The Upside-Down Kingdom
Imagine this. You’ve grown up in church. You know your Bible. You can defend the faith. You’ve served on teams, gone on mission trips, maybe even led someone to Christ. You use the right words, you believe the right things, you show up when it counts. By every visible measure, you look like someone who’s serious about God.
Now imagine standing before Jesus and hearing Him say: I never knew you. Depart from me.
That’s not a horror novel plot. Jesus said it. And He said it about people who seemed to have it together.
“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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:21–23
Jesus isn’t trying to make true believers doubt their salvation here. If you’ve trusted in Christ alone, you’re secure. But He is warning every one of us about a very real danger: self-deception. And the scariest part? It’s the easiest kind to fall into — because it comes wearing a Christian mask.
The Self-Deception of Right Doctrine
The people Jesus is describing didn’t call Him by some casual nickname. They said Lord, Lord. That word — Lord — is heavy. To a Jewish person in Jesus’s day, calling someone Lord was essentially calling them by the covenant name of God Himself. These people had sound theology. They believed the right things about Jesus. And they really meant it.
But Jesus says that right words aren’t enough to get you under His rule.
You can believe in the inspiration of Scripture — and still ignore what it tells you to do today. You can have the right view of salvation by faith — and still refuse to let the God who saves you also direct you. Right doctrine is essential. But if you’re leaning on your doctrinal agreement as a substitute for actually letting Jesus run your life, you are self-deceived.
Knowing the right things about the King is not the same as living under the King’s rule.
The Self-Deception of Active Service
The people in this passage weren’t passive. They were doing things. Prophesying in His name. Changing lives. Seeing powerful works. That’s an impressive resume by any ministry standard. They had spiritual activity stamped all over their lives.
But Jesus wasn’t impressed.
It’s possible to speak for God and not be surrendered to God. It’s possible to be involved in changing someone else’s life while your own heart is stiff-arming Jesus. It’s possible to be neck-deep in Christian activity and still be the one in charge of your own life.
You can serve every Sunday and still be avoiding what God has been pressing on your heart for months. You can go on a missions trip and come home as the exact same person who left. You can volunteer, lead, show up consistently — and still not be surrendered to Christ.
Serving God is good. But it can become a hiding place. When we’re busy doing things for God, we can quietly avoid actually submitting to God. And that’s the trap.
Being active doesn’t equal being surrendered.
The Self-Deception of Assumed Relationship
This is the most subtle one. Jesus says of these people: I never knew you.
They didn’t see that coming. They were fully expecting a welcome. Why? Because they knew the right things and they’d done the right things. They assumed that must add up to closeness.
It didn’t.
It’s possible to assume an intimacy with God that isn’t actually there. You can go through the motions of devotional life — checking boxes, showing up to pray, sitting in a Bible study — and still be far from God in your heart. Being around the things of God is not the same as knowing God.
The only thing that draws you close to God is actually drawing close to God. Not proximity to spiritual activity. Not religious effort. Not years of faithful attendance. Just you, genuinely pursuing Him, surrendering to what He says, letting Him be Lord of your actual daily decisions — not just your doctrinal statement.
You can’t assume your way into closeness. You have to choose it.
So What Do You Do?
This isn’t meant to make you spiral. If you’ve trusted Christ alone to save you, your eternity is secure. But your life is still something that Jesus wants to rule. And the question He’s asking isn’t just “Are you going to heaven?” — it’s “Am I actually in charge?”
Is “Lord” just a title you use, or is He the Master of your daily choices?
Don’t let right doctrine become a substitute for surrender. Don’t let active service become a hiding place from obedience. Don’t assume that because you’ve been around the things of God, you’re automatically near God.
The King who saved you deserves to rule you.
Get down on your knees and give Him what He’s actually after — not just your confession, not just your service, but your whole surrendered life.
This Article is a part of a series
The Upside-Down Kingdom
Bobby Bosler is director of Thee Generation and pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Fairmont, WV. He, his wife, Abi, and their four children traveled the country for 14 years in evangelism, reaching teens with the gospel and conducting revival meetings.
Our words. AI polished. This article was adapted from the author's original content using AI. We’ve used technology to clarify and adapt the message—while keeping the heart and voice the same. All articles are proofread and edited by a human.
