How Well Do We Know Christ?

“Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as Lord, but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.”
(Matthew 7: 21-23)

This passage certainly gets the attention of the Christian believer. Many of us know the name of Jesus Christ, yet we still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. When I first read this, my heart hurt over the truth that many of us who call ourselves Christians don't know Christ intimately. The Bible tells us God knows His children intimately, so what does it mean when Jesus says, “I never knew you?”
I attended church my whole life. It was a ritual for my family to get up every Sunday morning and go to church. Sadly to say, the only thing I remember from that experience is the free glazed donut I received before Sunday school. I knew who Jesus was and became familiar with the stories about Noah, Moses, and of course Mary and Joseph. But that was the extent of my Christian knowledge. I thought just believing Jesus was the Son of God was enough, but when we read this passage found in the Gospel of Matthew, my life reflected what it means to be religious, but certainly not godly. Although this experience planted the seed of faith, my beliefs came from my mouth and not my heart.
I think many of us approach our Christian beliefs the same way as believing in Santa Claus. We wanted to believe it because it meant toys in our stockings. And, because our parents said it was true, we assumed it was. As a child, why wouldn’t I want to believe Jesus is my Savior and through Him, I receive eternal life? It was certainly better than the alternative. But for many, we stop there. We never explore anything deeper. We attend a one-hour sermon on Sunday morning and that becomes the extent of our Christian walk. When Monday morning rolls around, our hearts have turned to the ways of the world, and whatever our preacher said twenty-four hours ago is long forgotten.
I only knew Jesus Christ by name until six years ago when I got involved in a thirty week Bible study, requiring me to read over eighty-percent of Scripture. Needless to say, I was reading God’s Word every day for forty minutes in keeping up with the homework. Many of us shy away from a study requiring this level of commitment, but what impact would this amount of time spent in God’s Word have on our lives? Although there are many wonderful pastors who provide exceptional sermons, this should never be our fall back for growing deeper in our faith and knowing Christ intimately. A deeper relationship with God can only come from reading and studying His Word so that He can reveal what it means to live godly in His eyes.
Starting today, let's become committed to knowing Christ beyond His name. Thirty minutes of daily prayer and reading Scripture will absolutely change your life by changing your heart. So when our time comes, instead of hearing our Savior say, “I never knew you,” His words will be, “Welcome home my godly faithful servant.”

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through a narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”
(Matthew 7:13)