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Has Jesus ever Failed You ???
A comforting promise in Scripture is that God will never leave those who are His. Hebrews 13:5 says, in part, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (NKJV). In a world that is constantly changing and where people are constantly leaving, whether in a family, relationship, or in death, God’s promise of never leaving is encouraging.
The promise “I will never leave you nor forsake you” was first given to Israel and Joshua before entering the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:6). Encouragingly, Moses reminded Joshua that, as the succeeding leader, “the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Joshua’s task of taking the Promised Land seemed impossible, but with the Lord the task was possible, for He would not forsake Joshua.
Many other verses in the Old Testament include similar statements from God to individuals with the promise to never leave them. These individuals include
- Jacob (Genesis 28:15)
- Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:8; Joshua 1:5, 9)
- Solomon (1 Chronicles 28:20)
- The poor and needy (Isaiah 41:17)
In the New Testament, quoting from Deuteronomy 31:6, the author of Hebrews restates the promise of God’s eternal presence with believers (Hebrews 13:5). The promise is preceded by a command: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.” Instead of trusting in riches or material goods, which will ultimately fail, believers should place their hope in God, who promises, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you” (NET). Riches and other resources can depart in a moment, but the Lord is with His children forever. One’s faith and trust, therefore, should be in Him alone.
Never will I leave you. At salvation, Christians are permanently indwelt with the Holy Spirit, who is God Himself (Acts 5:3–4). Christ affirmed that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would be with His followers always (John 14:16). Also, Jesus told His disciples that He would be with them “to the very end of the age”—a promise that has to include present-day believers (Matthew 28:20). The God who promised to never leave Joshua is the same Lord who says He will never leave believers today.
Never will I forsake you. Some versions translate Hebrews 13:5 as God’s promise not to “abandon” (CSB) or “desert” (CEV) us. Within the meaning of the Greek word enkatalipō is the idea of being completely abandoned or left alone (Strong’s Concordance 1459). Believers have the wonderful promise that God will never forsake them. Jesus felt utterly forsaken by the Father when He took the sins of the world upon Himself on the cross, and now those who trust in Him will not be abandoned in their sinful state (Matthew 27:46). He became a “curse” to free people from their slavery to sin in order that those who place faith in His death and resurrection would receive forgiveness and eternal life (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13–14). A 1999 worship song written by Billy James Foote, called “You Are My King (Amazing Love),” describes this concept well: “I’m forgiven because you were forsaken” (from Hymnary.org, accessed 11/12/20).
God’s eternal promise that He will never leave or forsake believers is not only comforting, but also provides courage to followers of Christ. Because God will never leave or forsake His children, they can live unafraid. Hebrews 13:6 follows God’s promise with the statement, “Hence we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’” (ISV). Essentially, this is a quote from Psalm 118:6–7, which portrays God as the Helper who protects His chosen people. Like Joshua being encouraged to complete his appointed task, Christians can also be emboldened and strengthened by the promise that the Lord will never leave or forsake them.
Tea Time Manna
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
—Matthew 16:25
The key to life is letting go of ourselves and welcoming Jesus and his will into our lives. Please don’t forget to relinquish your life to the one who gave up his own life for you. You see, he took it back up again, just so that when we lose our lives to him, we can have them back forever with him. Listen to this glorious promise from the apostle Paul to the Colossians that underscores Jesus’ promise:
Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4).
Yes, let’s lose our lives to Christ to receive back life forever!
Prayer
Holy God, I believe that Jesus is Lord, your Son, Immanuel, God with us, my Savior and King. I long for his life to be made visible in mine to your glory. So, dear Father, I willingly offer up my life to live for your glory, to follow Jesus, and to be transformed into becoming more JESUShaped (2 Corinthians 3:18). In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen and Amen
Bible Teaching of the Day
LUNCH MANNA =
We tend to give up on people who repeatedly disappoint us. That is, after a certain number of letdowns, we stop trying to improve that person’s condition. We’ve tried everything—we’ve advised, encouraged, rebuked, begged, pressured, assisted, and more. All we get in return are empty promises and repeated disappointment. We can only take so much, and we give up.
Would God ever give up on you the same way? Would He ever stop working in your life and stop trying to improve the condition of your soul? There are various reasons why people might think He would, but there is a biblical response to each:
- “God will give up on me because I’ve sinned too much.” But Scripture says, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). No one can out-sin God’s grace.
- “God will give up on me because I keep repeating the same sin.” Jesus taught us to forgive each other “not up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22, NKJV). God holds Himself to at least that same standard.
- “God will give up on me because I’m not worth rescuing.” Your worthiness has nothing to do with your salvation. You are forgiven on the basis of Christ’s worthiness alone. He is the Holy One who died and shed His blood; He is the one who “purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
- “God will give up on me because I’m a failure.” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23); i.e., we are all equally failures before God. In Christ, we are made victors: “Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).
- “God will give up on me because I keep taxing His patience.” Be glad for this verse: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise. . . . Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
- “God will give up on me because, if I were God, I would give up on me.” It’s a good thing you’re not God! “God is not . . . a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). The Bible repeatedly emphasizes God’s faithfulness: “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23b–24).
You can have added confidence that God will not give up on you because of the examples of God’s faithfulness in history:
When Adam and Eve sinned, God did not “give up” on them; He came looking for them. They hid, but God sought: “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9).
When Israel followed after idols and forsook the Lord, the nation was delivered into captivity. But God did not “give up” on them; He promised them continued love and eventual renewal:
“Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me.’
‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands’” (Isaiah 49:14–16a).
When Peter denied Jesus on the night of the Lord’s arrest, God did not “give up” on him; in fact, Jesus had promised Peter a restoration before Peter even committed the sin: “When you have turned back,” Jesus said, “strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). God wasn’t done with Peter yet.
When the world seemed hopelessly, irretrievably lost, God did not “give up” on us; He sent the Savior: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
God created you and loves you very much. He wants to have a vibrant relationship with you, and Jesus’ mission proves it. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd seeks the lost animal “until he finds it” (Luke 15:4). In the parable of the lost coin, the woman sweeps the house “until she finds it” (Luke 15:8). There’s no resignation in those parables. No giving up. The lost must be found.
This is certainly good news! God has gone to great lengths to save you from sin and death, and He did so “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). God will not “give up” on anyone, you included.
What about those who resist the Holy Spirit’s conviction, refuse to heed the Word of God, decline to give God thanks, and stubbornly pursue a sinful path? Romans 1:18–32 is a sobering passage on the consequences of turning one’s back on God and refusing to repent. God gives the rebellious sinner over to three things:
- “to sexual impurity” (verse 24)
- “to shameful lusts” (verse 26)
- “to a depraved mind” (verse 28)
As the wicked desert God, God in turn deserts them, no longer giving them divine direction or restraint, but allowing them to corrupt themselves as they wish. This abandonment of God, this being given over to one’s own desires, is an awful judgment—and not one that will befall the child of God.
If you are a child of God, there is no way that God will give up on you. You have this promise: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).
Today’s Devotional
DINNER MANNA =
To fail from time to time is only human, but to be a “failure” is when we are defeated by failure, refusing to rise and try again. Christians sometimes believe they should be immune to failure by virtue of their relationship with God, but the truth is that God often allows us to fail for a variety of reasons. Job 14:1 says, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” That doesn’t say “unbelievers” or “the ungodly.” It says man born of woman. What does that mean? Everyone. Life is full of trouble, even for those who belong to God through faith in Christ. We are to expect it. This means God does not promise life to be without problems, sorrow, and, yes, failure, just because we believe in Him.
Luke 9:1-5 describes how Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel and perform miracles. He also taught them how to handle failure. “If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” Jesus wanted the soon-to-be apostles to model themselves after Him. He gave them power and authority over devils, power to heal the sick, etc. Most of all, Jesus wanted them to have boldness. He knew that not everyone was going to receive the truth about Him, but in saying “Shake the dust from your feet,” He meant for them to move on and plow forward. Witnessing and being rejected can make us feel like failures, but if we understand we are to expect it (John 15:18), what appears to be failure actually becomes a badge of honor.
When we feel failure come against us, our first reaction may be to run or give up. When it comes to sin, we are all capable of avoiding it. Even in complete love, faith, and devotion to God, we can fall, but God is not shocked by this which is why He sent His Son to die for our sins. We get back up again, and we start over. But we should know that we cannot do it alone. We must keep our eyes on our Savior, following and obeying Him and laying aside the sin that inevitably leads to spiritual failure, as Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” God has marked out a course for each of us, and sometimes that course includes failure. But when we cling to the Savior, even our failures can be turned into successes by the One who controls all things and who strengthens us in our weakness (Philippians 4:11-13). Our ultimate victory in Jesus is assured, but complete victory will only come when we are out of this world of temptation and safe in the arms of the Lord in heaven.
NEWS MANNA –
Should Christians Teach Their Children Bible Prophecy?
For many believers, the answer is not as obvious as it should be. Some Christians assume prophecy is too complicated for children. Others worry that it might frighten them or cause unnecessary anxiety. Still others believe prophecy is simply a topic for pastors, theologians, or older believers who have spent years studying Scripture.
Yet when we step back and consider the question honestly, the answer becomes remarkably straightforward. Yes, we should teach our children Bible prophecy. The reason is simple: Bible prophecy is part of God’s Word.
The apostle Paul declared that he had not hesitated to proclaim “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). The whole counsel of God includes Genesis all the way to Revelation. It includes salvation and sanctification, heaven and judgment, Israel and the nations, the first coming of Christ and His return. Nearly one-third of Scripture was prophetic when it was written. God intentionally chose to reveal future events to His people, not to confuse them but to prepare them.
As parents, we do not have the authority to decide which portions of Scripture our children need and which portions they can safely ignore. If God considered prophecy important enough to place throughout His Word, then we should consider it important enough to teach to the next generation.
We Are Living in a Battle for Our Children
The reality is that we are living through a time when the battle for our children has become increasingly intense. Every generation has faced spiritual warfare, but modern parents are dealing with challenges previous generations could scarcely imagine. The culture surrounding our children constantly competes for their attention, their values, their identities, and ultimately their allegiance.
Children today spend countless hours connected to devices that deliver a steady stream of messages about truth, morality, gender, identity, and purpose. Social media influencers often have more access to a child’s mind than parents do. Entertainment companies openly promote worldviews that directly contradict Scripture. Educational systems increasingly embrace philosophies that remove God from the picture altogether.
Children are being exposed to increasingly aggressive messaging regarding sexuality, gender identity, and morality. Ideas that would have been considered fringe only a generation ago are now presented to children as unquestionable truths. Many parents find themselves feeling overwhelmed as they attempt to navigate a culture that appears determined to disciple their children for them.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of wickedness. The battle for our children is ultimately a spiritual battle. Satan has always targeted the next generation because he understands that if he can shape the worldview of children, he can influence the future.
God Gave Your Children to You
This is precisely why the Bible places the responsibility for raising children squarely upon parents. Deuteronomy 6 commands parents to teach God’s Word diligently to their children, speaking of it throughout the normal rhythms of life. Ephesians 6 instructs fathers to bring their children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Scripture never delegates this responsibility to governments, schools, or even churches. While pastors, teachers, and youth leaders can certainly assist in the process, they were never intended to replace parents as the primary spiritual influence in a child’s life.
When God entrusts parents with a child, He entrusts them with a soul. That responsibility extends far beyond providing food, shelter, and education. Parents are called to disciple their children, introduce them to Jesus Christ, teach them Scripture, and prepare them to stand firm in a world that often stands opposed to God.
By the time a child reaches adulthood, he or she should have been exposed to the truths of God’s Word and equipped to face the realities of the world through a biblical worldview.
Bible Prophecy Gives Children a Framework
Many young people leave home completely unprepared to understand the world they are entering. They see increasing wars, political instability, moral confusion, technological advancement, and growing hostility toward Christianity, yet nobody has ever explained how Scripture speaks to these issues.
Bible prophecy provides that framework.
Prophecy teaches our children that God knows the future. It explains why deception increases. It reveals why evil appears to be growing. It shows why Israel remains significant and why spiritual darkness intensifies as history moves toward Christ’s return.
Rather than creating fear, prophecy provides understanding. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders because they could discern the weather but failed to discern the signs of the times. Our children should not grow up spiritually blind to the world around them. They should understand that God has already revealed where human history is heading and that current events do not occur outside His sovereign control.
Why Many Young People Leave the Church
Unfortunately, many churches have neglected these important conversations. Children often hear the same Bible stories repeatedly throughout their early years. David and Goliath, Noah’s Ark, Jonah, and Daniel are all tremendously important accounts that should absolutely be taught.
However, many students eventually graduate from youth ministries without ever seriously studying the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Antichrist, the nation of Israel, or the prophetic teachings of Jesus.
Many youth groups have become heavily focused on entertainment and social activities. Students may enjoy games, retreats, and fellowship events, yet receive only brief devotional messages that never challenge them to think deeply about Scripture or engage difficult questions.
Then graduation arrives.
Young adults suddenly enter universities, workplaces, and social environments where Christianity is openly challenged. Questions about truth, morality, science, sexuality, and religion arise almost immediately. Many discover they were never equipped to answer these questions because nobody prepared them for the realities of the world. One reason many young adults walk away from church may be that they were never fully discipled. They inherited Bible stories but never developed a biblical worldview.
Prophecy Produces Hope, Not Fear
One of the greatest misconceptions surrounding prophecy is the idea that it frightens children. Certainly prophetic passages contain serious warnings, but prophecy ultimately points believers toward hope.
Paul described the Rapture as a source of comfort, instructing believers to encourage one another with these truths. Our children live in a generation marked by anxiety. They hear constant reports about wars, disasters, economic instability, violence, and uncertainty.
Bible prophecy reminds them that God remains in control.
It reminds them that evil does not win.
It assures them that Jesus Christ is returning.
It teaches them that history is moving toward God’s appointed conclusion.
That message produces hope, not fear.
Parent, This Responsibility Is Yours
Pastors matter. Churches matter. Youth pastors matter. But God has entrusted your children to you.
Parent, your child is your responsibility. You are the one called to teach them Scripture, answer their questions, model faithfulness, and prepare them for the world they will inherit.
Teach them about Jesus.
Teach them the Gospel.
Teach them Genesis all the way to Revelation.
Teach them about the Blessed Hope!
Because the world is already teaching them its version of the future. The culture is already discipling them. The only question is whether parents will intentionally disciple them first.
The days are growing darker, but God’s Word shines brighter than ever. Our children need more than entertainment, activities, and shallow lessons. They need truth. They need discernment. They need hope.
And perhaps most importantly, they need to know that history is not spiraling out of control. Jesus Christ is coming again, and the God who holds the future has already revealed enough for His children to live faithfully until He comes.
That is why we teach our children Bible prophecy.
First Adults. Now Children. The Slippery Slope of Euthanasia
There was a time when the phrase “slippery slope” was dismissed as little more than a scare tactic. Opponents of euthanasia warned that once a society accepted the deliberate ending of innocent human life under limited circumstances, those limits would not remain in place. Supporters scoffed. Strict safeguards, they insisted, would prevent abuse. The law would apply only to the rarest and most tragic of cases.
Today, those assurances ring increasingly hollow.
This week, the Netherlands confirmed that, for the first time since expanding its euthanasia policy in 2024, a child under the age of 12 has died through medically assisted death. According to Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans, the child was terminally ill, had no hope of recovery, and was suffering unbearably. The parents consented, physicians followed the legal process, and prosecutors will now review the case to ensure every procedural requirement was met.
The forms were completed.
The regulations were followed.
The system worked exactly as intended.
And that is precisely what should give us pause.
No decent person is indifferent to the suffering of a dying child. Every parent can only imagine the heartbreak these families endure. Christians, perhaps more than anyone, should be leading the way in providing comfort, compassionate care, and support for those walking through unimaginable pain.
But compassion and killing are not the same thing.
The tragedy of suffering does not erase the sanctity of life.
The Netherlands became the first nation to legalize euthanasia for adults in 2002. At the time, supporters emphasized that it would be carefully limited to mentally competent adults facing unbearable suffering. The public was assured that strict safeguards would prevent the practice from expanding.
Yet over the past two decades, those boundaries have steadily shifted.
First came broader eligibility for adults.
Then provisions involving minors over the age of 12.
Protocols were established allowing euthanasia for newborns with severe medical conditions.
Then, in 2024, Dutch authorities expanded the policy again–this time to include children between the ages of 1 and 12 suffering from terminal illnesses with no prospect of recovery.
Now that policy has claimed its first life.
Every expansion was described as an exceptional circumstance. Every new category was presented as compassionate. Every previous boundary quietly disappeared.
That is exactly how slippery slopes work–not through sudden leaps, but through incremental steps that, viewed individually, seem reasonable. Only when looking back do people realize how far they have traveled.
If anyone doubts that trajectory, they need only look across the Atlantic.
Canada legalized Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in 2016. Canadians were told it would remain a narrowly defined option for competent adults nearing the end of life.
Within just a few years, those restrictions had already begun to disappear.
The requirement that death be reasonably foreseeable was removed. Eligibility expanded to include people living with serious disabilities under broader circumstances. Today, Canada has recorded more than 60,000 medically assisted deaths, with the annual number continuing to rise. What was introduced as a rare exception has become an increasingly common part of the nation’s healthcare system.
The debate has not stopped there.
Canada has repeatedly considered expanding MAID to include those whose sole underlying condition is mental illness. Although implementation has been postponed amid concerns from psychiatrists, physicians, and disability advocates, the proposal remains very much alive. There have also been ongoing discussions surrounding so-called “mature minors”–children considered capable of making significant medical decisions–even though such cases are not currently permitted nationally.
Notice the pattern.
The debate is almost never about where the line should permanently remain.
It is about where the next line should be drawn.
That should concern every society considering these policies.
The United States has not traveled nearly as far down that road, but the direction bears watching. In recent months, Delaware, Illinois, and New York have all legalized physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults under carefully defined circumstances, joining a growing list of states where the practice is now legal. Other legislatures continue debating similar measures.
Supporters argue these laws are fundamentally different from Canada’s MAID system or the Netherlands’ euthanasia policies. In many respects they are. American laws generally require a terminal diagnosis, mental competency, multiple physician approvals, and that the patient self-administer the prescribed medication.
Yet history demonstrates that nearly every expansion begins with assurances that the practice will remain narrowly confined.
Those assurances deserve careful scrutiny.
Christians approach this issue from an entirely different foundation.
Human dignity is not measured by productivity. It is not determined by physical ability, intelligence, independence, or the absence of pain. Scripture teaches that every person is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). That truth does not disappear in a hospital room.
We should devote ourselves to relieving pain.
We should pursue the very best palliative care medicine can offer.
We should surround suffering families with prayer, love, practical support, and hope.
But intentionally ending an innocent human life crosses a moral line that Scripture never grants us authority to cross.
One seeks to relieve suffering.
The other ends the sufferer.
That distinction matters.
The Netherlands insists this latest case is exceptional. Canada continues debating its next expansion. More American states continue legalizing physician-assisted suicide under carefully defined limits.
The question is no longer whether safeguards exist.
The question is whether those safeguards remain fixed over time.
The experience of the Netherlands suggests they do not.
Canada’s experience suggests they do not.
History suggests they rarely do.
Every expansion begins with compassion.
Every expansion is presented as carefully limited.
Every expansion promises there will be no further movement.
Then another line is crossed.
A society is ultimately judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. When we begin deciding that some innocent lives are no longer worth preserving because suffering has become too great, we risk replacing the duty to care with the power to kill.
The slippery slope is no longer a hypothetical argument.
For one child in the Netherlands, it has become a heartbreaking reality.
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Jesus said, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:23). It seems strange to hear our all-knowing Lord say there’s something—or someone—He doesn’t know. Jesus refers not to an intellectual knowledge here but to a relational knowledge.
To understand a verse, always start with the context. Jesus is wrapping up His Sermon on the Mount with a final warning about true faith. Jesus predicts that false Christian prophets will be coming as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). They may use all the right “God talk” and even make impressive displays of power, but they will not belong to the Lord:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21–23).
In Jesus’ words on Judgment Day, we see several important truths: it’s not a verbal claim that one follows Jesus that saves (Matthew 7:21). Nominal Christianity cannot save. Also, it’s not a demonstration of spiritual insight or power that saves (verse 22). A person can seem like a Christian in the eyes of other people, yet still be an “evildoer” in God’s sight and sent away from His presence (verse 23). Only those who do the Father’s will and who are known of God will enter heaven.
So, what is the Father’s will? Some men came to Jesus once with a question about what God required of them: “They asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (John 6:28–29). God wants us to have faith in His Son: “This is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). Those who are born again by faith in Christ will produce good works to the glory of God (Ephesians 2:10).
When Jesus said, “I never knew you,” to the feigned disciples, He meant that He never recognized them as His true disciples or His friends. He never had anything in common with them nor approved of them. They were no relations of His (Mark 3:34–35). Christ did not dwell in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17), nor did they have His mind (1 Corinthians 2:16). In all these ways and more, Jesus never knew them. Note that Jesus is not breaking off the relationship here—there was never a relationship to break off. Despite their high-sounding words and showy displays of religious fervor, they had no intimacy with Christ.
So it turns out that what matters isn’t so much that we know God on some level, but that God knows us. As Paul explained, “Whoever loves God is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:3; also see Galatians 4:9). The Lord “tends His flock like a shepherd” (Isaiah 40:11), and He knows who are His sheep (John 10:14).
Those somber words “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” in Matthew 7:23 (KJV) show that Jesus is indeed omniscient. He did not “know” them in the sense He would if they were His followers, but He knew their hearts—they were full of iniquity! Isaiah’s condemnation of hypocrisy fits this group well: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). The evildoers whom Jesus does not know are fake Christians, false teachers, and nominal adherents of religion.
Those who are bid depart from the presence of the Lord will not partake of the blessings of the kingdom: “Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Revelation 22:15). They will be cast “into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). Those fake Christians whom Jesus says He never knew will not produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23); rather, they will produce the opposite, the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19–21).
Jesus warns that one day He will tell a group of religious practitioners, “I never knew you.” God takes no delight in sending people to hell (2 Peter 3:9). But those who are told to depart have rejected God’s eternal purpose and plan for their lives (Luke 7:30). They have spurned the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4), choosing the darkness instead, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). At the judgment, they try to justify themselves as worthy of heaven on the basis of their works (prophecies, exorcisms, miracles, etc.), but no one will be justified by his own works (Galatians 2:16). While claiming to do all these good works in Christ’s name, they failed to do the only work of God that counts: “to have faith in the one he sent” (John 6:29, CEV). And so Jesus, the Righteous Judge, condemns them to eternal separation from Him.
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