawlessness" he's pointing out that even our best works are sin-stained.

Is this correct?

Thanks.

I would not use the term nonbelivers,Instead I would use the word hypocrite or those who act like a Christian but have never been saved for whatever reason and those who act like a Christian thinking their good deeds/works will get them to heaven. You know I went to church for a long time as a young person and had plenty of chances to be saved but never acted on it and I assume others do this also.But it was not until I truly responded and got saved that I became a Christian,up until then I was just acting like a Christian in church.I assume a person could live out their life without ever having been saved by Jesus. It could have happened to me had I not finally responded when I was about 12 years old. I mean I would feel the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing me at times to get saved but did not respond for a long time.

[Davy]

Strange how no one has really addressed the other Scriptures where Jesus said this to specific groups.

Jesus will say the same thing to the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25. Those five foolish virgins represent believers on Christ Jesus. There is such a thing as 'falling away' from Christ Jesus.

Don't you guys understand what Apostle Paul was talking about here???

2 Cor 11:2-4
2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
KJV

That's not about intentional corruption of the mind with falling away from Jesus. It's about an unintentional corruption through lethargy, laziness, from the cares of this world, etc., like the things in our Lord's parable of the sower, the wayside, the stones, the thorns, etc.

It's about not staying on watch and allowing ourselves to be deceived by that old serpent, the devil, Satan, especially for the very end of this world, because there's to be a miraculous event to occur at the very end of this world that would deceive even Christ's very elect if it were possible.