Matthew 7:21
in Matthew 7Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
KJV
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
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This verse in Matthew 7
Commentary
6 notes on this verse(Verse 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. As he said before, those who have a garment of good life should not be received on account of the wickedness of their teachings: so now he asserts the opposite, that even faith should not be given to those who, although they possess the integrity of faith, live wickedly and destroy the integrity of doctrine with evil deeds.
This site's exposition
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven
Saying Lord, Lord is not itself condemned, since the title rightly confesses Jesus' authority, but saying it is shown insufficient without doing the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same standard of doing, not only hearing or saying, that closes the Sermon in the builders' parable. The verse anticipates the still harder case of verses 22 and 23, where the claim includes visible spiritual activity and still falls short. Entering the kingdom of heaven is here made to depend on a relationship proved by obedience rather than on a title correctly spoken.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Not every one that saith ... - The Saviour goes on to say that many, on the ground of a mere profession such as he had just referred to, would claim admittance into his kingdom. Many would plead that they had done miracles, and preached or prophesied much, and on the ground of that would demand an entrance into heaven. The power of working miracles had no necessary connection with piety. God may as well, if he chooses, give the power of raising the dead to a wicked man, as the skill of healing to a wicked physician.
on Matthew 7:21-29
The Lord Jesus winds up the Sermon on the Mount by a passage of heart-piercing application. He turns from false prophets to false professors, from unsound teachers to unsound hearers. Here is a word for all. May we have grace to apply it to our own hearts! The first lesson here is the uselessness of a mere outward profession of Christianity. Not everyone that saith “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Not all that profess and call themselves Christians shall be saved. Let us take notice of this.
IN reading this chapter one is led to feel that it is not, after all, an easy thing to be a sincere Christian. The way is hard, the road is narrow. Who will, may represent the way to Heaven as being easy, but our Savior does not speak so of it. "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, and few there are that find it." "Many are called and few chosen." The difficulty of being right is increased by the fact that there are men in the world whose trade it is to make counterfeits.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Yet our Lord claims and expects this of all His disciples, as when He washed their feet: "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (Joh 13:13). shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven--that will which it had been the great object of this discourse to set forth.
The words behind it
25 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Οὐ | ou | Not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| πᾶς | pas | everyone | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ὁ | ho | who | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| λέγων | legon | is saying | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| μοι· | moi | to Me; | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| κύριε | kurie | Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| κύριε, | kurie | Lord, | G2962 → | 711 times |
| εἰσελεύσεται | eiseleusetai | will enter | G1525 → | 194 times |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| βασιλείαν | basileian | kingdom | G932 → | 162 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανῶν, | ouranon | heavens, | G3772 → | 272 times |
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| ὁ | ho | the [one] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ποιῶν | poion | doing | G4160 → | 569 times |
| τὸ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θέλημα | thelema | will | G2307 → | 62 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πατρός | patros | Father | G3962 → | 410 times |
| μου | mou | of Mine | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| τοῦ | tou | who [is] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τοῖς | tois | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| οὐρανοῖς. | ouranois | heavens. | G3772 → | 272 times |
ΟὐNot
ouG3756 →1664 times
πᾶςeveryone
pasG3956 →1235 times
ὁwho
hoG3588 →19766 times
λέγωνis saying
legonG3004 →1325 times
μοι·to Me;
moiG3165 →1936 times
κύριεLord
kurieG2962 →711 times
κύριε,Lord,
kurieG2962 →711 times
εἰσελεύσεταιwill enter
eiseleusetaiG1525 →194 times
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
βασιλείανkingdom
basileianG932 →162 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανῶν,heavens,
ouranonG3772 →272 times
ἀλλ᾽but
all᾽G235 →635 times
ὁthe [one]
hoG3588 →19766 times
ποιῶνdoing
poionG4160 →569 times
τὸthe
toG3588 →19766 times
θέλημαwill
thelemaG2307 →62 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
πατρόςFather
patrosG3962 →410 times
μουof Mine
mouG3165 →1936 times
τοῦwho [is]
touG3588 →19766 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τοῖςthe
toisG3588 →19766 times
οὐρανοῖς.heavens.
ouranoisG3772 →272 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 1:22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
it leads to
- John 13:17
If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.
- Luke 6:46–48
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say?
- James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
- 1 John 2:3
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
- John 13:17
Through
Luke 11:28But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
it leads to
- Luke 6:47–48
I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them:
- Luke 8:21
But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”
- Psalms 112:1
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Luke 6:47–48
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1158: “The Sieve” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and Jerome, Commentary on Matthew.
