After reiterating in Matthew 7:12 that He was clarifying and vindicating the things taught in the Law of Moses and the rest of the Old Testament rather than destroying them, Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount by the things recorded in Matthew 7:13-27.

Matthew 7:12-14: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait (i.e. narrow/constricted) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

It is obvious that faithful messengers will accurately lead people who heed them through the narrow gate and narrow way to life by both word and example.  

Matthew 7:15-20: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Jesus correlates the false prophet with a wicked life.  Such a life is defined by transgression of God’s law.  That will be made absolutely clear.  The false prophets who are most dangerous are those who seem to be faithful Christians by how they present themselves externally.  They might look pure and sound Biblical, yet they are living in sin because they have their own agenda (at least).  Their sinful agenda will be demonstrated by their enmity towards something somewhere in the Bible’s counsel by what they do and/or by what they say.  Otherwise, they couldn’t be rightfully labeled as a false prophet.  Consider also that if Jesus defines everyone as a corrupt tree which brings forth evil fruit, then there would be no such thing as a faithful shepherd who ought to be listened to.  

There is a nuance to consider here which comes up later in the Book of Matthew.

Matthew 23:1-3: “Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”

There are people who are bad examples overall which might say things in line with the Bible which should be observed even though they should not be followed themselves.  Don’t disconnect verses 21 to 23 of Matthew 7 from the preceding verses which have been looked at nor from the verses which follow.  Doing so would in itself be lying and expressing enmity towards the Bible’s counsel.

Matthew 7:21-23: “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.”

“Iniquity” in verse 23 is anomia in the Greek text which literally means “without law.”  

This multitude of people who called Jesus “Lord, Lord” will not be told to depart from Him because they thought they needed to call Him Lord.  Jesus said in John 13:13: “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.”  This multitude will be told to depart from Him because they worked lawlessness.  

The Apostle John wrote the following to faithful Christians whom he oversaw in 1 John 3:2-4: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

There was no comment made on the validity of the claims of this multitude having done many wonderful works in Jesus’ name.  The point is that it doesn’t matter what you do in His name if you don’t actually submit to the authority of His Word.  The practice of wicked works, as His Word defines them, expresses refusal of submission to His authority.  These people were enemies to Jesus’ Lordship in spite of the works which they may have done in His name.  The solution is to really turn from sin and submit to Him with a faith that actually recognizes His rightful authority and works accordingly.  

These people will not enter into God’s kingdom because they did not actually do the will of the Father.  The Bible explicitly teaches that no one is justified by faith alone (that word alone is a deceitful snuck premise which is commonly employed by preachers of a lawless gospel).

Consider Matthew 12:46-50: “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.  Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.  But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother?  And who are my brethren?  And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Now look at the parallel account of the preceding passage in Luke 8:20-21: “And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.  And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”

Those who faithfully teach the Bible teach the necessity of being under Jesus’ Lordship (and thereby constrained according to the boundaries of God’s law).  Those who think they don’t even need to call Jesus Lord (which includes those who think they just need to accept Him as their Savior) are also workers of lawlessness who don’t do the will of His Father which will also be told to depart from Him.  Mankind fell through refusal to be subject to God’s authority.  The grace of Christ is mocked when anyone presumes a saving interest in Him while continuing to go their own way in sin.  Real faith in Him is submitted to His righteous ways and is diligent to better understand what is pleasing to Him.  That is descriptive of the narrow way to eternal life.

Regarding Jesus telling this multitude “I never knew you”, consider that this only proves that one can never know Him even though they call Him Lord and do wonderful works in His name.  It is not excluding the reality that some can really know Him then turn away from Him and be sent to hell in the end.  The way to eternal life is narrow as the gate to enter it is narrow.  This is a road which one must press forward on and endure in.  People who get on this road can turn back, turn aside, and/or stall.  No one is ultimately saved already while they still live in a mortal body.  To think that anyone’s ultimate salvation is already certain on this side of death or the 2nd coming of Christ is a denial of Jesus’ Lordship and also a denial of His High Priesthood.  

Matthew 24:9-13: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity (and there’s that word anomia in the Greek text) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

It is also seen from Matthew 24:9-13 that effective deception causes people to practice lawlessness.  This obviously all goes back to Matthew chapter 7.  Practicing lawlessness would include tolerating lawlessness where one has jurisdiction to put it down.  It also includes simply being cold towards God’s righteous standards and/or cold towards the needs of others.  

We see likewise in Matthew chapter 13 in the parable which Jesus told of the wheat and the tares, and in how He explained the parable, that the wheat and the tares are the products of the good seed from God and the bad seed from the devil which were cast into the field of the world.  The tares correspond to those who work lawlessness in God’s eyes.  These will be cast into a furnace of fire at the end of this world.  The wheat corresponds to the righteous who will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  

Though the most dangerous wolves are teachers in Christ’s name who generally explain the Bible accurately and appear righteous despite committing sin in very subtle ways, those who in any way deny the need to actually obey Jesus as Lord in order to inherit His kingdom are deceivers who are among the false prophets which deceitfully reconcile salvation in Jesus with practicing sin.  Some of these even suppress the “Therefore” of verse 24 as they try to explain away the things taught in verses 21 to 23.

Matthew 7:24-27: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Everything in the Bible is Jesus’ Word.  Though Christians have now been released from the ceremonies of Judaism, the Law of Moses itself bears witness to the grace of Christ.  Jesus does not do away with law.  One cannot come to Him acceptably nor abide in Him properly who is not in agreement with God’s law and submitted to its moral requirements as a guide to their faith.  Jesus upholds the righteousness of the law and hates transgression of it.

Hebrews 1:8-9: “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity (anomia- lawlessness); therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

To come to Him and abide in Him we must be in agreement with Him (Amos 3:3).  Any who would receive Christ’s true grace must look to Him to save them from the guilt and power of sin.  As was seen from 1 John 3:4, sin is the transgression of the law.  

The Bible never teaches that the Lord justifies anyone as they remain ungodly nor does it teach that the impossibility of man being able for his sins or somehow working his way into the Lord’s favor removes the necessity of man forsaking sin to live under His authority in order to receive His justification. 

When lawless preachers go to Scriptures like Romans chapter 4, they utterly disregard Abraham and David’s own examples (which are cited there in regard to being justified by faith).  They also disregard all the examples of people being justified by faith in the Old Testament- despite the reality that the New Testament writers used Old Testament examples and precedents over and over again in explaining salvation by grace through faith.

Genesis 26:4-5 (the Lord is speaking to Abraham’s son Isaac): “And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

Psalm 66:18: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:”

Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Jonah 3:10: “And God saw their works (i.e. the works fitting for repentance of the inhabitants of Nineveh), that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

Ezekiel 18:26-32: “When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.  Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.  Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal?  are not your ways unequal?  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God.  Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.  Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?  For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”

Matthew 7:28: “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:”

Note the reason they were astonished.  It wasn’t because Jesus had just contradicted what the Old Testament already taught.

Matthew 7:29: “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

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