And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
What does Matthew 7:23 mean?
Christ here shows that it will not be enough to own him for our Master, only in word and tongue.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 7:21-23 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 7:23
Profess unto them - Say unto them; plainly declare. I never knew you - That is, I never approved of your conduct; never loved you; never regarded you as my friends. See Psalm 1:6 ; 2 Timothy 2:19 ; 1 Corinthians 8:3 . This proves that, with all their pretensions, they had never been true followers of Christ. Jesus will not then say to false prophets and false professors of religion that he had once known them and then rejected them; that they had been once Christians and then had fallen away; that they had been pardoned and then had apostatized but that he had never known them - they had never been true christians.
Key words
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'' So here, Christ declares, he knew them not; that is, he did not like them; he would not admit them into his presence and glory; but said, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.
Context in Matthew 7
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Matthew 7 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as birth and preparation. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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A guided collection of passages on God’s love, neighbor-love, steadfast covenant love, and the shape of love in Christian life.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.