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Response
The two questions that are most frequently asked about Matthew 7:21-23 arise because the verses appear to contradict two strongly held beliefs—one being that one cannot lose their salvation and the other being that anyone who performs miracles must be from God. As we will see, one of these beliefs is grounded in scriptural truth while the other is not. While a true believer cannot lose their salvation, it is not necessarily true that all miracles are performed by true believers.
Jesus is speaking here towards the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5—7). Starting from verse 13, Jesus elaborates extensively on the topic of true faith versus false professions, employing the technique of contrast and comparison. Verses 13-14 depict two paths that individuals take in life—the broad road leading to eternal destruction and the narrow path leading to eternal life. He introduces the concept of the “many” and the “few” here, which He revisits in verses 21-23.
In Matthew 7:15—18, He once again contrasts the two kinds of individuals by utilizing imagery familiar to those in an agrarian society—sheep/wolves, grapes/figs, thorn bushes/thistles, good trees/bad trees, and good fruit/bad fruit. Having established a dichotomy in the minds of His audience, He proceeds to apply these truths to the spiritual condition of all those listening. Jesus presents the two categories of people who will approach Him on “that day,” referring to the final day, the day of judgment, a significant day appointed by God and unknown to angels and humans, which will be dreadful for some and joyful for others. All will seek entry into the kingdom of heaven, but some will be turned away, reacting with complete confusion and disappointment when what they believed was their “ticket” to heaven proves to be worthless. These are individuals who prophesied in the name of Jesus, either predicting future events or preaching the Word in His name. They have even performed miraculous acts such as casting out demons.
Many have attempted to perform miracles and healings, but all in vain. Their actions were driven by self-glory rather than His glory, and amounted to nothing more than “filthy rags” «But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. », (Isaiah 64:6). Conversely, those destined for heaven will not be judged based on their extraordinary feats or accomplishments, but will attain eternal life solely through obedience to God’s will « 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)—which is to have faith in God’s Son.
Who are these unfortunate individuals and how can they perform miracles without God’s empowerment? From the text, we gather several insights. Firstly, there are numerous individuals on the broad path to eternal damnation, contrasting with the few who have discovered the narrow route to eternal life. Secondly, they profess the name of Christ. They are not followers of other faiths like Muslims, Buddhists, or atheists. They proudly declare, “I am a Christian.” They carry out their deeds in the name of Jesus. They pray and heal in Jesus’ name. They preach and teach in Jesus’ name. They construct grand churches and ministries in Jesus’ name. They assert a connection with Him. However, they are not truly His. Instead, He will reject them, not praising their good works in His name (as many good works are performed in Jesus’ name by false believers), but disavowing all their actions and words. He “never” acknowledged them, and they never genuinely knew Him. They were not Christians who lost their salvation; they were never among God’s chosen elect, selected before the creation of the world.
The world «according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: », (Ephesians 1:4), set apart and sanctified by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11;2 Timothy 2:21), and justified by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). The ones Christ puts away from Himself with harsh words of condemnation, calling them doers of evil, never came to Him in faith, despite their outward good works and miracles.
Then if these do not belong to God and never did, how do we explain their ability to perform miracles? Can those who do not have the Spirit actually cast out demons and perform miraculous healings and spectacular signs and wonders? There are two possible explanations for the ability of the ungodly to perform such acts. One is that some miracles are done by the power of Satan and his demonic host. We know that Satan is very crafty. Could there be times when Satan “stages” an exorcism in which an unbeliever commands a demon to leave, and the demon pretends to comply, for the purpose of creating fear in onlookers and causing them to trust in herbs, incantations, talismans, holy water, and relics, rather than in God? Could it be that the doomed men in Matthew 7 had been convinced, in their own minds, that they were serving Christ based on the (satanically orchestrated) “successes”? that the demon they thought they had authority over were only playing a game with them? that they considered themselves demon slayers, when all the while they were nothing more than demons’ dupes? Not all miracles come from God, and not all who perform miracles in the name of Jesus are truly His. The Lord calls the men in Matthew 7 “evildoers” because the miracles they performed had evil as their source, and they had beenIn too blind to see it. Jesus warns us to be on guard against deception as the end times draw near «For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. », (Matthew 24:24).
Second, it’s possible that God, in His sovereign will and for His purposes, will empower unbelievers to perform miraculous deeds. An example is Judas Iscariot who, along with the other disciples, preached the gospel and we assume healed the sick and performed other miracles. There is nothing to indicate that Judas didn’t have the same power as the other eleven, although he was never a true disciple of Christ. He was a deceiver and the “son of perdition” «While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. », (John 17:12). If Judas did perform miracles, it was only because God saw fit to use him for His own glory, despite the condition of Judas’s heart.
Jesus goes on to describe those who will be able to call upon His name on the day of judgment. It will be those who hear His words and put them into practice, the same ones referred to in verse 21 as those who obediently do the will of the Father in heaven. True believers are the good trees that produce good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), the true sheep who look to Christ, depend on Him, commit themselves to Him, trust in Him, and believe in Him for righteousness, salvation, and eternal life. These are the ones who will enter into the kingdom of heaven.
