There are so many who acknowledge Jesus with their mouths, but their lives are lived apart from him. There is no evidence of God at work in their mouths, their finances, their time, their relationships, their service. As Jesus said,“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt. 15:8-9) But, let us not be confused.

Have you ever struggled wondering if your salvation is secure? Has anyone ever come to you wrestling with whether or not they are saved? How secure should we be in our salvation? It depends.

One of the most disturbing passages in all of Scripture comes at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus warns,

 “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.’” (Matt. 7:21-23)

Let’s catch what Jesus says here. First, merely calling Jesus Lord does not necessarily indicate saving faith. Second, doing good things does not demonstrate saving faith. Third, that calling on Jesus as Lord and doing mighty works may actually be demonstrations of lawlessness, not righteousness. Finally, note that Jesus is clear about how we determine who has saving faith. They are those who do “the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

What is the will of the Father? Jesus has just declared what it is in the Sermon on the Mount. To live as salt and light. A secure salvation is not merely a salvation that knows the right things (“Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (Jms. 2:19). A secure salvation doesn’t even find its footing on what it has done (see Matt. 24:24 and 2 Thess 2:9-12 for warnings of those who perform acts of counterfeit power).

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