A Difficult Question

[Matthitjah]

Greetings dear sister, Grace to you!

Lu

[Guest idolsmasher]

I think Shiloh got it, it is those churches who are unsaved and don't preach real salvation but think they are doing the will of God, or others like that. Perhaps even those of other faiths.

[Catsmeow]

23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (emphasis mine)

Traveller: Good point; it sounds like they never had an intimate relationship with the Lord...but they may have "played" Christian?

I know He can never say I never knew Him...no chance...that's one thing I am certain of because I feel a very deep hunger and affection toward Him and am continually concerned about how He feels and if I'm pleasing Him.

I am hyper-sensitive to the Lord sometimes, perhaps to a fault of suffering much internal conflict. I remember reading that Martin Luther had the same problem.

He tended to be so hyper-sensitive, he drove the other monks crazy with his guilt, spending long hours in the "confessional" ....confessing everything that might smack of sin.

[Catsmeow]

Lu

[Catsmeow]

For what its worth, those people were never saved to begin with. Jesus was not referring necessarily to those specific works, but rather they speak to a category of people who are doing great things for God, but are not actually believers.

Shiloh: What about people like my husband who are still on milk and only after much tutoring can finally answer correctly why he should go to heaven, *(because of what Jesus did on the cross)...

It took me so long to get him to understand that salvation is NOT based on being a "do-gooder" but based on what Christ did.

Then he thinks, "Well, then I can do whatever I want, right?"

"Um, no...you can't" I try to explain.

If you know the Lord, you will want to do the right thing naturally...you may not always succeed but with Jesus in your heart, you will naturally begin to transform.

[eric]

Hi Cats, Late getting back, but we had a storm last night a lost all electric power for hours, but praise God for Worthy Boards, you got a whole heap of different replies from a whole heap of loving and caring brothers and sisters and I cant fault any of their interpretations. I think it all boils down to the fact that God knows everyone inside out He knows the genuine from the fake. He knows our hearts and our motives and I pray on a daily basis that He ministers to me and keeps in His word and that He picks me up when I stumble.

Love ya Cats and tell Bill I'm praying for you both.

eric

[Catsmeow]

Eric,

My husband, Bill, still needs a lot of prayer backup. He's still struggling with his flesh and self-will.

It's so hard...I pray and pray but he's so determined to remain on the throne of his own life and do things "his" way. He makes excuses for his angry and abusive behavior toward others..(not towards me) and I keep telling him he needs to repent from these things.

I am not expecting perfection.......just some demonstration that he's listening to the Holy Spirit, rather than stiffling Him.

You can tell when someone's heart is open to the HS because they are sensitive to that "still small voice" instead of making excuses for everything they do.

The prayers are very much needed and requested....

[Guest LCPGUY]

Two words come to mind: Television Evangelists. 

Sorry...just my opinion....hope no one's offended by that.

Not me! I agree with you. Many of these false teachers are indeed doing miracles, or so they would have us believe, yet they are in it for the money only. It's a business, a career to them. But boy can they put on a good act.

If these folks were really "born again" I doubt they'd be living in multi-million-dollar mansions and driving Rolls Royce's and Bentleys, while all the time encouraging the poor and struggling people to tithe even more money.

I suspect that when these folks stand before the Lord, He will certainly say "I never knew you!"

John

[Blood Stained Soul]

The best way I can explain this scripture is to speak in the form of a parable...using our president...now we know OF him from keeping up with him in the news...but if we were to talk to him in person he would not know you from adam...why? because you knew of him but you did not know him PERSONALLY...many know of him(JESUS)...but have no relationship with THE SON OF GOD...These people here are preachers, elders, etc...that passage was dealing with those doing work for the Kingdom.....

[Adstar]

Matthew 7:21-29

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (emphasis mine)

Cats, I keep going back to the use of the word never. He said He never knew them. If they had been saved at one point, then wouldn't Jesus have known them then?

Good thread sis!

:bright: Great insight Neb i