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 which is in heaven.
"Not everyone that saith unto Me Lord, Lord,...."
"Not everyone that
calls Christ his Lord and Master,
professes subjection to Him, or that calls upon His Name,
or is called by His Name; or makes use of it in his
Public Ministrations.
"There are many who desire to be called, and accounted
Christians,
and who make mention of
the Name of Christ in their sermons,
only to take away their reproach, to cover themselves,
and gain credit with, and get into the affections
and goodwill of the people;
"but have no hearty love to Christ, nor true faith in Him:
nor is it their concern to Preach His Gospel, Advance His Glory,
and Promote His Kingdom and Interest;
"their chief view is to please men, aggrandize themselves,
and set up the power of human nature
in opposition to
the Grace of God, and the Righteousness of Christ.
"Now not every one of these, no, not any of them,
"shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."
"This is to be understood not of the
Outward Dispensation of the Gospel,
or
the Gospel church state, or
the visible church of Christ on Earth,
in which sense this phrase is sometimes used;
"because such persons may, and often do, enter here on Earth;
but of eternal glory, into which none shall enter,
"but he that doeth the Will of My Father which is in heaven."
"This, as it may regard private Christians,
intends not merely
Outward Obedience to the Will of God,
declared in His law, nor barely
subjection to the Ordinances of the Gospel;
"but more especially
Faith in Christ for life and Salvation;
"which is the source of all
True Evangelical Obedience,
and without which nothing is
acceptable to God.
"He that seeth the Son, looks unto Him, ventures on Him,
commits Himself to Him, trusts in Him, relies on Him,
and believes on Him for Righteousness, Salvation, and Eternal Life,
he it is that does the Will of the Father, and he only;
"and such a one, as he is desirous of doing
the will of God
in all acts of cheerful obedience to it, without dependence thereon;
"so he shall certainly enter
The Kingdom of Heaven,
and have
Everlasting Life; see
John 6:40;
"And this is the Will of Him that sent Me,
that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him,
may have Everlasting Life: and I Will raise him up at the Last Day."
"but as these words chiefly respect preachers,
"the sense of them is this, that only such
who are
faithful dispensers of the Word
shall enter into
the Joy of their Lord.
"Such do
the Will of Christ's Father, and so his own,
which are the same, who fully
and
faithfully preach the Gospel of the Grace of God;
"who declare
The Whole Counsel of God,
and keep back nothing that is profitable to the souls of men;
"who are neither ashamed of
the testimony of Christ,
nor afraid of the faces of men;
"but as they are
put in trust with the Gospel, so they speak it boldly,
with all sincerity, not as pleasing men, but God,
and commend themselves to every man's conscience
in the Sight of God:
such as these shall have an abundant entrance
into
the Kingdom and Glory of God.
"
The Vulgate Latin adds this clause,
"he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven",
and so does
Munster's Hebrew edition of the Gospel
according to Matthew.
from:
Matthew 7 Gill's Exposition