I Never Knew You

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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

SUMMARY: Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. And let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved, according to His word. He loves Christ Jesus who does His will and keeps His commandments. And it is necessary that they who perform this will, not hear it merely, should enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now, those who believe in Him are those who walk in the straight and narrow way, which leads to life, and which is found by few. All things are not at once to be received and assumed which are boasted of in the name of Christ, but only those things which are done in the truth of Christ. He showed how rash was belief in signs and wonders, which were so very easy of accomplishment by even false christs. He says that even some who lead wicked lives will perform miracles in the name of Jesus, and expel demons out of men. For both to prophesy and to cast out devils, and to do great acts upon the earth is certainly a sublime and an admirable thing; but one does not attain the kingdom of heaven although he is found in all these things, unless he walks in the observance of the right and just way. The ignorance of God, that is, “I never knew you,” is His disapproval. Ignatius: Only request in my behalf both inward and outward strength, that I may not only speak, but also truly will; and that I may not merely be called a Christian, but really be found to be one. For if I be truly found a Christian, I may also be called one, and be then deemed faithful, when I shall no longer appear to the world. Nothing visible is eternal. “For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” For our God, Jesus Christ, now that He is with the Father, is all the more revealed in His glory. Christianity is not a work of silence only, but also of manifest greatness.

SECOND CLEMENT: Since He has displayed so great mercy towards us, and especially in this respect, that we who are living should not offer sacrifices to gods that are dead, or pay them worship, but should attain through Him to the knowledge of the true Father, whereby we will show that we do indeed know Him by not denying Him through whom this knowledge has been attained. For He Himself declares, “Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father.” This, then, is our reward if we shall confess Him by whom we have been saved. But in what way shall we confess Him? By doing what He says, and not transgressing His commandments, and by honoring Him not with our lips only, but with all our heart and all our mind. For he says in Isaiah, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. For He says, “Not every one that says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall be saved, but he that works righteousness.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us confess Him by our works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery, or speaking evil of one another, or cherishing envy; but by being continent, compassionate, and good. We ought also to sympathize with one another, and not be materialistic. By such works let us confess Him, and not by those that are of an opposite kind. And it is not fitting that we should fear men, but rather God. For this reason, if we should do such wicked things, the Lord has said, “Even though you were gathered together to me in my very bosom, yet if you were not to keep my commandments, I would cast you off, and say to you, “Depart from me; I do not know from where you are, you workers of iniquity.”

JUSTIN MARTYR: Impelled by the desire of the eternal and pure life, we seek the abode that is with God, the Father and Creator of all, and hasten to confess our faith, persuaded and convinced as we are that they who have proved to God by their works that they followed Him, and loved to abide with Him where there is no sin to cause disturbance, can obtain these things.

JUSTIN MARTYR: And that we ought to worship God alone, He thus persuaded us: The greatest commandment is, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve, with all your heart, and with all your strength, the Lord God that made you.” And when a certain man came to Him and said, “Good Master,” He answered and said, “There is none good but God only, who made all things.” And let those who are not found living as He taught, be understood to be no Christians, even though they profess with the lip the precepts of Christ; for not those who make profession, but those who do the works, shall be saved, according to His word: “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. For whosoever hears Me, and does My sayings, hears Him that sent Me. And many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in Your name, and done wonders?' And then will I say to them, 'Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity.' Then shall there be wailing and gnashing of teeth, when the righteous shall shine as the sun, and the wicked are sent into everlasting fire.”

JUSTIN MARTYR: The matters of our religion lie in works, not in words.

TATIAN: “Not all that say to me, 'My Lord, my Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of the heavens; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many shall say to me in that day, 'My Lord, my Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out devils, and in your name do many powers?' Then shall I say to them, 'I never knew you: depart from me, you servants of iniquity.'”

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: “Not every one,” therefore, “that says Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God; but he that does the will of God.” Such is the Christian laborer, who has the mastery of worldly desires even while still in the flesh; and who, in regard to things future and still invisible, which he knows, has a sure persuasion, so that he regards them as more present than the things within reach. This able workman rejoices in what he knows, but is cramped on account of his being involved in the necessities of life; not yet deemed worthy of the active participation in what he knows. So he uses this life as if it belonged to another,—so far, that is, as is necessary.

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: He loves Christ Jesus who does His will and keeps His commandments. “For not every one that says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father.”

HIPPOLYTUS: The Savior has declared, “Not every one that says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” And it is necessary that they who perform this will, not hear it merely, should enter into the kingdom of heaven.

ORIGEN: “Now, when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He did. But He, Jesus, did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all men and because He did not need that any should testify of man, for he Himself knew what was in man.” One might ask how Jesus did not Himself believe in those of whom we are told that they believed. To this we must say it was not those who believed in Him that Jesus did not trust, but those who believed in His name; for believing in His name is a different thing from believing in Him. He who will not be judged because of his faith is exempted from the judgment, not for believing in His name, but for believing in Him; for the Lord says, “He that believes in Me is not judged,” not, “He who believes in My name is not judged;” the latter believes, and hence he is not worthy to be condemned already, but he is inferior to the other who believes in Him. Hence it is that Jesus does not trust Himself to him who believes in His name. We must, therefore, cleave to Him rather than to His name, in case after we have done wonders in His name, we should hear these words addressed to us which He will speak to those who boast of His name alone. With the Apostle Paul let us seek joyfully to say, “I can do all things in Christ Jesus strengthening me.” We have also to notice that in a former passage the Evangelist calls the Passover that of the Jews, while here he does not say that Jesus was at the Passover of the Jews, but at the Passover at Jerusalem; and in the former case when the Passover is called that of the Jews, it is not said to be a feast; but here Jesus is recorded to have been at the feast; when at Jerusalem He was at the Passover during the feast, and many believed, even though only in His name. We ought to notice certainly that “many” are said to believe, not in Him, but in His name. Now, those who believe in Him are those who walk in the straight and narrow way, which leads to life, and which is found by few.

CYPRIAN: Again, there is no ground for anyone, for the circumvention of Christian truth, opposing to us the name of Christ, and saying, “All who are baptized everywhere, and in any manner, in the name of Jesus Christ, have obtained the grace of baptism,”—when Christ Himself speaks, and says, “Not everyone that says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” And again, He forewarns and instructs, that no one should be easily deceived by false prophets and false Christs in His name. “Many,” He says, “shall come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many.” And afterwards He added: “But take heed; behold, I have foretold you all things.” From which it appears that all things are not at once to be received and assumed which are boasted of in the name of Christ, but only those things which are done in the truth of Christ.

JUSTIN MARTYR: For He alone taught openly those mighty counsels which the Father designed both for all those who have been and shall be well-pleasing to Him, and also for those who have rebelled against His will, whether men or angels, when He said: “They shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness.” And, “Many shall say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not eaten, and drunk, and prophesied, and cast out demons in Your name?' And I will say to them, 'Depart from Me.'” Again, in other words, by which He shall condemn those who are unworthy of salvation, He said, “Depart into outer darkness, which the Father has prepared for Satan and his angels.”

TERTULLIAN: He declared that many would come and “show great signs and wonders,” so as to turn aside the very elect, and yet for all that were not to be received, He showed how rash was belief in signs and wonders, which were so very easy of accomplishment by even false christs.

ORIGEN: Celsus, a pagan critic, asserts that it is by the names of certain demons, and by the use of incantations, that the Christians appear to be possessed of miraculous power; hinting, I suppose, at the practices of those who expel evil spirits by incantations. And here he manifestly appears to malign the Gospel. For it is not by incantations that Christians seem to prevail over evil spirits, but by the name of Jesus, accompanied by the announcement of the narratives which relate to Him; for the repetition of these has frequently been the means of driving demons out of men, especially when those who repeated them did so in a sound and genuinely believing spirit. Such power, indeed, does the name of Jesus possess over evil spirits, that there have been instances where it was effectual, when it was pronounced even by bad men, which Jesus Himself taught would be the case, when He said: “Many shall say to Me in that day, 'In Your name we have cast out devils, and done many wonderful works.'”

ORIGEN: And in another passage: “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in Your name, and by Your name have cast out demons, and done many wonderful works?' And then will I say to them, 'Depart from Me, because you are workers of iniquity.'” . . . He says that even some who lead wicked lives will perform miracles in the name of Jesus, and expel demons out of men, sorcery in the case of these individuals, or any suspicion of such, is rather, if we may so speak, altogether banished, and the divinity of Christ established, as well as the divine mission of His disciples; seeing that it is possible that one who makes use of His name, and who is wrought upon by some power, in some way unknown, to make the pretense that he is the Christ, should seem to perform miracles like those of Jesus, while others through His name should do works resembling those of His genuine disciples.

CYPRIAN: For both to prophesy and to cast out devils, and to do great acts upon the earth is certainly a sublime and an admirable thing; but one does not attain the kingdom of heaven although he is found in all these things, unless he walks in the observance of the right and just way. The Lord denounces, and says, “Many shall say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works?' And then will I profess to them, 'I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.'” There is need of righteousness, that one may deserve well of God the Judge; we must obey His precepts and warnings, that our merits may receive their reward. The Lord in His Gospel, when He would direct the way of our hope and faith in a brief summary, said, “The Lord your God is one God: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment; and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

ANONYMOUS: He says, “Whosoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father which is in heaven,” its meaning is assuredly with respect to future time—to the time at which the Lord shall begin to judge the secrets of men—to the time at which we must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ—to the time at which many shall begin to say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works?” And yet they shall hear the voice of the Lord saying, “Depart from me, all you that have worked iniquity: I do not know you.” Then shall it be fulfilled that He says, “I also will deny them.” But whom will the Lord Christ chiefly deny, if not all of you heretics, and schismatics, and strangers to His name? For you who were some time Christians, but now are Novatians, no longer Christians, have changed your first faith by a subsequent deceitfulness in the calling of your name.

MELITO: The ignorance of God is His disapproval. In the Gospel: “I do not know you.”

TERTULLIAN: I must, however, on my side, dispel one fond conceit by another, and contend with even leaven is suitable for the kingdom of the Creator, because after it comes the oven, or, if you please, the furnace of hell. How often has He already displayed Himself as a Judge, and in the Judge the Creator? How often, indeed, has He repelled, and in the repulse condemned? In the present passage, for instance, He says, “When once the master of the house is risen up;” but in what sense except that in which Isaiah said, “When He shall arise to terribly shake the earth?” “And has shut the door,” thereby shutting out the wicked, of course; and when these knock, He will answer, “I do not know from where you are;” and when they recount how “they have eaten and drunk in His presence,” He will further say to them, “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” But where? Outside, no doubt, when they shall have been excluded with the door shut on them by Him. There will therefore be punishment inflicted by Him who excludes for punishment, when they shall behold the righteous entering the kingdom of God, but themselves detained without.

ORIGEN: It says in another passage, “Depart from me, workers of iniquity!” Surely the due punishment for the wages of iniquity is paid out to them. This is also why the same Apostle says in another passage, “The wages of sin is death.” And he did not go on to say in similar fashion: but the wages of righteousness is eternal life. Instead he says, “But the gift of God is eternal life,” in order not only to teach that the wages, which are assuredly comparable with debt and a reward, are a repayment of punishment and death, but to establish eternal life in grace alone.