THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

87people. He is looking for fruitful people. He is not looking for spectacular people; He is lookingfor faithful and obedient people. He is not looking for people who just talk and praise and yellabout how great He is; He is simply looking for people who will do His will.When all is said and done what matters is what God thinks. When these orthodoxy busyworkers came with their credentials of spectacular religious feats Jesus responded:“Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”(Mt 7:23)Jesus brushes aside the claims of the pretenders. The crucial question in whether Jesushas known them. And Jesus says, “No.” The phrase “I never knew you” refers to the time thesereligious workers were prophesying, casting out demons and performing great spectacularmiracles.The word “knew” is an intensive form of the verb which means “to know one’s own” or“to acknowledge as one’s disciple.” Here we see the all important distinction between knowingabout someone and knowing them. There is a knowledge of mind which Jesus as the divine Sonof God possessed in unlimited degree (Jn 1:47,49; 2:24-25; 21:17). It was precisely because Heknew these false pretenders so thoroughly that He was so completely justified in condemningthem. But there is also a knowledge of the heart in which there is acknowledgment, friendshipand fellowship (Am 3:2; Na 1:7; Jn 10:14; 1 Co 8:3; Gal 4:9; 2 Ti 2:9). This was the kind ofknowledge that Jesus was referring to. These religious workers spoke as if Jesus had ben theirfriend. Jesus points out that at no time had He known them on such a personal and intimate basis.He even puts it stronger than that as He calls them “evildoers.” He says He wants nothing to dowith them as He banishes them from His eternal presence. The word “evildoer” is literally“worker of lawlessness.” This implies that these were men who worked out their rebellionagainst God by religious exhibitionism. They camouflaged their rebellious natures with an emptyprofession and religious activity that would surely win people’s attention, praise and honor.Is it any wonder that Jesus doomed them to eternal destruction, in body and soul, awayfrom His loving presence (Mt 25:46; Lk 13:27-28; 2 Th 1:9)? Jesus presents Himself as theJudge to whom the whole world will one day give an answer to (see also Rev 20:11-15 andMt 25:31ff).“True knowledge of God,” said John Calvin, “is born out of obedience.” A person’ssincerity is seen in his action. Fine words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. The proof isobedience. This is love’s true test. Jesus put it:“If you love me, you will obey what I command...Whoever has my commands andobeys them, he is the one who loves Me . . . If anyone loves me he will obey Myteaching . . . He who does not love Me will not obey My teaching” (Jn 16:15,21).