Let’s not leave Jesus out of the NT warnings to believers!
Previously, some of the best warnings to the churches were presented in the 2 threads …
“7 of the best warnings given to believers in the churches” and “7 more of the best warnings to the churches”.
Explanations of words are from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.
Matthew 7:13-14 • “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction (#684), and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life (#2222), and there are few who find it.”
This is the Savior’s presentation of the way of salvation, bringing the Sermon on the Mount to a powerful climax.
• “destruction” – Strong’s #684, “apoleia” – “of persons, signifying their spiritual and eternal perdition, Matt 7:13”
• “life” – Strong’s #2222, “zoe” – “Eternal life …it has moral associations which are
inseparable from it, as of holiness and righteousness … John 5:24, 1 John 3:14”
Luke 13:23-24 • “Then one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who are saved (#4982)?’
And He said to them, ‘Strive (#75) to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you,
will seek to enter and will not be able.’ ”
• “strive” – Strong’s #75, “agonizamai” – “to contend (English “agonize”), KJV “laboring fervently”
“violent men take it (the kingdom of heaven) by force” (Matthew 11:12)
“everyone is forcing his way into it (the kingdom of heaven)” (Luke 16:16)
Matthew 7:21-23 • “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders
in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew (#1097) you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness (#458)!’
• “knew” – Strong’s #1097, “ginosko” – “here the knowing suggests approval” (see details at bottom of page)
• “lawlessness” – Strong’s #458, “anomia” – “most frequently translated ‘iniquity’ … ‘sin is lawlessness’ …
not simply that of doing what is unlawful, but of flagrant defiance of the known will of God”
Jesus has never approved of those so-called “believers” who practice lawlessness instead of righteousness!
What should have been obvious long ago: the above passage is all about those who have NOT done God’s will.
“… what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? … if you want to enter into life,
keep the commandments.” (Matt 19:16-17, Mark 10:17-19, Luke 10:25-27)
Matthew 13:37-43 • “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world,
the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend,
and those who practice lawlessness (#458), and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Jesus’ kingdom of heaven contains bad seed (tares), which offend Him because they practice lawlessness!
These ones will be gathered at the end of the age, and cast into the fire and burned.
Hey, we’re talking here about real people in Jesus’ kingdom! – not the dead useless tree branches in John 15.
Mark 9:47 • “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you
to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire”
Luke 9:23-25 • “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save (#4982) his life will lose (#622) it, but whoever
loses (#622) his life for My sake will save (#4982) it. For what profit is it to a man
if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed (#622) or lost (#2210)?”
• “save” – Strong’s #4982, “sozo” – “of the spiritual and eternal salvation”
• “lose, destroy, perish” – Strong’s #622, “apollumi” – “of the loss of eternal life”
• “loses, lost” – Strong’s #2210, “zemioo” – “Mark 8:36, of losing one’s soul or life”
2 similar verses about taking up one’s cross and following Jesus …
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds
his life will lose (#622) it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39)
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
The following parallel of Luke 9 shows that to lose one’s soul means to lose eternal life …
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses (#2210) his own soul?”
(Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36).
John 10:27-28 • “My sheep hear My voice, and I know (#1097) them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …”
The above is just NOT understood by many believers! … It is more of a warning than a promise!
“The Lord knows (#1097) those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19)
“Now by this we know that we know (#1097) Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
All of this is a warning that one must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Also, it is a warning to be obedient to Jesus’ commandments, for this is what “follow” means!
“I never knew (#1097) you” (Matthew 7:23), and “know” in the 3 verses above, all are the same word:
• “know” – Strong’s #1097, “ginosko” – “frequently suggests inception or progress in knowledge
… here the knowing suggests approval and bears the meaning of to be approved … John 10:14, 27
… thus in Matt. 7:23, ‘I never knew you’, suggests ‘I have never been in approving connection with you’ ”
Previously, some of the best warnings to the churches were presented in the 2 threads …
“7 of the best warnings given to believers in the churches” and “7 more of the best warnings to the churches”.
Explanations of words are from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.
Matthew 7:13-14 • “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction (#684), and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life (#2222), and there are few who find it.”
This is the Savior’s presentation of the way of salvation, bringing the Sermon on the Mount to a powerful climax.
• “destruction” – Strong’s #684, “apoleia” – “of persons, signifying their spiritual and eternal perdition, Matt 7:13”
• “life” – Strong’s #2222, “zoe” – “Eternal life …it has moral associations which are
inseparable from it, as of holiness and righteousness … John 5:24, 1 John 3:14”
Luke 13:23-24 • “Then one said to Him, ‘Lord, are there few who are saved (#4982)?’
And He said to them, ‘Strive (#75) to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you,
will seek to enter and will not be able.’ ”
• “strive” – Strong’s #75, “agonizamai” – “to contend (English “agonize”), KJV “laboring fervently”
“violent men take it (the kingdom of heaven) by force” (Matthew 11:12)
“everyone is forcing his way into it (the kingdom of heaven)” (Luke 16:16)
Matthew 7:21-23 • “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders
in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew (#1097) you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness (#458)!’
• “knew” – Strong’s #1097, “ginosko” – “here the knowing suggests approval” (see details at bottom of page)
• “lawlessness” – Strong’s #458, “anomia” – “most frequently translated ‘iniquity’ … ‘sin is lawlessness’ …
not simply that of doing what is unlawful, but of flagrant defiance of the known will of God”
Jesus has never approved of those so-called “believers” who practice lawlessness instead of righteousness!
What should have been obvious long ago: the above passage is all about those who have NOT done God’s will.
“… what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? … if you want to enter into life,
keep the commandments.” (Matt 19:16-17, Mark 10:17-19, Luke 10:25-27)
Matthew 13:37-43 • “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world,
the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend,
and those who practice lawlessness (#458), and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Jesus’ kingdom of heaven contains bad seed (tares), which offend Him because they practice lawlessness!
These ones will be gathered at the end of the age, and cast into the fire and burned.
Hey, we’re talking here about real people in Jesus’ kingdom! – not the dead useless tree branches in John 15.
Mark 9:47 • “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you
to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire”
Luke 9:23-25 • “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me. For whoever desires to save (#4982) his life will lose (#622) it, but whoever
loses (#622) his life for My sake will save (#4982) it. For what profit is it to a man
if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed (#622) or lost (#2210)?”
• “save” – Strong’s #4982, “sozo” – “of the spiritual and eternal salvation”
• “lose, destroy, perish” – Strong’s #622, “apollumi” – “of the loss of eternal life”
• “loses, lost” – Strong’s #2210, “zemioo” – “Mark 8:36, of losing one’s soul or life”
2 similar verses about taking up one’s cross and following Jesus …
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds
his life will lose (#622) it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39)
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
The following parallel of Luke 9 shows that to lose one’s soul means to lose eternal life …
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses (#2210) his own soul?”
(Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36).
John 10:27-28 • “My sheep hear My voice, and I know (#1097) them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish …”
The above is just NOT understood by many believers! … It is more of a warning than a promise!
“The Lord knows (#1097) those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19)
“Now by this we know that we know (#1097) Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
All of this is a warning that one must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
Also, it is a warning to be obedient to Jesus’ commandments, for this is what “follow” means!
“I never knew (#1097) you” (Matthew 7:23), and “know” in the 3 verses above, all are the same word:
• “know” – Strong’s #1097, “ginosko” – “frequently suggests inception or progress in knowledge
… here the knowing suggests approval and bears the meaning of to be approved … John 10:14, 27
… thus in Matt. 7:23, ‘I never knew you’, suggests ‘I have never been in approving connection with you’ ”