Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 7:21

"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 who is in heaven." — Matthew 7:21 (ASV)

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

They were very sound in doctrine. They called Jesus "Lord."

They believed in his Deity. Apparently, they were very devout.

They said, "Lord." They worshipped him. They were very importunate and earnest. They said, "Lord, Lord," appealing to him again and again. But not everyone that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. External utterances, however orthodox; professions, however sound, are not enough.

No verbal homage will suffice. “Not every one that saith.” We may believe in our Lord’s deity and we may take great pains to affirm it over and over again with our “Lord, Lord,” but unless we carry out the commands of the Father, we pay no true homage to the Son.

We may own our obligations to Jesus and so call Him “Lord, Lord,” but if we never practically carry out those obligations, what is the value of our admissions? Our King receives not into His kingdom those whose religion lies in words and ceremonies, but only those whose lives display the obedience of true discipleship.

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.

Not talking, but doing, not loud profession, but quiet, practical godliness, wins the day.

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.

Practice is the true test, not words. Not he that saith, Lord, Lord, but he that doeth the will of God; not he that merely has good words on his tongue, but he that has the will of God laid up in his heart, and worked out in his life, that is the man who shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

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.

No verbal homage will suffice: Not every one that saith. We may believe in our Lord's Deity, and we may take great pains to affirm it over and over again with our "Lord, Lord"; but unless we carry out the commands of the Father, we pay no true homage to the Son. We may own our obligations to Jesus, and so call him "Lord, Lord"; but if we never practically carry out those obligations, what is the value of our admissions? Our King does not receive into his kingdom those whose religion lies in words and ceremonies, but only those whose lives display the obedience of true discipleship.

But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Oh! dear friends, there must be holiness in us, for without holiness no man can see the Lord. It is not knowing the will of the heavenly Father, but doing it that is the mark of divine election. If God's grace has really entered into us, we, like the prophets, shall be known by our fruits; and if we are not doing the will of our Father who is in heaven, we shall not come to the heaven where he is.