Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord
Not every one that calls Christ his Lord and Master, professes
subjection to him, or that calls upon his name, or is called by
his name; or makes use of it in his public ministrations. There
are many who desire to be called, and accounted Christians, and
who make mention of the name of Christ in their sermons, only to
take away their reproach, to cover themselves, and gain credit
with, and get into the affections and goodwill of the people; but
have no hearty love to Christ, nor true faith in him: nor is it
their concern to preach his Gospel, advance his glory, and
promote his kingdom and interest; their chief view is to please
men, aggrandize themselves, and set up the power of human nature
in opposition to the grace of God, and the righteousness of
Christ. Now not everyone of these, no, not any of them,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
This is to be understood not of the outward dispensation of the
Gospel, or the Gospel church state, or the visible church of
Christ on earth, in which sense this phrase is sometimes used;
because such persons may, and often do, enter here; but of
eternal glory, into which none shall enter,
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
This, as it may regard private Christians, intends not merely
outward obedience to the will of God, declared in his law, nor
barely subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel; but more
especially faith in Christ for life and salvation; which is the
source of all true evangelical obedience, and without which
nothing is acceptable to God. He that seeth the Son, looks unto
him, ventures on him, commits himself to him, trusts in him,
relies on him, and believes on him for righteousness, salvation,
and eternal life, he it is that does the will of the Father, and
he only; and such an one, as he is desirous of doing the will of
God in all acts of cheerful obedience to it, without dependence
thereon; so he shall certainly enter the kingdom of heaven, and
have everlasting life; see ( John 6:40 ) but as these
words chiefly respect preachers, the sense of them is this, that
only such who are faithful dispensers of the word shall enter
into the joy of their Lord. Such do the will of Christ's Father,
and so his own, which are the same, who fully and faithfully
preach the Gospel of the grace of God; who declare the whole
counsel of God, and keep back nothing that is profitable to the
souls of men; who are neither ashamed of the testimony of Christ,
nor afraid of the faces of men; but as they are put in trust with
the Gospel, so they speak it boldly, with all sincerity, not as
pleasing men, but God, and commend themselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God: such as these shall have an
abundant entrance into the kingdom and glory of God. The Vulgate
Latin adds this clause, "he shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven", and so does Munster's Hebrew edition of the Gospel
according to Matthew.