Scripture: Matthew 7:21–23 (NASB 1995)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” — Matthew 7:21 (NASB 1995)
There is a question worth asking that reaches beyond the usual ways we describe ourselves as Christians: If I stood before Jesus Christ today, what would my faith actually reveal about the life I’ve lived?
It’s easy to answer questions about religious identity. We can name our beliefs, describe our church background, explain what we agree or disagree with, and point to the things we’ve done in God’s name. Other people may even consider us faithful Christians. But Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 challenge us to examine something deeper than reputation, religious participation, or personal conviction.
At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns that calling Him Lord does not automatically mean someone belongs to Him. He describes people who point to extraordinary religious works performed in His name, only to discover that their confidence was misplaced.
The warning is unsettling because these people apparently believed they had compelling evidence of their faithfulness. They were prepared to defend themselves by listing what they had accomplished.
Jesus directs attention to something they had overlooked: whether they truly knew Him and lived in obedience to the Father’s will.
Beyond Religious Identity
Christianity has developed many traditions, denominations, customs, and expectations over the centuries. Some have helped believers understand Scripture, worship together, serve their communities, and remain accountable to one another. Others can become distractions when human traditions are treated as though they carry the same authority as God’s Word.
Jesus Himself confronted religious leaders who honored God outwardly while allowing their traditions and conduct to contradict His commands (Mark 7:6–13).
But rejecting religious expectations is not, by itself, evidence of greater faithfulness. A person can become just as attached to personal independence as another becomes attached to religious tradition.
The question is whether either one is willing to submit to Christ.
Biblically, being a Christian means belonging to Jesus Christ through faith, trusting in His death and resurrection, receiving God’s grace, and following Him as Lord. That relationship involves repentance, a willingness to learn, and a life increasingly shaped by His teaching.
It doesn’t mean becoming flawless. It does mean that our relationship with Christ cannot remain entirely disconnected from how we live.
What Would Jesus Recognize?
Imagine standing before Christ without the familiar explanations we use to describe ourselves.
There is no opportunity to impress Him with a résumé. Our reputation, accomplishments, religious vocabulary, and the opinions of others cannot establish what is in our hearts.
What would remain?
Jesus consistently directed His followers toward love for God and neighbor, mercy, forgiveness, humility, truthfulness, repentance, and obedience. In John 13:35, He taught that love for one another would identify His disciples. In John 15, He described the relationship between Himself and His followers through the image of a vine and its branches. The branch bears fruit because it remains connected to the vine.
That image matters because it places the source of spiritual life where it belongs.
A Christian does not become acceptable to God by accumulating enough good deeds. Ephesians 2:8–10 teaches that salvation comes through grace by faith, while also describing good works as part of the life God has prepared for those who belong to Him.
James 2 challenges a different problem: claiming faith while remaining indifferent to another person’s genuine need. His concern is that faith without any practical expression becomes an empty profession.
These passages belong together. Grace is the foundation of salvation. A changed life is one of its expected expressions.
Faithfulness in an Ordinary, Imperfect Life
We sometimes imagine faithfulness in terms of dramatic sacrifice, extraordinary ministry, public testimony, or impressive accomplishments. Scripture certainly contains examples of courageous obedience. But much of the Christian life unfolds in circumstances that attract little attention.
Faithfulness may appear in the decision to tell the truth when dishonesty would be easier, to acknowledge wrongdoing without excuses, to care for someone who cannot repay us, or to show patience when we would rather walk away.
It may involve accepting correction, changing a deeply held opinion when Scripture challenges it, or refusing to use God’s name to justify something we already wanted to do.
And there will be failures.
The New Testament never presents Christians as people who no longer struggle with sin, uncertainty, weakness, or temptation. First John 1:8–9 addresses the reality of sin and the importance of confession. Repentance remains part of a believer’s life.
That should encourage honest examination rather than pretending we have reached a level of spiritual maturity we haven’t.
Nor should suffering, illness, disability, disappointment, or unanswered prayer be mistaken for evidence that someone has failed God. Scripture does not make a comfortable life the measure of faithful discipleship.
A faithful life can be difficult, unfinished, and largely unseen.
What Does My Faith Actually Mean?
This brings the question into the present.
Does faith shape the decisions we make when nobody is watching? Does it influence how we treat people who disagree with us? Are we willing to reconsider our assumptions when they conflict with Scripture? Do we seek forgiveness as readily as we want to receive it?
And perhaps most importantly, do we actually want to know Christ, or are we primarily concerned with being recognized as Christians?
These questions aren’t intended to produce a scorecard. They invite the kind of honest self-examination that Paul calls for in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
We cannot know the exact words Jesus will speak to any individual when that person stands before Him. Scripture does, however, tell us enough about His character and teaching to take the question seriously today.
Faithfulness is not established by other people’s approval, and it cannot be reduced to our own favorable assessment of ourselves. It involves trusting Christ, receiving His grace, taking His teaching seriously, and continuing to follow Him through repentance and obedience.
The most useful question may therefore be less about how convincingly we can explain our Christianity and more about whether our lives are being shaped by the One we claim to follow.
Reflection
If I removed every religious label, accomplishment, personal justification, and opinion others have about me, what evidence would remain that my relationship with Jesus Christ is shaping the way I live?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me examine my faith according to Your Word rather than the expectations of others or the explanations I make for myself. Show me where I have confused religious activity with obedience, and where pride or habit has kept me from hearing Your correction. Teach me to trust Your grace, repent when I am wrong, love others sincerely, and follow Jesus Christ in the ordinary decisions of each day. Give me a faith that is genuine, even when my life remains imperfect and unfinished. In Jesus’ name, amen.