DEPART FROM ME

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

These are perhaps some of the most terrifying words spoken by Jesus in all of scripture.  The group of people He is talking to are not atheists or Buddhists or cult members, but rather people who believe they are following the one true God.  What makes this so scary is that "many" will say these words to Jesus on the Day of Judgment.  Think about what that really means; many people who profess to believe in God are not actually saved. 

Another interesting point about that verse is what the false converts say to Jesus to try and prove they are saved. They throw out all of the "good" works they have done.  Instead of trusting in Jesus Christ to save them based on what He did on the cross, they trust in their own deeds to make them righteous.  There is nothing we can do to earn God's righteousness, it is simply a gift from God that He grants because of His love and mercy.  It's a reflection of His character, not us being worthy of it.  It could also be noted that many of the people who are claiming to do miracles are not really doing them, since Jesus never knew them. 

Finally Jesus tells them plainly, "DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."  These people thought they believed in God, and apparently thought they were doing miracles through the power of God, but they were actually practicing sinfulness....lawlessness.  The Bible says to Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)  We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.  We need to make sure we are trusting in Christ to save us, not our own deeds.