“Lord, Lord” — Why Many Religious Christians Will End Up in Hell.

A message to Believers and the Counterfeit….

Introduction: The Most Terrifying Words in Scripture

There may be no more haunting passage in all of Scripture than the one found in Matthew 7:21–23. It doesn’t speak to atheists, pagans, or self-professed unbelievers. It speaks directly to those who wore the badge of religion, those who called Jesus “Lord,” who performed wonders in His name, and yet were utterly unknown to Him. These are people who filled pews, led Bible studies, sang in choirs, and preached from pulpits. These were not the outsiders—they were the insiders. Yet when they finally stand before the One they claimed to serve, He will look them in the eye and say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” This is not just a warning to the rebellious—it’s a sobering indictment of the religious. It is the final verdict for the counterfeit Christian, the one who professes Christ but never possessed Him.

The Delusion of Empty Confession

Jesus begins His words with a statement that should cause every believer to pause: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…” The phrase “Lord, Lord” is not a casual acknowledgment—it is an emphatic cry of reverence and desperation, rooted in the Hebrew tradition of repetition for intensity. These people sincerely thought they knew Him. They weren’t secular mockers or apathetic church dropouts. They were zealous. Passionate. Persuasive. They honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Matthew 15:8). They knew how to say all the right things. They learned the language of faith and mimicked the actions of saints—but Jesus never became Lord of their hearts. They were self-assured in their spirituality, but heaven had no record of their name.

Not Religion, But Surrender

Jesus then makes a critical distinction: only the one who does the will of His Father will enter the kingdom. This is not about simply saying the right words or acting the part. It’s about surrender to the divine will. The Greek word used for “will,” thelēma, refers not to human effort or religious rules, but to the divine purpose and desire of God Himself. And what is that will? Jesus answers in John 6:40: “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life.” Belief, in the biblical sense, is not mere mental agreement. It is relational trust. It is walking with Jesus, not performing for Him. The will of the Father is not fulfilled through church attendance or spiritual showmanship—it is fulfilled through faithful relationship with the Son.

The Tragedy of Misplaced Confidence

On that day—the Day of Judgment—many will present their spiritual résumé with pride and confidence. They will point to their prophetic words, their exorcisms, and their miracles. They will say, “Did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not cast out demons? Did we not perform miracles?” But in presenting these deeds, they expose their deepest error: they placed their assurance in what they did, not in who they knew. Their trust was in performance, not proximity. They were so busy doing things for God that they never stopped to be with God. Ministry became their idol. Their actions became their justification. And their deception became their damnation. Because in the economy of heaven, relationship always trumps reputation.

The Crushing Indictment of Disconnection

Then come the most devastating words Jesus ever spoke: “I never knew you.” Not, “I once knew you but you fell away.” Not, “You drifted too far.” But, “I never knew you.” The Greek word here—egnōn—doesn’t refer to factual awareness. It speaks of intimate, relational knowledge. These people had knowledge about Jesus, but not the kind that comes from walking with Him. They studied His biography, but never shared life with Him. They cried “Lord” from the outside, but He never heard them from within. John 10:27 clarifies the difference: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” These people never heard His voice. They followed the religion, but not the Shepherd. And because they never knew Him, He never called them His own.

Law Without the Lawgiver

When Jesus calls them “you who practice lawlessness,” He’s not referring to obvious sinners. He’s indicting those who lived by the law—but outside of grace. The Greek term anomia means more than breaking rules—it means rejecting divine authority. These counterfeit Christians were experts at using the law against others, but they could not keep it themselves. They condemned sinners while hiding their own sin. They praised Moses while rejecting the One Moses pointed to. They weaponized Scripture without surrendering to its Author. Paul says in Romans 2:23, “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law; He came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). But these counterfeit believers rejected the fulfillment while still clinging to the old system. In doing so, they became lawless, even while appearing lawful.

They Knew the Bible, But Not Its Author

This is one of the most tragic ironies of religious deception: you can know the Scriptures and still not know God. John 1:1 tells us plainly that Jesus is the Word. He is not merely the subject of the Bible—He is the embodiment of its message. To read the Word without knowing the Word-made-flesh is to possess truth without life. These counterfeit Christians can quote Scripture, preach sermons, debate theology—but they have no intimacy. They are scholars without sonship. Professors without possession. They’ve memorized His commandments, but never fell in love with the Commander. The Word of God is not a manual—it’s a Person. And without relationship, it becomes a mirror that condemns rather than a light that transforms.

The Two True Marks of the Genuine Believer

So how can one know they are truly His? Jesus gave us the first marker in John 13:35: “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” The identifying mark of a real Christian is not power, not knowledge, not even passion—it is love. Christlike love. Selfless, sacrificial, others-centered love. If you claim Christ but harbor hate, prejudice, bigotry, or bitterness, you are lying to yourself. 1 John 4:8 makes it plain: “The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” You cannot love Jesus and hate His creation. You cannot lift your hands in worship while looking down on your neighbor. Love is not an accessory of Christianity—it is its very evidence.

The second marker is the possession of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Holy Spirit is not a feeling or a doctrine—it is the seal of belonging. He is the internal witness that we are His. And Romans 8:9 makes the condition clear: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” The Spirit isn’t merely an experience—it’s a transformation. It bears fruit. It teaches truth. It confirms identity. A person without love and without the Spirit can perform Christian duties—but they do not belong to Christ. And on that day, that lack of possession will speak louder than any profession.

Why Counterfeits Are Judged More Severely

Scripture reveals that God may actually have more mercy on the honest unbeliever than on the religious fraud. 2 Peter 2:21 says, “It would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn away…” The counterfeit doesn’t just reject the Gospel—they corrupt it. They don’t merely disbelieve—they mislead. Jesus reserved His harshest words not for prostitutes or tax collectors—but for Pharisees, who shut the kingdom in people’s faces while pretending to open it (Matthew 23:13). Misrepresentation of Christ is not just hypocrisy—it is spiritual treason. These people lead others to hell in His name, all while thinking they themselves are heading to heaven.

The Summary: Professing Isn’t Possessing

So how many Christians will be in hell? The better question is: how many people who called themselves Christians will hear the words, “I never knew you”? You can preach, prophesy, and perform miracles—and still be unknown to Christ. You can be a spiritual celebrity on Earth, and a stranger in heaven. You can serve in ministry and never be saved. Jesus isn’t looking for actors. He’s looking for sons and daughters. The gospel is not about doing things for God—it’s about being with God. It’s about surrender, transformation, and relationship.

Conclusion: Did He Know You?

Jesus said the gate is narrow and few find it. It’s not narrow because it’s hidden. It’s narrow because so many try to enter it with pride, performance, or self-righteousness. But it only opens for the broken, the surrendered, the known. It is not enough to say “Lord.” The question that will matter most on that Day is not “Did you call Him Lord?” but “Did He know you?” Did His Spirit live in you? Did His love flow through you? Did your life reflect the grace you claimed to receive?

Because in the end, the kingdom isn’t reserved for the loudest voice or the busiest hands—but for those who were truly His.