It appears the ones being addressed in the above are Christians. They had prophesied in the name of Jesus. They had driven out demons in the name of Jesus. They had performed many miracles in the name of Jesus.

How would you feel toward someone who had done all these things in the name of Jesus? Would you believe him or her to be a true Christian?

Jesus didn't!

These believers did all these things. They were saved, filled with God's Spirit, and demonstrated the ministries and gifts of the Spirit.

But they were evildoers! They were not listening to Christ. He did not know them and never had known them.

Were they performing these miracles by the power of the devil or by the power of the Holy Spirit? I think they accomplished their works by the power of the Spirit.

How can this be?

A question arises in our mind because we do not understand the nature of the Christian salvation. The Christian salvation is moral transformation, not the working of supernatural signs.

But! But! But!

God gives gifts of the Spirit to people without regard to their spirituality. The oil comes on the blood, not on our spiritual maturity. And the gifts of God are without repentance.

The gifts and ministries are given to us that we might be transformed into the image of Christ and that those to whom we minister might be transformed into the image of Christ. They are given for no other reason.

The fruit the heavenly Farmer is looking for is the moral image of Christ in us and in those to whom we minister and whom we influence.

If we are transformed morally then Christ will know us. Christ does not know an evildoer regardless of how prominent in the ministry he or she may be.

If we are not transformed morally, then Christ does not know us. Yet the gift continues to operate for it is without repentance, not revocable.

There are prominent minsters today, known around the world, under whose ministry hundreds of thousands of people have been converted and healed. Yet they are evildoers. Christ does not know them. They hold successful evangelistic revivals and healing crusades while at the same time practicing adultery or mishandling the funds given by the faithful. They are robbers of widows. Christ does not know them.

The reason ministers are seduced away from the truth and practice evil is twofold. First, they have in their personality strong lusts for money, prominence, sexual indulgence, pornography, alcohol, drugs, child molestation, or some other driving spirit.

Second, they have been taught that we "stand in grace" and shall be brought to Paradise to live forever even though we have practiced lawlessness. These two factors, the lusts of their personality and their belief that they are protected from Divine wrath by their statement of belief in Christ, combine to make them evildoers.

In the Presence of Christ they will hear: "Get away from Me, you evildoer!"

So much for the "state of grace" that purports to be an eternal amnesty for Gentiles.

Do we believe the written Word of God or not?

To be continued.