Never knew him

[JohnD]

Another point to the OP passage is if you don't know him you never did.

The myth of saved and lost and saved and lost and saved and lost (depending on one's

faith or not sinning) is debunked.

Also the loss of salvation.

The text does not say "I once knew you..."

I NEVER knew you.

Means once saved always saved.

[Unit 11]

15 hours ago, JohnD said:

Another point to the OP passage is if you don't know him you never did.

The myth of saved and lost and saved and lost and saved and lost (depending on one's

faith or not sinning) is debunked.

Also the loss of salvation.

The text does not say "I once knew you..."

I NEVER knew you.

Means once saved always saved.

 

Well! We must take care to choose our leaders. Or, for that matter, whether we choose any leaders.

Imagine someone busy doing all these things that appear to be big-league works for God...someone who we'd just assume is one of God's favorites...and in reality, they never knew him at all. 

They might believe they know Christ, but he was actually never part of their lives at all. (!)

They might have gone through seminary, have degrees, planted churches, preach the Bible, speak of the Bible, quote the Bible, talk all the religious jargon, thunder out mighty prayers, when in reality they've always been strangers to Christ. And he's never really been a part of their lives. 

In America, I am so grateful for our religious liberty, and would never want to give it up. But the inevitable flip side is, it makes our country a spawning ground and hunting ground for every kind of charlatan.

Which brings to mind what Christ said next: we will know them by their fruits.

 

[Willa]

Many people who go to Bible School or seminary  do so because they are seeking God but they may not find Him there.  Some mainstream churches schools are as apt to teach there is no God or teach nothing about a personal relationship with Christ.  My former pastor actually led the president of his seminary to faith in Christ!  The man was a highly regarded theologian in a presbyterian seminary.  Another former pastor graduated summa cum laude from his Lutheran seminary, but he didn't believe the Bible is God's word.  He changed the creeds to fit his own beliefs and had us repeat those instead.  These people perform the rituals of their churches but risk being told by Jesus the He never knew them.

[David1701]

The Bible says that this is eternal life, to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.  Jesus says to the fake Christians, "Depart from me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you.".  In other words, they never had eternal life and were never saved.

This leads to the question, "How could they do miracles, if they had not been saved?". 

There are two points, in answer to this:

1) They claimed to have done miracles, but Jesus did not say whether or not they actually had.

2) Even if they had done genuine miracles, miracles do not necessarily indicate salvation.  It is fruit that indicates salvation.  You can hang gifts on a dead tree; but, only a living tree bears fruit.

Judas Iscariot was an apostle, chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, but he was as evil as they come - a liar, thief, greedy and betrayer of the Lord himself.  He was, with absolute certainty, never saved.

[Buddy D. Mouse]

"I never knew you"

and

"I know ye not FROM WHENCE YE ARE"

 

related, but separate groups.

[Don19]

On 1/28/2021 at 5:17 AM, Unit 11 said:

They might have gone through seminary, have degrees, planted churches, preach the Bible, speak of the Bible, quote the Bible, talk all the religious jargon, thunder out mighty prayers, when in reality they've always been strangers to Christ. And he's never really been a part of their lives. 

[...]

Which brings to mind what Christ said next: we will know them by their fruits.

 

Here's the problem: that saying, that you will know them by their fruit, is so misinterpreted. You are quite right that many goats will show all the characteristics you mentioned. They will also do lots of "good works" and call that "fruit." They will call all the things you mentioned "fruit" as well.

But it's not fruit. If you are a branch in the Jesus tree, then Jesus Christ is your fruit. Apple trees produce apples, etc. But all those things are works of the flesh; they're not "fruit." You will know them by their fruits = their words, not works of the flesh. Read Matthew 12. Do they preach Christ as all of their salvation? But to bear bad fruit is to preach man's righteousness, because all of man's righteousness is as filthy rags.