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. Matthew 7:21
“Let no man deceive himself. Unless he believes that Christ Jesus has lived in the flesh, and shall confess His cross and passion, and the blood which He shed for the salvation of the world, he shall not obtain eternal life, whether he be a king, or a priest, or a ruler, or a private person, a master or a servant, a man or a woman.
He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Let no man’s place, or dignity, or riches, puff him up; and let no man’s low condition or poverty abase him. For the chief points are faith towards God, hope towards Christ, the enjoyment of those good things for which we look, and love towards God and our neighbor. For, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself.” And the Lord says, “This is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.”
And again, “A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Do ye, therefore, notice those who preach other doctrines, how they affirm that the Father of Christ cannot be known, and how they exhibit enmity and deceit in their dealings with one another. They have no regard for love; they despise the good things we expect hereafter; they regard present things as if they were durable; they ridicule him that is in affliction; they laugh at him that is in bonds.”
Ignatius of Antioch (c.50-c.108) in the Epistle of Ignatius To the Smyrnaeans 6 (Roberts-Donaldson English Translation).
Jesus spoke often of deception. He warned us not to be deceived in many texts.
For example, in today’s Scripture, he reminded listeners that words are inadequate. We must not just profess our faith but do the will of God.
Ignatius echoes this. He reminds us that status does not get us to heaven.
We must receive life by faith and then live out the will of God toward others, which includes loving our neighbor. And notice that Ignatius says that we often exhibit enmity and deceit in our dealings with others instead of love. Part of this deceit is regarding “present things as durable.”
The stuff of this life won’t last. What matters is doing the will of God and loving our neighbor.
God, help us not be deceived. Forgive us for loving the things of this life which are not durable and for exhibiting enmity and deceit toward our neighbors rather than love. Show us a new way this year in Jesus name. Amen.