21 `Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,
for not the hearers of the law `are' righteous before God, but the doers of the law shall be declared righteous: --
And he said, `Yea, rather, happy those hearing the word of God, and keeping `it'!'
and afterwards come also do the rest of the virgins, saying, Sir, sir, open to us; and he answering said, Verily I say to you, I have not known you.
Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;
And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead? Abraham our father -- was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar? dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected? and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;' and, `Friend of God' he was called. Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only; and in like manner also Rahab the harlot -- was she not out of works declared righteous, having received the messengers, and by another way having sent forth? for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.
God they profess to know, and in the works they deny `Him', being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work disapproved.
for whoever may do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.'
`Every one, therefore, who shall confess in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in the heavens; and whoever shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in the heavens.
and said, `Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens;
`And his lord said to him, Well done, servant, good and faithful, over a few things thou wast faithful, over many things I will set thee; enter into the joy of thy lord.
He who is overcoming -- this one -- shall be arrayed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the scroll of the life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before His messengers.
and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what `is' the will of God -- the good, and acceptable, and perfect.
Beloved, if our heart may not condemn us, we have boldness toward God, and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because His commands we keep, and the things pleasing before Him we do, and this is His command, that we may believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and may love one another, even as He did give command to us, and he who is keeping His commands, in Him he doth remain, and He in him; and in this we know that He doth remain in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.
because, so is the will of God, doing good, to put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men;
in every thing give thanks, for this `is' the will of God in Christ Jesus in regard to you.
Salute you doth Epaphras, who `is' of you, a servant of Christ, always striving for you in the prayers, that ye may stand perfect and made full in all the will of God,
not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul,
my Father, who hath given to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck out of the hand of my Father; I and the Father are one.'
for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.'
from the time the master of the house may have risen up, and may have shut the door, and ye may begin without to stand, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, lord, open to us, and he answering shall say to you, I have not known you whence ye are,
And he answering said, `I will not,' but at last, having repented, he went. `And having come to the second, he said in the same manner, and he answering said, I `go', sir, and went not; which of the two did the will of the father?' They say to him, `The first.' Jesus saith to them, `Verily I say to you, that the tax-gatherers and the harlots do go before you into the reign of God,
And Jesus answering said to him, `Happy art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, because flesh and blood did not reveal `it' to thee, but my Father who is in the heavens.
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And from the waters of Judah came out, Who are swearing by the name of Jehovah, And of the God of Israel make mention, Not in truth nor in righteousness. For from the Holy City they have been called, And on the God of Israel been supported, Jehovah of Hosts `is' His name.
And Jesus having looked round, saith to his disciples, `How hardly shall they who have riches enter into the reign of God!' And the disciples were astonished at his words, and Jesus again answering saith to them, `Children, how hard is it to those trusting on the riches to enter into the reign of God!
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron -- as the vessels of the potter they shall be broken -- as I also have received from my Father;
And certain of the wandering exorcist Jews, took upon `them' to name over those having the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, `We adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul doth preach;' and there were certain -- seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest -- who are doing this thing; and the evil spirit, answering, said, `Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with; and ye -- who are ye?' And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaping upon them, and having overcome them, prevailed against them, so that naked and wounded they did flee out of that house, and this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who are dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified, many also of those who did believe were coming, confessing and declaring their acts, and many of those who had practised the curious arts, having brought the books together, were burning `them' before all; and they reckoned together the prices of them, and found `it' five myriads of silverlings; so powerfully was the word of God increasing and prevailing.
And Jesus answered them, `My Father till now doth work, and I work;'
so also my heavenly Father will do to you, if ye may not forgive each one his brother from your hearts their trespasses.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Matthew 7
Commentary on Matthew 7 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 7
This chapter continues and concludes Christ's sermon on the mount, which is purely practical, directing us to order our conversation aright, both toward God and man; for the design of the Christian religion is to make men good, every way good. We have,
Mat 7:1-6
Our Saviour is here directing us how to conduct ourselves in reference to the faults of others; and his expressions seem intended as a reproof to the scribes and Pharisees, who were very rigid and severe, very magisterial and supercilious, in condemning all about them, as those commonly are, that are proud and conceited in justifying themselves. We have here,
Mat 7:7-11
Our Saviour, in the foregoing chapter, had spoken of prayer as a commanded duty, by which God is honoured, and which, if done aright, shall be rewarded; here he speaks of it as the appointed means of obtaining what we need, especially grace to obey the precepts he had given, some of which are so displeasing to flesh and blood.
Mat 7:12-14
Our Lord Jesus here presses upon us that righteousness towards men which is an essential branch of true religion, and that religion towards God which is an essential branch of universal righteousness.
Here is,
Mat 7:15-20
We have here a caution against false prophets, to take heed that we be not deceived and imposed upon by them. Prophets are properly such as foretel things to come; there are some mentioned in the Old Testament, who pretended to that without warrant, and the event disproved their pretensions, as Zedekiah, 1 Ki. 22:11, and another Zedekiah, Jer. 29:21. But prophets did also teach the people their duty, so that false prophets here are false teachers. Christ being a Prophet and a Teacher come from God, and designing to send abroad teachers under him, gives warning to all to take heed of counterfeits, who, instead of healing souls with wholesome doctrine, as they pretend, would poison them.
They are false teachers and false prophets,
Mat 7:21-29
We have here the conclusion of this long and excellent sermon, the scope of which is to show the indispensable necessity of obedience to the commands of Christ; this is designed to clench the nail, that it might fix in a sure place: he speaks this to his disciples, that sat at his feet whenever he preached, and followed him wherever he went. Had he sought his own praise among men, he would have said, that was enough; but the religion he came to establish is in power, not in word only (1 Co. 4:20), and therefore something more is necessary.
Now,