"Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven"
(Matthew 7:21 NKJV)

Our part consists in doing the will of our Father

I have heard preachers assure their audience of salvation if they cry, “Lord, save me!” This invitation leaves listeners in a state of false security and inflicts a double sin against the word of God —

1. No passage in the New Testament shows anyone being saved merely by crying out, “Lord, save me!”
2. This spurious invitation rejects what the Lord actually says, and replaces it with a plan of the preachers’ own choosing.

Amazingly, some listeners embrace this counterfeit plan of salvation without verifying it with Scripture. It is enough for them that “the preacher said this is the way to be saved, and he would not mislead me.” But Jesus Himself rejects this false doctrine. Let’s face the facts (Matthew 7:21): instead of saying, “Lord, Lord,” Jesus informs His listeners that the only way to go to heaven is to do the will of our Father in heaven. Jesus is the Author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

Acts 2:23 quotes Joel 2: “...whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Sincere sinners realize their lost state and ask, “What shall we do?” Peter explains the way to call on the Lord: “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38)

When Saul of Tarsus needed salvation, Ananias asked, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). How many preachers today say this? Listen to the Lord, not men.

– Rick Duggin