Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Chapter 7
21
It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!”
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.24
Rock and Sand
Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25
The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.
26
But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like a fool who built his house on sand.
27
The rain poured, rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”
Commentaries
The Tree Is Known By Its Fruit – It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!” – Rock and Sand.
In the Old Testament, false prophets were the nightmare of true prophets (cf. Jr 23 and Ezk 13), just as false teachers were the nightmare of early Christian communities. The criterion for discernment is clear: By their fruits you will recognize them. It is not a question of correct doctrine, but of doing the will of the Father and living as Jesus lived (25:31-46).