I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
—John 10:14

Many, I think, have heard various scary stories about a Christian losing his salvation and ending up in hell. And there are not only the stories of various “witnesses” who have supposedly been to the underworld and seen Christians there, but Bible verses are also often used to put fear into a child of God. As for false witnesses, the Bible says: “let God be true but every man a liar” [Rom.3:4]. So the truth is in the Word of God, Jesus Christ, and not in someone’s vision or dream. And Jesus showed clearly that no one comes back from there to testify how hot it is, when He told the story of Lazarus and the rich man [Luk.16:27-31]. As for all kinds of “scary” Bible verses, more often than not they are torn out of context and interpreted so as to keep a child of God in fear. But my Bible says: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” [1 Jhn.4:18]. One of these “scary” passages of Scripture is Jesus’ words: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” [Mat.7:23].

One of the arguments of those who believe that Jesus says these words to Christians is that these people said to Him “Lord, Lord”, and also prophesied, cast out demons and worked miracles in His name. “But can unbelievers cast out demons and work miracles?” Yes, believers can do such things by the power of the Holy Spirit, but not only they. Scripture mentions more than once people who were not Jesus’ disciples but could cast out demons and work miracles. Jesus asked the Pharisees: “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?” [Mat.12:27]. The sons of the Jewish leaders really did do such things, and a telling example of this is the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who tried to exorcise a demon-possessed man in the name of Jesus [Act.19:14]. There is also mention of a man who did not follow Jesus, in other words was not His disciple, but cast out demons in His name, so the disciples tried to forbid him [Mar.9:38].

“Well, what about the fact that they said to Him ‘Lord, Lord’?” Notice Jesus’ words: “Many will say to Me in that day…” [Mat.7:22]. Which day? The day of judgment. And then, as it is written, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and… every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…” [Phl.2:10-11]. “For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’” [Rom.14:11]. That is why, as Jesus said: “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” [Mat.7:21]. And who does the Father’s will? The one who believes in Him whom He sent [Jhn.6:29].

I also want to draw attention to the fact that Jesus said to the lawless: “I never knew you.” How can He say to a born-again child of God “I never knew you”, when He Himself said “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep”, and Paul also writes to the Galatians: “But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God…” [Gal.4:9] So if you have doubts, like the daughter of Zion who said, “The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me”, here is the Lord’s answer for you: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands…” [Isa.49:14-16]. When Thomas doubted, the Lord said to him: “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands…” [Jhn.20:27]. And what is on His hands? Our names! And not just written, so that they could be erased, but engraved forever with nails.