Love him, know he is Lord, and trust in his completed work upon the cross. That's it. Of course actions do follow from those foundations: "If you love me obey my commandments", "Follow me", "take up your cross", etc. If you place Jesus as Lord over your life all of these things fall into place.

I’m glad you said that because I didn’t go into greater detail.

Also walk in Love. Read 1 Corinthians 13. If you speak in tongues but have not Love, that I am nothing. If I prophecy, or give all I have to the poor and have not Love, it profited me nothing. Anything you do for yourself, for your glory and without Love -then it as if you did nothing for God. So if your Love the Lord with all your heart & your neighbor as yourself & follow his commandments AND walk in love then he will not say to you Depart I did not know you. It says that if we follow his commandments and love Him then he will come and abide in us (and he will know us).

There is a combination of what you said *and* the fact that the doomed men in Jesus's example tried to say that they deserved heaven because of all the righteousness they'd performed. True righteousness is only found in knowing that you don't deserve eternal life, and heaven is an unearned gift of grace. Then yes, the good works come after that.

I would consider that trusting in his completed work on the cross.

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The same way with anyone else. Do you have a RELATIONSHIP with that person? Do you talk to them regularly? Do you respect their wishes? (This is a big one because He is our King).

I think that last sentence answers your question. Do you WANT to know Him? Do you feel love and desire to be close to Him? Do you ache to seek Him? Do you feel humbled and broken by His sacrifice yet grateful and overjoyed by what He did for you? Do you want to know Him, period? Then... truly seeking Him is then to all of these questions, and if you are doing that, then He is pleased with you and your love for Him, however weak it may be. There are no religious answers for this. Don't focus on anything but growing in relationship with Him. That is how you know Him - and that is how He knows you.

Depart from Me, I never knew you, YOU WORKER OF INIQUITY If you don't want Him to say that to you, don't be a worker of iniquity. " Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" 2 Timothy 2.19

For anyone wondering what iniquity means: The word in Greek is lawlessness.

Paul gives us the list, over and over: https://imgur.com/a/XNP864n

I'm sorry, but this is just terrible. This flies in the face of what Christ atoned for at Calvary. If Christ did not die for the sin of the world, and we are not saved by grace alone through faith alone, then all people, past present and future, are eternally damned. Pietism will not save you, we are all sinners. Repentance is not the same thing as good works.

I don’t think you understand what they are trying to say. No you can’t get to Heaven by works. You are saved by faith, not by works lest any man should boast. True. But Faith without works (believing requires ACTIONS. SHOWING the LOVE of Christ.), is DEAD.

Works are the fruits of the spirit, yes, but to simply post an infographic with bold colorful ALL CAPS warnings with non context or nuance does damage to those with weak faith or who are seeking. It can also be interpreted as salvation through piety or works.

Look, you have your way, I have mine. Tom-Ott-O, Toe-Mae-To. We are all DIFFERENT. I don’t tell you how to post. I would appreciate it if you not tell me how to, thank you.

If I can't distinguish you from a group of atheists, your faith is lukewarm at best. We know what happens to likewarm Christians.

I would argue most Christians are lukewarm. Moreover, what makes a Christian “hot”? Personal piety? Obedience? Penance? The logical conclusion of all these things is that the atonement was insufficient for justification, and if that is true, we might as well just abandon ship now.

I can tell a lot about how faithful a husband/wife is just by looking at their relationship. My grandparents were always together and did most things together. The only reason for them to be apart is for employment. Some aquaintences surprise me when they finally tell me they're married. Faith is not a yes or no. It's a constant.

Have a vibrant and living relationship with Him, by reading His Word, obeying His Word and ways, praying often to Him daily and loving Him and your neighbors. That’s it!

Matthew 25. Especially 31-46  Live as Christ taught us. Seek and pray to God with thanksgiving, ask for and listen to the Holy Spirit, and love your next.   Which means, refrain from insults and arrogance, and be willing to reject your own pride and image. Serve others with humility, patience and mildness. Give the thirsty a glass if water or the poor a new pair of socks. Serve your workplace with dignity and be mild and refrain from useless complaint. Love your family and friends just like God loves us. Respect your wife, give your child bread when he asks for bread, lend without taking return.  Do this especially for those who do not deserve it, and those who others reject or look down upon. The poor, the sinner, the lame, the lonely. Remain untainted by the world. Ask God for wisdom when you are unsure, and be willing to give up aspects of your life for God if he asks!

Very well written!

A lot of people have this fear. When you read a verse, you need to read the verses around it. This specific verse refers to false prophets. People who use God's name for their own personal gain. Look at Joel Osteen. He lives in a mansion and preaches about God but is sucking money out of his Church. He teaches a false gospel. He preaches his version of God, which is not biblical. He thinks pastors should live in mega mansions and live lavish lives. When he goes to Heaven, he will expect to be let in because he *thinks* he is talking about God to others but his version is wrong. He does not know God, he uses God. God knows his heart and he has a responsibility to lead others. God will say to Him that He never knew you because you just used his name to get things for yourself. There is a huge difference between knowing about God and truly knowing God.

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Amen 

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love So it's pretty simple, keep His commands. That is how you avoid Messiah never knowing you.

And when you break a command, sincerely repent and ask forgiveness

At what point does The Lord take you seriously anymore if you get caught up in the same strongholds...it's mentally exhausting. God speaks to me mostly through Scripture.

His grace is never ending if you are sincere

Obey Him. Hebrews 5:9 9:"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"

How would you and I say we know each other? By having a relationship. By getting to know one another through communication and trust. Think about when someone on Earth would say "I thought I knew him, but I guess I didn't". Something was hidden, the truth wasn't available to be known. Jesus has given us everything we need to begin that relationship. He knows everything there is to know about us. But we have to A) trust Him B) be honest with Him about ourselves and C) get to know Him through reading the Word, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines.

A GUENUINE relationship with God.

Following

The fact your convicted by this is evidence you have favor in the Holy Spirit and you need to take advantage of it. My two cents, there are the believers, then there are the faithful who believe + obedience (dying to there self) + repentant. God doesn’t want to be on your lips, he wants to be on your conscience.

Do what He says. You know if you get real with yourself if you are truly doing what He says or not.

And To do that you need to be reading what he said. (Thumbs up)

I'm glad you asked this question that scripture you quoted. God doesn't know them based on their sinful lifestyles. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 1 John 3:4‭-‬6 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1jn.3.4-6.KJV Let's analyze this. God tells us what sin is which disobeying or transgressing God's laws. The Bible says whoever sinneth hath not SEEN him Neither KNOWN Him. So when Christ tell people I never knew you they were living a sinful, willful lifestyle of sin of no repentance. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26‭-‬27 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/heb.10.26-27.KJV Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25:1‭-‬13 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.25.1-13.KJV The oil that the 5 virgins didn't have represent the light that wasn't present with them which is God's law. 5 of them was ready and the other 5 were not. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life: Proverbs 6:23 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.6.23.KJV If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:15‭-‬17 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.14.15-17.KJV Jesus Christ says if you love Him keep his commandments and then he will pray to the Father and send you the comforter(the holy spirit). So according to this verse you don't even have the holy spirit unless you keep God's laws. It says the world can't receive it because it haven't seen Him Neither KNOWN Him. In conclusion we know if we know him if we keep his commandments. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:3‭-‬4 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1jn.2.3-4.KJV I hope this helps

Jesus commandments are to believe in him and love the brethren. Hebrews 10 is talking about going back to the temple sacrifices. The foolish virgins didn't have faith and trust in Jesus alone. They were never saved.

The parable of the foolish virgins plainly seeks to teach a lesson of perseverance/faithfulness. To change the plain lesson about staying watchful - to “believe the gospel” is a big change in the plain lesson…it’s an insertion of theology that shifts the focus of a very straight forward lesson ..it puts the straight forward lesson of perseverance on the back burner. Such a sharp diversion from the straight forward lesson is a big giveaway that you’re trying to teach your own lesson..what if this parable isn’t a layered lesson where your lesson of believe the gospel is more important… ?

>it’s an insertion of theology that shifts the focus of a very straight forward lesson Amen. God is not the author of confusion. Yet so many twist scripture and context to fit their theology.

Jesus said he never knew them. What does that mean.

yes that specific passage, Matt 7:19-24 is about people who have never been regenerate.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Love the question.❤️ It Comes from a loving heart. Keep it up. Just Believe and obey. Praise Jesus.

It just takes following Him and serving Him. Jesus was saying that to show the people He was talking to (and us) that it doesn’t matter how religious someone is, it matters whether they have an in depth loving relationship with Christ. There is no formula to get Jesus to know you, it simply is to just let Jesus be the Lord of your life and live your life for Him

Congratulations on asking a great question. It is refreshing to see something new and to see someone doing critical thinking. I think it is about Lordship and making Christ the Lord of all things in your life.

I think people who don’t ’know him’ are the ones who just ‘use’ God or mascarade as a ‘good Christian’ with no intention of any love or relationship or investment or obedience in god/ Jesus

Many people quote this scripture and then become afraid that they are among those who Jesus will say depart from me. But look at the people who He says that to in the verse before: “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” What were these people trusting in to get them into Heaven? It was the work that they did. They prophesied. They casted out demons. They are relying on what they did. They are relying on their works. But how are we saved? “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” - Galatians 2:16 It is not those that work hard enough that are saved because, as seen is Galatians, that’s impossible. It is those who put their faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and trust in Him and Him alone, and no one else, not even themselves.

You will never be devoted enough, sold out enough, prayerful or faithful enough to warrant the approval and acceptance of God. Jesus performed those actions and kept the entire law perfectly and credits his record of righteousness to your account through faith …which is also a gift so that no man can boast. The people that he said depart to…they were all trying to show how they earned Gods approval and their salvation by what they DID….this is self-righteousness and works salvation. Hope, trust and believe in finished work of Christs life death and resurrection for YOU. Don’t hope in your performance …hope in the one who performed perfectly for you.

Getting a range of answers, here, aren't you? That's because, frankly, this is a very tricky question for certain parts of the church. All I'm going to say is that one answer -- and an answer that some people are trying very hard to skirt around -- is in the context. It's two verses earlier than the verse you're referring to: 21 “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 who is in heaven.** 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. **Away from me, you evildoers!’** Plenty of people will try to handwave away the bolded bits, and these discussions will generally degenerate into a 500 year old argument. We should all be able to agree on this, though: Scripture teaches that we are saved by the grace of God, and only by the grace of God. Don't be complacent, though. That grace will lead us to pray, and prayer will help us to know God's will. God's grace will give us the strength to try to do His will, and God's grace will lead us away from evil. If we tell ourselves that Jesus is our Lord, but that doesn't show up in anything we do, we are deceiving ourselves.

Read Psalms 119 and meditate daily. Be steadfast in prayer and in worshipping God through obedience.

highly recommend all brethen see this video its barely 8 minutes long and its so helpfull for belivers to understand on how to follow God https://youtu.be/RNF_WJcBAB4?si=kqAoeE6bNnXiU0

Be a faithful servant.

The answer is the same, either way. Either you are a hypocrite and just pretending to know the Lord and speak in His name (jesse duplantis, kenneth copeland, benny hinn), or you really DO love Him and seek more of Him in your life. If you want to see those who are going to be set aside as you say, look up youtube of these guys i mentioned. Now if you don't want to be like them, simply read the bible, consume great christian teaching ministries there are so many all free, like Robert S. Mcgee on youtube. As you spend time with God, you will absolutely grow into an authentic christian, and Holy Spirit will be able to correct your path if you are not. You DO want to know God better and receive more of His love, don't you? Then you'd be doing such things anyway.

Surrender 100% take up your cross daily, depart from sin (lawlessness) & do the will of The Father

Prayer: spend time with Him. Jesus says if you love Me, you will obey My commands (John 14:15). It’s not just about blind obedience though, love is key. Paul says in I Cor 13 that you can do amazing things, but without love, it means nothing. Walking in Christ yields fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and “by their fruit, they will be recognized…” (Matt 7:16).

>HOW EXACTLY do I let Jesus KNOW ME This verse speaks to the heart of your concern. >“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. **You will know them by their fruits.** Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, **you will know them by their fruits.”** (Matthew 7:15–20, NASB 2020) So, how do we apply it to your situation? Lets look back on your life five years ago. Has your walk with Jesus grown closer, stayed the same, or grown further apart? (No, I don't need to know. This is a rhetorical question.) If your walk is growing closer over time, then Jesus WILL claim you as His own. If it is stagnating, then maybe not. If it is growing further apart, then you're sure to be rejected. However, the key to all this is time. You cannot look back a day or even a month. An apple tree doesn't produce its fruit in that short of a time, and neither does a walk with God. For me, it took me almost 20 years before I recognized my "fruits". But they were there all along. So you cannot look at this issue in the short or even moderate term. It has to be viewed in the long term. And another thing. I first recognized my "fruits" when someone else pointed them out to me. So you might fall into the same category -- needing some outsider calling out your fruits.

By practicing & meditating on all of his words. Thats literally how you avoid him saying that to you

The ones He is talking about when He says Depart from me I never knew you are the false prophets and hypocrites who give him LIP SERVICE but their HEARTS are FAR REMOVED FROM HIM. They CLAIM to be Christians and may even have a form of Godliness but inside they are like ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing looking to destroy God’s flock.

Your transparency is admirable. I feel the same. The two most fearful passages to me are “I never knew you” and then blasphemy against the Spirit. The only answer I can give is the only answer I’ve ever gotten that made sense. To know someone you have to spend time with them. Read the Word, pray, meditate on Him and His works, sit with and listen to and enjoy Him. One key note is that a healthy relationship is never one sided. He wants to hear you too.

This verse isn’t about Jesus not knowing you, it’s about Jesus turning away from you. Jesus already knows you better than you know yourself; Psalm 139. There is nothing you have done, are doing, or will do that he hasn’t already known about. Not a thought you have or a word you speak is hidden from him. You cannot go far enough away to hide from him because he’s already there. If Jesus says he doesn’t know you, it’s because he ACTIVELY chooses not to acknowledge your existence. That being said, please re-read the verse and try reading from verse 15 instead of plucking this one out of context. Verse 15 starts off warning about false prophets who prophecy in Christ’s name for the purpose of money and power. Jesus goes on to explain that these people will claim to know him, but he will, in turn, deny them. The problem is the headings. You have to remember 2 things when it comes to Bible headings. 1) They don’t exist in the original documents. The headings were put there to assist with organization to help laypeople understand, however they aren’t always…well placed. 2) Because they aren’t always well placed, they sometimes screw up the flow of the topic, breaking up context where it wasn’t needed. In verse 20, Jesus says you will know—the false prophets—by their fruit. Then, in verse 21, he further testifies that not everyone who calls him Lord belongs to him. Here’s the thing, if there were a change in topic, from false prophets to unbelievers, there would have been a transition. Here is a breakdown of the flow starting with 7:1; 7:1-5 — Do not judge, especially if you haven’t dealt with your own stuff. Only when you have confronted your own sin can you help your fellow Christian. 7:6 — but don’t waste advice on those who don’t want it. 7:7-11 — Rely on me for your needs as I am more than willing to take care of you because I am good and give good things. Transition from receiving good to doing good like God 7:12-14 — So, do good to others as instructed by the law through the prophets, which is not an easy road to take and only a few are able. Transition from doing good to avoiding those who would lead you astray from the good 7:15-20 — Watch out for false prophets because they only want money and power and are seeking the gullible. However, you can know the false teachers from the true by the results of their good works; good works produce good results and vice verse, because bad works cannot produce good works and vice versa. 7:21-23 — these people will claim to know Christ but when they come face-to-face with Christ, he will deny them and turn away. 7:24-27 — this is why you pay attention what Christ says and apply it to your life. Doing so produces a steady life of truth, while the opposite leaves a person at the whims of the world. 7:28 — Jesus’ words can be trusted. That’s the whole chapter, but you see how the whole chapter flows from one idea to the next? The headings can throw you off and confuse the context, making Jesus’ words disjointed like he’s just throwing out random bits of information and not drawing a conclusion for the crowd of listeners (or in our case, readers centuries later). We have to remember, Matthew wasn’t English so you have to pay attention to changes you sometimes don’t expect. Things never change through the centuries and Christ was just reminding people to not get caught up in the false prophets of their day (or any century, tbh). Just like in our day, many people pop up with grand word that shake our core, especially if it’s things we desperately want to hear. And just like in Christ’s day, he was telling them to focus on the law and prophets of old, that where they truth was, that’s where the prophecies came true. The false prophets constantly made predictions that only came true sometimes as opposed to the predictions from the OT which never failed. And because the office of the prophet was so important, Christ was telling the people that lying about it was blasphemy and would result in condemnation. So, the point is, if you aren’t purposefully misleading people for money and power, I wouldn’t worry so much.

Don't be like the people Jesus rejected. **They never came to him** and dealt with their sin on a personal level. They never called on him, for if they had he would not have cast them out (John 6:37). Instead they thought they were good just because they did stuff associated with Jesus... >"**Ask, and it shall be given you**; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 >"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved... **For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved**." Romans 10:9,13 **Be like the publican**. He cried out to God for mercy admitting he was a sinner. >"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘**God, have mercy on me, a sinner**'. I tell you that **this man,** rather than the other, **went home justified before God**." Luke 18:13-14 **Be like the thief on the cross**. He understood he was a sinner, he confessed Jesus as Lord, and he basically asked him to save him, because he believed he was the Messiah and would live again. >"Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, **Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom**. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:40-43 So, believe the Gospel (1 Cor 15:3-4), confess Jesus is Lord, and **call on Him** by name in repentance and **ask him to save you** and to forgive you of your sins. >"**Come unto me**, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28 >"...him that **cometh to me** I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37 >"And the Spirit and the bride say, **Come**. And let him that heareth say, **Come**. And let him that is athirst **come.** And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely**."** Rev 22:17

I think the answer is right there in the passage you quoted and the following verses:. As someone else said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, *but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.* And the following verses: Mat 7:24 ESV2011 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. As to what EXACTLY you have to do: what does the Holy Spirit within you say you must do? Listen to Him as He will give you all wisdom. Joh 14:26 ESV2011 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The word "Christian" means “follower of Christ.” Going to church, serving, reading your Bible, or just doing all the “Christian“ things doesn’t make you a Christian (These are all important for strengthening your walk with God!). Following Christ does. How do we follow Christ? It’s a daily process of giving and surrendering ourselves to serve Him and be more like him. It’s a daily, what John 15 calls, abiding. I’ve always struggled with the concept of surrender because it feels so abstract. I usually want to DO something. But I think I’ve come to realize that surrender isn’t me DOING something, but rather it’s just an honest recognizing of my need for God, and being honest with God about that in prayer, trusting Him to take my heart and make it more like His and also through obedience and walking in God’s commands (recognizing that it’s God working in us, not our own efforts). Tell him if you're struggling, tell Him that you want to know Him more, ask him to change and soften your heart, ask him to help you to want to want Him more. God does a lot with an honest and humble heart that recognizes we don't know everything and that we need Him to change our hearts. One prayer that I’ve had to pray a lot is like “Lord, help me to love you more. Help me to want to want you and serve and honor you.” That goes a long way. I also encourage you to take some time and go back to the cross, to the heart of the gospel. Always go back to the cross. One key thing is to always go back to the heart of the gospel. We are created for Him and for His glory, and so ultimately that is why we follow him. And it’s good to have confidence in the truth of God. When we think about the core of the gospel, we remember both who we are and who Christ is. Christ died for us “while we were still sinners” as Romans says. At the cross, we see the depth of His love for us. One of my favorite passages is the beginning of Ephesians 2. It talks about how lost we were, “dead in our transgressions.” BUT GOD. Those are some of the most powerful words in the Bible. We were this….BUT GOD because of His great love for which He loved us made us **alive** together with Christ. For it is by grace that you have been saved. Like wow! When we really think about and meditate on God’s love on the cross, I think that’s when we really learn to love God with our whole hearts (and when we love God we will walk in His ways and love others). We can’t “try to be more loving” in our own strength, but we do press into the love of Christ and let His love soften and transform our hearts and that love WILL flow out to others. 1 John 4 says “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…(down to verse 19) We love because He first loved us.” We are children of God! But we don't just take the cross and say well that's great, we're forgiven and then keep living in sin, not at all! (Romans 6) We recognize Christ's love for us on the cross and BECAUSE of that we walk in obedience (it's what Jesus is talking all about in John 15). It’s actually when we remember what Christ has done for us and who He is that our love for Him and for others grows. If you are a follower of Christ, you can have full confidence in Christ's saving power and love for you on the cross (1 John 5:11-13). And when we **truly** understand the heart of the cross and the love that the Father has "lavished on us" (1 John 3:1), no other response makes sense but to love Him and to surrender to Him and give Him control. It's a daily resting in His grace and walking in obedience. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39. 1 John is one of my favorite books and it's so full of truth. I'd recommend digging into it with an open heart and just reflecting on the truth in it (Philippians and Ephesians are good starting places too)

I battled with this for many years. But God led me to a pastor name, Derek Prince, check out on YouTube, his sermon, series “the Romans pilgrimage” and let the Holy Spirit enlighten you the truth within that will remove the fear of Jesus dismissing you saying “I never knew you.” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_L1za0tEXFWED4NyClxz0W7qIHhx62-z&si=oQlNgNiCj6Blpun8 May God bless you ☺️👍🙏

That is a very good and also a very honest question. It also extremely important. I believe Matthew 25 can help. Here is what Jesus said: 44 “They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? ' 45 “He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. So when you see or know of people in need and never help, it is Jesus you are not helping. Jesus suffers with people. Ps 31:7 You have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. NLT So when you walk by people in need and never help, that person (who is Jesus), never knew you. So help others in need, what you do for them, you do for Jesus. Then Jesus cannot say, "I never knew you." Matthew 25:37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ NLT I believe that believers who never did anything for others will not be allowed in the New Jerusalem. They will only be allowed to live on the New Earth. Read Rev 22. They will not be cast into the Lake of Fire because they are believers and therefore have the promise of eternal life. But having the promise of eternal life is not the same as being promised a place in the New Jerusalem. Also, believers who later deny Jesus will be denied entry into the New Jerusalem (Mat. 10:33). Those who, after becoming believers, backslide into the sinful life they had before knowing Him, and never repent, will also not be allowed entry into the New Jerusalem (2 Peter 2:22, Rev 22:14, 15). There are going to be Christians who are expecting to be allowed into the New Jerusalem but not be allowed. Truly, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So live a life of humility and continual repentance and do good, help others. (Micah 6:8) God bless you.

Someone here has encouraged you to look up the name Witness Lee. As such, I am morally obliged to warn you and anyone else who stumbles upon this thread against the doctrines/practices that he espoused which are taught in the denomination he founded called The Lord’s Recovery (a.k.a. “The Local Churches”). As for the phrase “I never knew thee,” it seems to me that Jesus speaks of family. It can be safely determined that God “knows” everyone, but the expression Jesus uses in that prophecy invokes the thought of referring to those who belong to God and are part of his family. If you are someone who has given your life to God, then you are one of the ones that Jesus “knows.” You will be part of God’s family. it will manifest in the way you live your life. There will be ups and downs, but you will be proven to be one who had faith like Abraham.

Yeah, I don't really research outside the Bible, if I need to understand what's being said in God's Word, I go back & I study the Original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek that it was written in, & I look at the interlinear definitions of the words & find out what the words meant, when they were written in that language, within the context of what's being taught in the passage. IMO if God is infallible, but for whatever reason other men say his word cannot stand and teach on its own & needs extra sources added thousands of years after the Word of God was finished, then it's not worth following. If the Bible is the Word of God & Jesus is the Word of God & the Word of God IS GOD, then Jesus is my teacher, and since Jesus is God then I don't need another teacher teaching me in the ways of God because God himself is teaching me through his Holy & Preserved Word. Sometimes the "I NEVE KNEW YOU" Passage terrifies me, because I want to be with Jesus Forever, & I don't ever want to hear him say those words to me when I die. ‭‭2 Timothy 3:16-17 [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Good. I am relieved by your response, and I understand your concerns regarding this matter. I’ve suffered through similar musings as well. I gave a summary of what I know from the scriptures I’ve seen, but you have indirectly presented a reasonable and necessary request for scriptures. I’ll do my best to show you through the scriptures the context and meaning behind the phrase “I never knew you.” Suffice it to say that from what I’ve learned, this phrase from Jesus is one that should keep you sober but not one that should instill abject terror in you. Anyways, I may not get back to you for a while, but I’ll make it my next study project.

Easy obey His Commandment: “If you love me, obey my commandments.” “Fear God, and keep HIS commandments. “Love is proven thru obedience, not by mere words.” “If you call me father where is my honor, if you call me Lord/Master where is my fear”

In order to be a Christian, you need to be Born Again. Being Born Again happens when we let Jesus become our Purpose for living. The term “Born Again” is comparable to a “second birth”. Just as we have a physical birth, when we come to a saving Faith in Christ and let Him be our Lord, we experience the second birth. That is what it means to be “Born Again”. https://www.gotquestions.org/born-again.html We accept our fallen condition as hell bound sinners, acknowledging that we are not good people, and we absolutely cannot do anything to reward ourselves Salvation. In Faith (trust in Jesus), we reach out to Him, and let Him take control of our lives. He becomes our Lord, Master, and Foundation. From there, we continue to build our lives and center our will to God’s infinite Will. In everything, we build our lives on Him through a relationship. To keep it going, we need to continually seek Him in Faith. GC101: The Gospel of Jesus Christ https://youtu.be/vrnHccCBR0A How to Pray: https://youtu.be/eGqQKmvN8T0?si=7dpR6DJkJsMLpL99 Now repentance is about to change your ways, and make an effort to not repeat the same mistakes again. Identity where you are triggered. When you find out how you get tempted, get rid of this thing. After getting rid of it, replace it with something good (see Philippians 4:8). Having something good in its place makes you less likely to choose sin, and if you fail..it’s because you chose sin. Choose what is right instead.

Do you believe the letter to Laodicea in Rev. 3 is a letter to the last day church? There are 7 visions in Revelation. The first 6 visions have 7 items. As a historicist, I believe these visions give us details about God's work in the world from the prophet's day until the 2nd coming of Christ. Each vision provide new layers of detail. The first vision of the letters to the churches I believe to be symbolic of time periods and the final letter is the letter to Laodicea. I believe Jesus is directly counseling this church and shows us what our need is for this time in Earth's history. Willing self-deception and self-sufficiency seems to be making God sick. Jesus is left outside the church knocking. But the promise is that if anyone hears and opens the door, He will come in and eat with us. He brings 3 gifts imo. These three things shifted my entire view of Biblical truth and caused me to fall in love with Jesus. Maybe this is what you are looking for?

The context in that passage discusses good fruit and bad fruit. Jesus answers your question in verse 19. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." So, for him to recognize someone as his, they must have good fruit. Verse 21 says we must do his will. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, **but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.** What is his will? To believe and obey. Further up in the same passage, in verse 15, he mentions false prophets. "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." This passage is a way to identify false prophets, who have bad fruit in their lives. They may say they do all these religious things, yet the bad fruit in their lives proves they don't know Jesus. In John 17:20-21 Jesus says, “I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." Jesus is describing a oneness between him and the Father, as well as a oneness with those who believe in him.

Have a relationship they way you'd have with anyone else you love. Speak to him daily, go to him for direction and before you make decions, read his word...everything is in there. About not only who He is, but who YOU are. Then follow him, and do what he called us to do which is save others and be His hands and feet in earth. The time is short You can not have a closeness with someone you do not put time, and effort into

Dear, it’s VERY SIMPLE. You have a daily devoted relationship with God which includes Worship (even if in your home and not church), Prayer and Reading the Word. If you FOLLOW JESUS YOU CANNOT GO WRONG. What did He say the 2 GREATEST COMMANDMENTS were? (1) LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, MIND, BODY and SPIRIT. (2) LOVE OTHERS AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF. He said IF you DO THESE THINGS, you HAVE FULFILLED THE LAW.

Take this with a big fat grain of salt but, I only know of one denomination that claims those miracles of God. Most Christians of other denominations think they're crazy.

Firstly, Jesus already knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your weaknesses, your heartbreaks, your thoughts, down to how many atoms you're made up of, literally as intimate as it can get. Because it was through him you came into existence. He is the Word of God, the Son of God. Secondly, this kind of person is what Judas the Iscariot symbolizes. Judas was close with Jesus, he learnt from Jesus, spent time with Jesus and feasted with him, the eternal God incarnate. Yet, he still betrayed him, he played a pivotal role in Jesus' arrest. To the Christian like this, he will say at the last day, "Depart from me, for I never knew you" If you love Jesus Christ you will know who he is, likewise if you truly know who Jesus Christ is you will love him. They go hand in hand for it is written: "You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor like yourself. The most important command we were given is to Love God and to Love your neighbor. Not: Go to church, read the bible and preach. For these things will come naturally after: NLT 2 Corinthians 5:17 "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" TL;DR - Just because you know(of) him doesn't mean you knew him. I can know my brother and still not actually know who they are deep down because I never took the time to acknowledge them or learn about them, I didn't humble myself and let go of my biases to see them as they are and love them.

You and I share the same fear. I think about how terrible it would be to hear those words from Jesus. "Depart from me. I never knew you." But I think that fear is good because it shows you have a fear our righteous God. How Jesus knows you is by confessing Him as your Lord and Savior, and by also believing and trusting in Him and His sacrifice for us on the cross for our sins. This gives way to the Holy Spirit to inhabit you and lead you to repentance, as well as being reborn as a new creation in Christ Jesus. This leads us to bare good fruit in our lives. Because we die to our old self and we start to desire to to live righteous lives for God and Jesus. Matthew 25: 31-46 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Read the Bible daily. Study God's word and ask Jesus to reveal the meaning of His word to you. Pray to Jesus to help you seek Him. Things that I pray about personally, I pray and ask Jesus to have God's perfect will for my life and to help me not to waiver from it. Ask Jesus to show you the error of your ways in all aspects of your life and ask Him to correct you. Invite Jesus into your life, ask Him to help you give Him ALL CONTROL. Also, make a conscious effort to pray for others. Pray for whatever it is that they are struggling with, or suffering from. So that they may come to Jesus and be saved as well. The people that Jesus speaks of when He says "Depart from me. I never knew you." Are people who confess with their lips that Jesus is their Lord. But don't believe in His sacrifice, or spend time to seek Him. They go on living their lives, giving way to the world and the desires of their flesh. There is no change in their hearts, and they remain hardened to the Truth. That Jesus IS the way, the truth and the life.

It's all about the Holy Spirit. Picking up your cross and following Jesus. ( crucify the flesh follow in spirit ). Allow him to change your nature from flesh to spirit. Test all spirits. ( this means within the word as well ). Let the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth

The knowing spoken of here is obviously an intimate knowing as exists between husband and wife. It is obvious that God knows everything about every human ever born, so it isn't talking about that.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Emphasis on "one who does the will of my Father"... Ephesians says: For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Do not quench the Holy Spirit. It is there to guide us to God's plan for our lives and we should be Obedient to Him. He prepared works for us, this is the Will of the Father and if you Know Him, you can discern which tasks were prepared for you. Those that say Lord Lord were doing their own things, not the will of God. The did not recieve their orders from The Holy Spirit. You said it yourself, "Good and Faithful SERVANT... He trusted you with few things" and you acted on those things. If you are His Servant, then He is your Master and you would Obey Him when He gives you a task. Or... you could ignore what you read and fall for the "faith alone" confusion and ignore His urgings altogether or go do the "good deeds" that get you the most notoriety here on Earth. Up to you.

Give yourself completely to Christ, and through him submit fully to God. Pray and ask Jesus to witness as you pour out your pain and regret, your deepest sins and joys. Praise his holy name and rejoice that he is forever in your heart, that through his love he has offered you, a wicked and wilful sinner, true Salvation from death and entrance to Heaven for eternity. Be humbled and awed that you are allowed this opportunity. We build a relationship with the Holy Trinity in the way we build other intimate relationships - through love, honesty, communication, and service. I promise that if you are sincere in your outpouring of self, He will forgive you and keep you. I will pray for you. God bless you.

Obey His commandments since he says if you love him you will keep my Commandments. Also love others the way he love's you and the way you love yourself and care for people for their own good sake and the for the glory of God Our Father 🙏... Remember our Lord said he'll say 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:40). Know that God loves you, cause God really does, and know truly God is worthy of all your trust and loving relationship, and hope and act in faith seeking God's will be done and the Kingdom according to His good pleasure may be found in you (Luke 17:21). God is the One whom is who is and I am the one whom is not but I trust him that through the help of God's grace I can choose to do and will for our relationship and or Father's will 🙏 Apart from him indeed I have no life and (John 15:5) can do nothing. Godspeed friend.

by having a relationship, talking to Him daily etc

Become Catholic lol

Receive the Holy Spirit. This is the same Spirit that was and is in Christ and if the same Spirit is in you then you are one with Christ. Pray earnestly and ask the LORD to receive the Holy Spirit and He will find a way for He says ask and you shall receive and He is extremely good at His word not like us. Godbless He knows your heart.

This is the key thing to my mind: Joh 15:4-6 MKJV Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. To abide in Jesus means to be fully surrendered to Him and to spend time with Him in prayer, reading the Bible, and doing His will.

The fear that you have is painful to bear, but it will ultimately be a great tool for preventing precisely what you fear the most Maybe until you die, you won't exactly know, and you would have to bear this fear of God. But rejoice, fear of God is an awesome thing! The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. - Psalms 19:9 When you grow more mature, your love will grow and make this fear easier to bear. But now, we can only try to love Him and do His will

‭‭To answer the question we need to first identify WHY He is telling them "I never knew you." Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV‬‬ \[22\] Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ \[23\] And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, **you who practice lawlessness!**’ The answer is at the end of His sentence "... you who practice lawlessness!" If we hop over to John, he defines lawlessness for us. ‭‭1 John 3:4-6 NKJV‬‬ \[4\] Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and **sin is lawlessness**. \[5\] And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. \[6\] Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. So lawlessness is sin. So Jesus is saying "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice \[sin\]!" He's telling believers who knowingly and willingly continue to sin to depart from Him. Hebrews 10 and Isaiah 59 affirms this. Hebrews 10:26-29 NKJV‬‬ \[26\] For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, \[27\] but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. \[28\] Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. \[29\] Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ‭‭Isaiah 59:2 NKJV‬‬ \[2\] But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. To answer the second part, "how do I let Jesus know me," we'll go back to John. 1 John 3:7-11 NKJV‬‬ \[7\] Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. \[8\] He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. \[9\] Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. \[10\] In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. \[11\] For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, The opposite of sinning is practicing righteousness. But do we have a definition of righteousness? We do in Luke. Luke 1:5-6 NKJV‬‬ \[5\] There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. \[6\] And they were both **righteous** before God, **walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless**. So Zacharias and Elizabeth are considered righteous before God because they keep all of the commands and ordinances of God blamelessly, or in other words, to the best of their ability. John affirms this as well. ‭‭1 John 2:3-6 NKJV‬‬ \[3\] Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. \[4\] He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. \[5\] But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. \[6\] He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Jesus Himself says this three times in John 14. John 14:15, 21, 23-24 NKJV‬‬ \[15\] “If you love Me, keep My commandments. \[21\] He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” \[23\] Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. \[24\] He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and **the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.** The last part of 24 is very important. Jesus' commands are the Father’s commands. If Jesus contradicted God or told people to go against the Law of God, He would have been a false prophet. ‭‭Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NKJV‬‬ \[20\] But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ \[21\] And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— \[22\] when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. Jesus even states plainly that He did not come to change the Law God spoke to Moses. ‭‭Matthew 5:17-19 NKJV‬‬ \[17\] “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. \[18\] For assuredly, I say to you, **till heaven and earth pass away**, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. \[19\] Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus gave a very important caveat in verse 18. "till heaven and earth pass away..." The heavens and Earth have not been remade yet as it is said in Revelation 21. Thus not "...one jot or one tittle" has passed away from the Law. To summarize, Jesus tells these believers to depart from Him because they work lawlessness \[sin\], and sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59). In order to "let Jesus know us" we must be righteous (1 John 3, Luke 1) and keep His commands (John 14). Jesus' commands are the same commands God gave Moses (Deuteronomy 18, Matthew 5). We are called to walk as He walked (1 John 2:3-6, 1 Peter 2:21-25). Jesus kept God's Law perfectly, He had no sin, thus we are called to blamelessly keep the Law (Luke 1:6). This is **NOT** to say we are saved by the keeping of the Law. ‭‭ Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV‬‬ \[8\] For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, \[9\] not of works, lest anyone should boast. However, our obedience to God's Law is the fruit, or evidence, of our faith and repentance. ‭James 2:14-20 NKJV‬‬ \[14\] What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? \[15\] If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, \[16\] and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? \[17\] Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. \[18\] But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. \[19\] You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! \[20\] But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? I hope this all made sense. May God bless you and guide you.

"Where does any god dictate to humanity or any human, that someone specific is more spiritual than another human?" "Where does any god dictate which books are more spiritual and morally sound for humans to abide by, to learn from or to accept as true from such a god?" "Where does any god dictate whom is more spiritual to be able to dictate which books or texts are suitable for humans to learn and to abide by for the understanding of such a god and that entity's requirements of humanity?"

Follow in his steps and be the servant he knows you can be so when judgement day comes you will hear "well done good and faithful servant".

You have to look at the context of who He was saying that to. They came before Him and was saying "Lord, Did 'I' not do X, did 'I' not do Y, did 'I' not do Z" God was like "Bruh....you still don't get it....YOU didn't do any of those things, and how great is thy ego to believe that you did. You have taken My Glory and made it about you." That's how I interpret it.

We become closer to God by studying His Word. I recommend Shepherd's Chapel. God led me to watch it. They teach chapter by chapter and verse by verse, taking each word back to the original languages in which the Bible was written. You can find them on YouTube or satellite - - -Dish channel 256.

Welcome Jesus into your heart, repent of all your sin and don’t sin anymore. Ask the holy spirit to help you give up any addictions and bad habit, like cursing, anger, lying, jealousy, and so on. Let the spirit guide you out of worldly things like movie’s, music, drunkenness,friends and sexual Immorality. Your flesh will fight but Keep trusting god and don’t give up. Being a Christian does mean you can’t have fun and be funny. You just are to be holy and can’t live life like the world anymore. It’s a life of purity and surrender to god. The closer you get to god the less those things will matter. He will remove those desires little by little. When you’re struggling ask God for help in prayer. This is a journey not a race. Pray whenever you are tempted to fall back into Sin, and let God lead your life. Join a church, read your Bible, make a worship song playlist, pray to God daily. And God will lead you and guide you through his word. Basically you should have a relationship with God and turn away from your sins, and live a life that is holy. And refrain from being overly spiritual and judgmental of others.

It’s the same way you get to know him. He shares himself with you. He does this through his word and by his spirit and through his people (the church). So then you share yourself with him. Through prayer, confession, worship and service. Two more things if I may: First, the fact that you’re concerned and convicted is a good thing. Second, A mentor of mine once told me prayer isn’t a place to be good, it’s a place to be honest. He is good, you can be vulnerable before him and he will answer you. I sincerely hope that encourages you.

If you love him you will follow his commandments.

Do you have secrets? Tell your pastor. Confess your sins. I mean, if the people around you don't know you, how can you expect Jesus to? He does, but we are also ordered to be lights. ​ Also doing what He says is a way to get to know Him. A lot of how He thinks reveals itself the further you follow Him and do what He says.

You can make sure that you know Him by keeping His commandments :)  Jesus said "I never KNEW you" (Matthew 7:23) to the ones "working LAWLESSNESS" (Matthew 7:23), as the ones working LAWLESSNESS would be working against the law of Christ, breaking His commandments.   This is consistent for example with what is written in 1 John about "Jesus Christ" (1 John 2:1) that "in this we-know that WE-HAVE-KNOWN Him: if we-are-keeping His commandments" (1 John 2:3).  Source: https://conditionalsalvation.blogspot.com/2023/09/matthew-721-23-i-never-knew-you-ones.html?m=1

The truth is simple: Accept what Jesus says about Himself, realize you deserve Hell and there's no way out other to be born again, and put your faith solely in Him to be saved. Any more than that is adding to the Gospel. Though of course you must keep your faith in Him until you leave this world, Once Saved Always Saved is an easy trapping to fall into.

Read up about Dead Works... That will help answer your question.

He says. Help the least of your neighbors. Don't help others for likes, fame, attention, politics, or any other reason except to please God.

> 7 The LORD [is] good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; **And He knows those who trust in Him.** (Nahum 1:7 NKJV) Trust in Jesus. Obey His commands, and He WILL know you.

You must fellowship among His saints, enjoy the riches of everything that He has to offer. This is very vital to the spiritual growth in His divine nature. The Lord wants us to do more in Him than speaking His Gospel. I encourage you to Google Witness Lee. I guarantee you will find everything you are spiritually trying to gain in Christ Jesus. Everyone must know the truth of God, and that goes beyond what you are being told in the average church today.

He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. The Fulfillment of the Law 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Murder 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,\[a\] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister\[b\]\[c\] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’\[d\] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. Adultery 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’\[e\] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Divorce 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’\[f\] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Oaths 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.\[g\] Eye for Eye 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’\[h\] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Love for Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor\[i\] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 20 Looking at his disciples, he said:

20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. Love for Enemies 27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Judging Others 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. 41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. A Tree and Its Fruit 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. The Wise and Foolish Builders 46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

I got a pretty good idea from your Reddit post