Matthew 7:21 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the close of this long and excellent sermon. Its purpose is to show the absolute need to obey Christ’s commands. This final warning is meant to drive the nail home so it will hold fast. Jesus says this to his disciples, those who sat at his feet when he preached and followed him wherever he went.

If he had wanted only human praise, he might have stopped with their approval. But the religion he came to establish has power, not just words alone (1 Corinthians 4:20). So something more is needed than outward religion.

He first shows, by a clear warning, that an outward profession of religion, no matter how impressive, will not bring us to heaven unless our conduct matches it (Matthew 7:21-23). All judgment has been given to our Lord Jesus. The keys are in his hand, and he has the authority to set the terms of life and death and to judge people by them. This is a solemn statement made in line with that authority.

Christ’s law is this: not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of grace and glory (Matthew 7:21). This answers the question, “Who may live in your tent?” that is, the church on earth, and “Who may dwell on your holy hill?” that is, the church in glory (Psalm 15:1).

Jesus shows that it is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord.” It is not enough to call Christ our Master with our lips, to address him in prayer, and to speak of him with respect. When we pray to God or talk with others, we must call Christ Lord, Lord, and that is true, because he is Lord (John 13:13). But can we think that this alone will bring us to heaven? Can such a mere form be counted as real service? He who knows the heart and demands the heart will not be satisfied with outward show instead of inward reality.

Among people, polite words are often returned with polite words, but they are not treated as real service. Can it be different with Christ? A person may seem very earnest in prayer, saying, “Lord, Lord,” again and again. But if the inward heart does not match the outward words, it is only empty noise, like a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. This does not mean we should stop saying, “Lord, Lord,” or stop praying earnestly, or stop confessing Christ’s name boldly. It means we must not rest in these things, or in the form of godliness without its power.

It is also necessary for our happiness that we do the will of Christ, which is really the will of his Father in heaven. The will of God, as the Father of Christ, is made known in the gospel. There he is revealed as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in him our Father. His will is that we believe in Christ, repent of sin, live a holy life, and love one another. This is his will, our sanctification, that is, being made holy.

If we do not obey God’s will, then we mock Christ when we call him Lord. It is like the people who clothed him in a splendid robe and said, “Hail, King of the Jews,” while they mocked him. Saying and doing are often separate in human speech, as when a man says, “I will go, sir,” and never moves a step (Matthew 21:30). But God has joined those two things in his command, and no one should think he can enter the kingdom of heaven by separating them.

The hypocrite then offers another excuse against this strict command, trying to put other things in place of obedience (Matthew 7:22). This plea is imagined for that day, the great day, when every person will appear as they really are, when the secrets of every heart will be exposed, along with the secret hopes by which sinners now support themselves. Christ already knows how strong their case is, and it is actually very weak. What they now keep hidden in their hearts, they will then bring forward to stop the sentence, but it will do no good.

They plead with great urgency, “Lord, Lord,” and with great confidence they appeal to Christ himself: “Lord, do you not know that we have prophesied in your name?” Yes, that may be true. Balaam and Caiaphas were used to prophesy, and Saul was among the prophets against his own will, yet none of that saved them. These people prophesied in Christ’s name, but he did not send them. They only used his name for their own purpose. A person may be a preacher, may have gifts for ministry, may even have an outward call to it and some success in it, and still be wicked. Such a person may help others toward heaven and yet miss it himself.

They also say, “In your name we have cast out demons.” That may also be true. Judas cast out demons, and yet he was a son of perdition, a man marked for destruction. Origen says that in his day Christ’s name was so powerful in casting out demons that even wicked Christians sometimes used it successfully. A person may drive demons out of others and still have a demon in himself, or even be like a devil himself.

They also say, “In your name we have done many wonderful works.” There can be a faith that works miracles, even where there is no saving faith, no faith that trusts Christ and shows itself in love and obedience. Gifts such as speaking in tongues or healing may impress the world, but what God accepts is real holiness, or sanctification. Grace and love are a better way than moving mountains or speaking with the tongues of men and angels (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). Grace can bring a person to heaven without miracles, but miracles will never bring a person to heaven without grace.

Notice what their hearts were set on in doing these works, and what they trusted in: the wonder of the works themselves. Simon Magus was amazed by miracles (Acts 8:13), and so he would have paid any price for the power to do them. Notice also that they do not have many good works to offer. They could not claim to have done many holy works of worship or charity. Even one such work would have counted for more in their favor than many miracles, which meant nothing while they stayed disobedient.

Miracles have now ended, and with them this excuse has ended too. But do not carnal hearts still encourage themselves with similar empty hopes? They think they will go to heaven because they were well regarded among religious people, kept fasts, gave alms, and held positions in the church, as if that could make up for pride, worldliness, pleasure-seeking, and a lack of love for God and neighbor. Bethel is their trust (Jeremiah 48:13), they are proud because of the holy mountain (Zephaniah 3:11), and they boast that they are the temple of the Lord (Jeremiah 7:4). We must be careful not to rest in outward privileges and practices, lest we fool ourselves and perish forever, like many others, with a lie in our right hand.

The same one who gives the law here (Matthew 7:21) is also the Judge who applies that law (Matthew 7:23), and he will reject this plea. He will reject it openly. With all the solemnity of a judge speaking sentence, he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” He rejects them because they were workers of iniquity, people whose lives were marked by evil.

Note that people can have a strong reputation for godliness and still be workers of evil. Those who live that way will face a harsher judgment. Hidden sins, covered by an outward profession of faith, will ruin hypocrites. Living in known sin destroys all a person’s claims, no matter how impressive they sound.

Christ says, “I never knew you.” He means, “I never accepted you as my servants, not even when you prophesied in my name, when your profession was at its highest and people praised you most.” This shows that if Christ had ever truly known them, in the sense of owning and loving them as his own, he would have kept them to the end. But he never did know them in that way, because he always saw them as hypocrites, corrupt at heart, as he did Judas. So he says, “Depart from me.”

Does Christ need such guests? When he came in the flesh, he called sinners to himself (Matthew 9:13). But when he comes again in glory, he will drive sinners away from him. Those who would not come to him to be saved must depart from him to be condemned. To be sent away from Christ is the very heart of hell. It is the root of all the misery of the lost, to be cut off from every hope of benefit from Christ and his mediation, that is, his role as the one who brings God and sinners together. Those who go no farther in Christ’s service than an outward profession will not be accepted or owned by him on the great day.

See how far people can fall, from great hope into deep misery. They can pass through the gates of heaven and end up in hell. This should wake up every Christian. If a preacher, even one who cast out demons and worked miracles, can be rejected by Christ for doing evil, what will happen to us if we are found the same way? And if we are such people, we certainly will be found such. Before God’s judgment seat, a religious profession will not excuse anyone who practices and excuses sin. So let everyone who names the name of Christ turn away from all wrongdoing.

Christ now shows, by a parable, that hearing his words will not make us happy unless we make it our duty to do them. But if we hear and do them, we are blessed in what we do (Matthew 7:24-27).

The hearers of Christ’s word are divided into two groups: some hear and do what they hear, and others hear but do not. Christ was speaking to a mixed crowd, and he separates them here, just as he will separate all people at the last day when all nations stand before him. He still speaks from heaven through his word and Spirit, and he speaks through ministers, providences, and many other means. Among those who hear him, there are still these two kinds.

Some hear his sayings and do them. Praise God that there are any such people, even if they are few compared with the rest. To hear Christ is not just to listen to him, but to obey him. It matters greatly that we do what we hear from Christ. It is a mercy that we hear his sayings at all, blessed are those ears (Matthew 13:16, 17). But if we do not put into practice what we hear, we receive that grace for nothing.

To do Christ’s sayings means to avoid the sins he forbids and to carry out the duties he commands. Our thoughts and desires, our words and actions, and the whole pattern of our lives must match the gospel of Christ. That is the obedience he asks for. All of Christ’s sayings, not just the commands he gave but also the truths he revealed, must be lived out by us. They are a light not only for our minds, but for our steps. They are meant not only to inform us, but to change our hearts and lives. In truth, we do not really believe them if we do not live by them.

It is not enough to hear Christ’s sayings and understand them, remember them, talk about them, repeat them, or argue for them. We must hear and do them. “Do this, and you will live.” Only those who hear and do are blessed (Luke 11:28; John 13:17), and they are truly Christ’s family (Matthew 12:50).

Others hear Christ’s sayings and do not do them. Their religion stays at the level of hearing and goes no farther. They are like children with rickets, whose heads swell with empty ideas, but whose joints are weak. They are sluggish and unable to move in any good duty. They hear God’s words as if they wanted to know his ways, like people who do what is right, but they will not actually do it (Ezekiel 33:30, 31; Isaiah 58:2). In this way they fool themselves, like Micah, who thought he was blessed because he had a Levite as his priest, though he did not have the Lord as his God.

The seed is sown, but it never grows. They see their flaws in the mirror of the word, but they do not wash them off (James 1:22, 24). So they cheat their own souls. If hearing does not lead to obedience, then hearing will only make disobedience worse. Those who only hear Christ’s sayings and do not obey them stop halfway to heaven, and that will never bring them to the end of the journey. They are related to Christ only by half-blood, and the law does not allow such people to inherit.

These two kinds of hearers are shown in their true state under the picture of two builders. One was wise and built on a rock, and his house stood firm in the storm. The other was foolish and built on sand, and his house fell. The main lesson is plain: the only sure way to care for our souls and eternity is to hear and do the sayings of the Lord Jesus. These sayings in the Sermon on the Mount are entirely practical. Some of them seem hard to human nature, but they must be obeyed. In doing so, we lay up a good foundation for the future (1 Timothy 6:19), or, as some read it, a good bond, that is, a secure promise from God’s own making, which gives salvation on gospel terms. That is a good bond. It is far better than any plan of our own, which only fits our own ideas. Those make sure of the better part, like Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened in submission. “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

The details of the parable also teach us several useful lessons. We each have a house to build, and that house is our hope for heaven. Our chief and constant care should be to make our calling and election sure, and so make our salvation sure. We should secure our right to heaven’s joy, and then gain the comfort of knowing it. We should make it sure, and sure to ourselves, that when this life ends, we will be received into everlasting homes. Many never think about this. It is the farthest thing from their minds. They build for this world as if they were staying here forever, but they make no plans for the next world. Yet all who take up a profession of faith say they want to know what they must do to be saved, how they can get to heaven in the end, and how they can have a well-founded hope of it now.

There is a rock provided for us to build this house on, and that rock is Christ.

He is laid as the foundation, and no other foundation can be laid (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Corinthians 3:11). He is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1). When Christ lives in us, he is that hope. We must rest our hope of heaven on the full worth of Christ’s merit for forgiveness of sin, the power of his Spirit for making our nature holy, and the strength of his intercession, his pleading for us, to bring us every good thing he has bought for us.

In Christ, as he is made known to us and given to us in the gospel, there is enough to repair every harm and meet every need we have. So he is a Savior all the way to the end. The church is built on this Rock, and so is every believer. He is strong and unmovable like a rock. We can trust everything to him and will not be put to shame in our hope.

There are still some, however, who hear and do the sayings of Christ, and they build their hope on this Rock. That is wisdom. Christ is the only way to the Father, and the obedience that comes from faith is our only way to Christ. To those who obey him, and to no others, he becomes the source of eternal salvation. Those build on Christ who sincerely accept him as their Prince and Savior, make it their steady aim to live by all the rules of his holy religion, and depend on him completely for help from God and acceptance with God. They count everything else as loss and rubbish, so that they may win Christ and be found in him.

Building on a rock takes care and effort. Those who want to make their calling and election sure, that is, to make their place in God’s family clear and secure, must work hard at it. Wise builders begin in a way that will let them finish (Luke 14:30), and so they lay a firm foundation.

There are many who say they hope to go to heaven, yet they despise this Rock and build on sand. That is easier to do, but it is foolish. Everything apart from Christ is sand. Some base their hope on worldly success, as if that were sure proof of God’s favor (Hosea 12:8). Others trust in outward religion, in the privileges they have, the duties they perform, and the good name they have gained from it. They were called Christians, baptized, went to church, heard Christ’s word, said their prayers, and did no one harm, and, if they are lost, people say, “God help many more like them.” This is the light of their own fire, the path they walk in, and it is what they trust. But it is all sand, too weak to hold up such a building as our hope of heaven.

A storm is coming that will test what our hope is built on. It will test every person’s work (1 Corinthians 3:13) and uncover the true foundation (Habakkuk 3:13). Rain, floods, and wind will beat on the house. Sometimes this testing happens in this life. When trouble and persecution rise because of the word, it becomes clear who only heard the word and who heard and practiced it. Then, when we need our hope, it will be shown whether it was right and well grounded.

Still, when death and judgment come, that is when the storm fully arrives, and it surely will come, no matter how calm life seems now. Then everything else will fail us except these hopes, and then, if ever, they will turn into full joy and lasting possession. Hopes built on Christ the Rock will stand, and they will help the builder when the storm comes. They will keep him safe from being left alone and from deep inward trouble. His profession will not wither, and his comforts will not fail. They will be his strength and song, like an anchor for the soul, sure and firm.

When he comes to the last battle, those hopes will take away the fear of death and the grave. They will carry him cheerfully through that dark valley. They will be approved by the Judge, stand the test on the great day, and be crowned with endless glory (2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:7, 2 Timothy 4:8). Blessed is that servant whom his Lord finds so doing and so hoping when he comes.

But hopes built on anything other than Christ will certainly fail on a stormy day. They will give no true comfort in trouble, in death, or on judgment day. They will not protect a person from giving in to temptation and turning away in a time of persecution. When God takes away the soul, where then is the hope of the hypocrite? (Job 27:8). It is like a spider’s web, like a person giving up the ghost. He leans on his house, but it will not stand (Job 8:14, Job 8:15). It falls in the storm, just when the builder needed it most and thought it would shelter him. It falls when it is too late to build another. When a wicked person dies, his expectation dies with him. What he thought would become full enjoyment simply collapses, and great is the fall. It is a great disappointment, and the shame and loss are great. The higher people lift their hopes, the lower they fall. This is the worst ruin that comes to those who only seem religious, as Capernaum’s fate shows.

In the last two verses, we are told what effect Christ’s words had on the crowd. It was an excellent sermon, and he likely said more than is recorded here. No doubt the way he spoke it, with grace poured into his lips, made it even more powerful. They were astonished at his teaching. It is likely that few of them were brought to follow him, but for the moment they were filled with wonder. People can admire good preaching and still remain in ignorance and unbelief. They can be amazed and yet not made holy.

The reason for their amazement was that he taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. The scribes claimed as much authority as any teachers, and they had every outward advantage, but their preaching was flat, weak, and lifeless. They spoke like people who did not truly own what they taught. Their message had no power or living force. They gave it like a schoolboy reciting a lesson. Christ, however, spoke like a judge giving his charge. He really did teach with authority, and his lessons were law. His word was a word of command.

On the mountain, Christ showed more true authority than the scribes in Moses’ seat. So when Christ teaches by his Spirit in the soul, he teaches with authority. He says, “Let there be light,” and there is light.