Salvation Isn’t Cheap: Many Will Say 'Lord, Lord'
- Zerubbabel
- Jul 6
- 3 min read
Scripture
“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?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’”
— Matthew 7:22–23 (NIV)
Reflection
We’ve been sold a soft gospel.
One that says salvation is just a whispered prayer,
a one-time moment,
a get-out-of-hell-free card.
But Jesus never preached that.
He didn’t say, “Repeat after Me.”
He said, “Follow Me.”
He said, “Deny yourself.”
He said, “Take up your cross.”
Somewhere along the way, we turned a covenant into a coupon.
But the Kingdom of God was never cheap.
It cost Jesus everything.
And it will cost us everything to follow Him.
Yet hear this—He welcomes the broken first.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28
Jesus didn’t demand perfection at the gate.
He welcomed the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, the sinners and the ashamed.
He met them in their weakness—and then invited them into transformation.
So if you’re coming to Him in despair, pain, or failure—you’re not disqualified.
You’re exactly who He calls.
But He doesn’t leave us there.
Salvation isn’t just about accepting Jesus as Savior.
It’s also about surrendering to Him as King.
And here’s where the line gets drawn:
“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.”
— Matthew 7:21
That’s the verse that wrecks me.
Because these people knew the language.
They knew the name.
They even did miracles in His name.
But Jesus says, “I never knew you.”
Why?
Because they never submitted to His authority.
They used His name like a magic word, but never laid their lives at His feet.
True salvation is free—but it will cost you everything.
You don’t work to earn it.
But once you receive it, you lay everything down.
Because Jesus was clear:
“Whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple...
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate
the cost...?
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be
My disciples.”
— Luke 14:27–28, 33 (NIV)
This isn’t legalism. This is Lordship.
It’s not payment for salvation—it’s the evidence that He owns you now.
And even this surrender is not powered by will—it’s worked in us by grace.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”
— Philippians 2:13
We obey not to be saved, but because we are saved—and His Spirit empowers us to do what the flesh never could.
You don’t casually drift into the Kingdom.
You lay your life down at the feet of a King.
Key Truth
Salvation is a gift—bought by Jesus, not earned by us.
But if He is not Lord, He is not ours.
To be truly saved is to surrender—not just to His mercy, but to His rule.
Many will say “Lord, Lord.”
But only those who do the will of the Father will enter.
The gate is narrow. The way is costly.
But it leads to life—and that life begins now.
Let’s Pray
Father, forgive me for where I’ve made You a Savior but not a King.
Teach me to live in obedience—not out of fear, but out of love and honor.
Show me what must go. Rip down every idol.
Make me one of the few who doesn’t just say “Lord”—but lives like You truly are.
Let my life prove I belong to You.
Not by might. Not by power. But by Your Spirit.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Scriptures for Further Study
Luke 14:25–35 — The cost of discipleship
Matthew 7:13–27 — The narrow gate and true foundation
Romans 10:9 — Confessing Jesus as Lord
John 14:15 — Obedience as love
James 2:14–26 — Faith without works is dead
Philippians 2:12–13 — God works in us to will and act
Matthew 11:28–30 — Come to Me, all who are weary
Comments