The words of Jesus in Matthew 7:23, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,” are often quite troubling for Christians. Many wonder what Jesus meant by this stern statement and how it applies to us today.
To properly understand this verse, it is important to consider the broader context. Jesus makes this statement at the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount discourse, as part of a warning about false prophets (Matthew 7:15-23). He describes how there will be people who profess faith in Him and even do works in His name, but are not genuinely saved and known by Christ.
When Jesus says “I never knew you,” He is indicating that these false disciples were never actually in relationship with Him. Though they claimed to be followers of Christ, He never had an intimate, saving knowledge of them. They had not been born again by the Spirit and brought into the family of God (John 1:12-13).
This verse underscores an important distinction between a mere profession of faith versus genuine salvation. A person can outwardly say all the right things and go through the motions of Christianity, yet their heart remains unchanged. Intellectual assent to the gospel is not enough. There must be repentant faith that transforms the heart and produces good fruit (Matthew 3:8).
Many scholars point out that Jesus is likely referring back to His words in Matthew 7:16-20. There, He said that true and false prophets would be known by their fruits. Likewise, true and false disciples can be evaluated based on the fruit of their lives. The “workers of lawlessness” produce bad fruits that demonstrate they were never saved to begin with.
Why does Jesus say “I never knew you” instead of a more direct phrase like “you were never saved”? The language of “knowing” in Scripture often refers to profound intimacy and relationship (Genesis 4:1, Jeremiah 1:5). Jesus is underscoring that no such close, knowing connection ever existed between Himself and these hypocrites. There was never a point where He regarded them as His own.
So in summary, when Jesus says “I never knew you,” He is distinguishing pretend followers of Christ from genuine believers. Those He “never knew” are unsaved people who only gave lip service to the Lord. Their actions did not match their words, proving their profession of faith was empty.
1. The context of Jesus’ stern warning
In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says:
“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)
This warning comes at the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which begins in Matthew 5. The sermon contains some of Jesus’ most famous teachings – the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, loving enemies, storing up treasures in heaven, and more. Jesus’ difficult words in chapter 7 serve as the concluding climax to this great message.
In the lead-up to verse 21, Jesus cautions about false prophets who come disguised as sheep but are ravenous wolves at heart (v. 15). He says we can identify them by their fruits (vv. 16-20). Likewise, there will be those who seem outwardly to be faithful disciples, but in reality do not belong to Christ. Verses 21-23 denounce such hypocrites.
So Jesus’ sobering statement comes in the context of distinguishing between genuine and false disciples. There will be many who profess to follow Him but in truth do not have a saving relationship with Him. Jesus warns that association with Himself and good works are not enough to grant entrance to the kingdom.
2. The meaning of “I never knew you”
When Jesus declares “I never knew you,” He is directly asserting that He has no saving relationship with these false disciples. Though they call Him “Lord” and even did works in His name, they never truly belonged to Him. Jesus never “knew” them in the biblical sense of deep intimacy and affection (Genesis 4:1, Jeremiah 1:5).
Many theologians have pointed out that Jesus’ word choice here echoes back to the metaphor of false prophets as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). Sheep represent those who belong to the Good Shepherd (John 10), while wolves do not know Him and are dangerous imposters.
Jesus is underscoring that no matter what words and works these hypocrites produced, He sees through to the state of their heart. They cannot fool Him or disguise their true spiritual deadness. They may have called Him “Lord,” but He never knew them as His own.
This verse makes it clear that an outward profession of faith, using Christian terminology and doing “good works” is not enough to guarantee salvation. Jesus requires surrender of the heart. Mere intellectual assent to His lordship does not qualify someone for heaven (James 2:19).
Additionally, Jesus’ use of the past tense “I never knew you” likely indicates that at no point were these hypocrites ever saved. This was not a case where they were once redeemed but later fell away. The knowing relationship with Christ never existed, from start to finish.
3. The destiny of those Jesus “never knew”
Jesus declares that those He never knew must depart from Him, condemning them to eternal separation from God’s presence. They are damned because He does not share the intimate knowing relationship with them that marks children of God. As Jesus says in John 10:14, “I know my own and my own know me.” That mutual knowledge is missing here.
Describing them as “workers of lawlessness” Jesus reiterates that these hypocrites disobeyed God’s word (1 John 3:4). They failed to embrace His kingdom ethic outlined in the Sermon on the Mount. They lived lives marked by rebellion instead of repentance, even while masquerading as Christians.
So Jesus banishes them from His presence. Without His saving knowledge, they cannot inherit eternal life but instead will experience God’s righteous wrath against sin (Matthew 13:42). It is a terrifying reality underscored throughout Scripture – we must know Christ to be saved from condemnation (John 17:3).
4. Characteristics of those Jesus “never knew”
Based on the context of Matthew 7, we can identify several marks that typify those Jesus “never knew”:
- They profess faith in Christ as Lord – They call Him “Lord, Lord” but He is not truly Lord of their lives. Their confession is empty.
- They prophecy, cast out demons, and do other spiritual works in Jesus’ name – They appear spiritually gifted and actively minister in His name, but it is counterfeit.
- They do not do God’s will from the heart – Despite external acts of service, they do not obey God’s commands with a spirit of humility and love.
- They produce bad spiritual fruit – Their lives do not demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit such as righteousness, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22-23).
- They practice lawlessness – They do not honor God’s word but follow their own unrighteous desires.
In summary, Jesus “never knew” those whose faith is mere outward profession without an inward heart change. Good works can never replace the need for repentance and regeneration. Ritual without relationship equals rejection.
5. The distinction between professing and possessing faith
Jesus’ warning underscores a vital distinction in Scripture between professing faith and genuinely possessing saving faith. Scripture gives many examples of those who merely professed Christ without actual heart conversion:
- Judas Iscariot followed Jesus as a disciple but betrayed Him, revealing his true spiritual deadness (John 6:64-71).
- Simon the magician claimed to believe and was baptized, but later showed he was still captive to sin (Acts 8:9-24).
- Jesus distinguished between those who believe with their minds alone versus those who believe from the heart unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
A mere profession of faith does not mean someone is born again. There must be true repentant faith that transforms the heart and produces good fruit in order to substantially belong to Jesus.
As Paul says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Only heart faith accompanied by outward confession leads to salvation, rather than empty profession alone.
6. The need for self-examination
Jesus’ stern warning prompts self-examination. We cannot assume we are saved just because we call Jesus “Lord.” There are many who profess Christ but do not truly know Him. As 2 Corinthians 13:5 exhorts, we must test ourselves to see if we are in the faith.
Thankfully, God gives us many means to examine our hearts – prayer, Scripture, wise counsel, the convicting power of the Spirit. With humility, we can evaluate if we are depending fully on Christ or still clinging to our own effort as the basis for salvation.
Jesus’ words are an urgent call not to settle for empty profession but press on to full possession. We must not assume our deeds compensate for a heart unchanged by His grace. The one who perseveres in doing God’s will proves the reality of their redemption (Matthew 7:24-27).
7. The blessing of being known by Christ
While this passage contains a serious warning, we must not lose sight of the beautiful truth that Jesus profoundly knows all who belong to Him. As He says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them.” What a blessing to be intimately known by the Son of God!
This knowing relationship means we are in Him and He in us (John 14:20). We have an eternal home with our Savior. He will declare on the last day, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you” (Matthew 25:34).
Those who have confessed true faith in Christ need not fear His words “I never knew you.” Our Good Shepherd promises His sheep eternal life never to be snatched away (John 10:28). Thanks be to God that through faith we are adopted into His family and know Him as our loving Father.
8. Further reflections on salvation and relationship with Christ
In closing, here are some additional thoughts on what it means to truly know Christ as Lord and Savior, versus merely professing an empty faith:
- Knowing Christ means walking in the light and confessing sin, not hiding wickedness (1 John 1:5-7).
- It means loving other Christians sacrificially, not just with words (1 John 3:16-19).
- It means turning away from lifestyles of habitual sin (1 John 3:4-10). Faith in Christ breaks the chains of lawlessness.
- It means longing to obey and follow His Word from the heart (John 14:15).
- It means seeking to conform our priorities, thoughts, and actions to His perfect will.
- It means seeking intimate fellowship with Him through prayer, Scripture, worship, and Christian community.
May we all examine our hearts and cling to Christ our Savior, who knows His people perfectly. By His grace may we overcome empty profession and truly possess life in Him!