Will You Make it? (Jesus did say to some, "I never knew you!")

Have you ever wondered about whether or not Jesus could say that to you on judgement day? Could it be that He says to you, "I never knew you"(Matt 7) and you don't make it into heaven? The key to understanding this statement is to understand how the grace of God applies to the life of the believer.

The Bible tells us that we have all have sinned and have fallen short(Romans 3) so the statement above is not referring to the basic sinful life of a person. We have to really grasp the concept that when Jesus died on the cross, he completely fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law.(See the book of Romans) At the point when He died, all sins were forever forgiven. ALL sins, not just the sins of Christians, and not just the sins prior to salvation- ALL sins! Look at a couple of scripture verses: John 1 says, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Colossians 2 says: "He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. When Jesus died He said: "It is finished", and he meant just that. It is completely finished. All the sins for the entire world has now been condemned in Jesus (Romans 8) and His blood has paid the price. You might be saying something like, "that can't be true cause all people aren't going to heaven." Correct. All people aren't going to heaven. Only those who choose to believe in Jesus. John 5: "24I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." See, the price has been paid for all but not all will choose to believe it. A person will fall under the saving power of the new covenant of grace ONLY when they except Jesus as the Savior and believe.

So the question to ask yourself is not whether or not you are a sinner (because you are) but whether or not you believe in Him. That's how you'll know for sure that Jesus won't say that He never knew you. Every time you fall short and sin you don't have to question your salvation. He didn't say that He knew them for a while and then when they messed things up He forgot them. He said that He NEVER knew them. Jesus was referring to people who pretend to do good in front of others to include religious things like using His name in prophesy and healing. All throughout scripture He was very harsh on hypocrites. These people want to look like good people or "Christians" to gain favor in the eyes of men. That's who Jesus is talking about when He says that He never knew them. If you know in your heart that you have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of your life, be encouraged and have full faith that you are saved!

John 10: "27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."