Walking with Jesus on
The Mount of Blessing
Devotional by George R. Knight (December 15)
Those condemned by Jesus in Matthew 7:21~23 are
suffering from self-deception. They thought they were
right, but they were wrong – seriously wrong.
This is frightful. You may be wondering how you can
know you are not deceived about your own standing
with God.
For one thing, it is important to avoid false doctrines of
assurance. There are some who would have us believe
that justification is to be equated with salvation. Just
believe, and it is OK. Just say “Lord, Lord,” and you will
be all right. That is the very doctrine that Jesus is warning
against in Matthew 7:21.
Christian assurance of salvation is a Bible doctrine, but
it is based on holy living by those who have been
justified and born again. Assurance, according to Jesus
in Matthew 7, belongs to the “doers” of the Father’s
will.
A second thing we can do to avoid self-deception regarding
our standing with God is to examine ourselves.
Paul tells us to examine ourselves as to whether we are
in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). That examination
needs to take place in the full light of Scripture. We
must honestly ask ourselves why we are doing certain
things and what the motives are behind our words and
actions. We need to honestly face up to the truth if we
are doing good things for self-interest.
A third thing we can do to avoid self-deception is to get
our priorities straight. First and foremost, God wants
our hearts, He wants us to have a loving relationship
with Him that leads to obedience in all things. And here
it is important to be honest. Some of us are ready to be
obedient in those areas we like, but avoid faithfulness in
other areas. God wants us to take the whole Bible and
put it into balanced practice.
Deception is a real danger, but we never need to be
deceived. God has plainly laid out a clear path before us
if we are willing to follow without reservation.
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