To Do the Will of the Father

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 7:21, ESV)

When we study the Scriptures, we often see paradoxical things. These are principles or statements with apparent contradictions. Yet, they are truths presented that if studied reveal deep truths. Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented such a paradox.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21–23, ESV)

Here Jesus stated that entering the Kingdom of Heaven requires doing the will of God. Yet at the judgment some will say they have prophesied and cast out demons and done mighty works in Jesus’ name, but not enter the Kingdom. From outside observation, it just does not seem correct. So, how do we reconcile what Jesus’ taught with these words?

Here we need to understand an overriding theological precept. It is that every person who is a genuine believer, saved by grace, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3-18). Therefore, those who Jesus would reject could not true born-again believers.

This being the case, we must clarify what it means to do the will of the Father? Let me give you three key thoughts regarding doing the will of the Father as it applies to Jesus’ words.

First, to the will of the Father, we must have true saving faith in Christ. Look at John’s words.

“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.” (1 John 3:23–24, ESV)

To do the will of God we must have obeyed this commandment to have believed in the name of Jesus Christ. This faith in Christ produces an inward change that causes true believers to love one another. These who the Lord would reject had not done the will of God because they had not expressed saving faith in Christ.

Second, only the person whom the Spirit has regenerated can accomplish the will of God. Look at Paul’s words to the Ephesians.

“not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,” (Ephesians 6:6, ESV)

One cannot do the will of God from the flesh. They can only do the will of God from the heart. This work of changing the heart to consider the things of God versus the things of man is a work wrought by God’s Spirit through the new birth in the heart of the believer.

Third, a mere invoking of the name of Jesus does not mean one is doing something in Jesus’ name. Paul, in Ephesus encountered some Jewish exorcists attempting to cast out demons. They apparently attempted to copy what Paul had been doing by invoking the name of Jesus in commanding an evil spirit to come out of a man. The result was disastrous (see Acts 19:13-16). The evil spirit they were attempting to drive out of the man would not recognize them. Moreover, the evil spirit caused the man to overpower the exorcists, beating then and causing them to run off “naked and wounded.” To do a work in the name of Jesus, one must know Jesus and be seeking the will of Jesus.

Thus, to do the will of God has everything to do with the work of God’s grace. One who does the will of God must have experienced true salvation. This work of God’s grace includes the regeneration of the believer by which he receives a new divine nature, and the indwelling presence of the Spirit to empower and guide the believer in the will of God.